July 4th

We had our first holiday with Deacon last week--July 4th. Piper and Fletch spent the day with Eric's parents, so Eric and I could catch up on some stuff at home, including some sleep. This three kids under three thing is no joke. While we were at home napping, Piper and Fletch were in DC having a great time. Take a look at this video of them dancing at the Kennedy Center. They are way more cultured than me.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7eZkSvIC2L6MTItUGFidU1nUDQ/edit

In the evening, Eric, Deacon, and I drove into DC and met up with Eric's parents, Piper, and Fletch. We started with dinner at Bertucci's in Foggy Bottom. It was pretty cool to see the kids there since Eric and I spent many dinners there in our young and foolish days. Here is a picture of all of us after dinner.

After pizza, we loaded Piper and Fletch into the wagon and set off to see the fireworks. From Foggy Bottom, you can get some great views of the DC extravaganza.

I was pretty sure Piper and Fletch would love it, and they did. Fletch was especially enamored with them, and they both sat very still in the wagon the entire time.

I teared up a bit hearing Piper and Fletch ooh and aah over the fireworks, thinking of my dad and how he used to take me to them as a kid. I'm sure he was ooh-ing and aah-ing over the fireworks and the cute kids somewhere above us.

As for Deacon, he slept through the whole thing. I guess he'll have to wait to enjoy them next year.

Overall, July 4th was great, and as you can see, we're slowly easing into life as a family of five. 

Where Was I?

You may be wondering why, if I was on bedrest and had so much time on my hands, I didn't update the blog more often. All I can say is that long-term bedrest, like a marathon, is 90% mental and 10% physical. It takes a huge emotional toll on you, leaving you unable to concentrate, focus on things you enjoy, or even able to read a book. You basically spend most of your time wondering if the next thing you do, whether it's as simple as getting up to use the bathroom or bend over to put on socks, will be the one task the risks your baby's life--the one thing that causes my cervix to shorten or my water to break. That's pretty heavy stuff.

All of this to is to say that my 4-months of bedrest this time was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done, and I'm so proud to have made it through. Of course, I wouldn't have made it without all the support from Eric and our families. They played a huge role in this too. I also wouldn't have made it without the support of "the girls" (Karen, Mandy, Laura, and Kerri), Liisa, Erin, and so many other friends and knowing so many people were thinking of us. I apologize to anyone I didn't say in close touch with or didn't see during that time. When you're stuck inside for so long, it's really hard to let people from "the outside" in and hear about what's going on beyond the four walls of the bedroom.

I also want to give a shout out to my friends in my moms of multiples group. Because so many of them had been on bedrest before or had complicated pregnancies, they totally got where I was coming from when I complained about aches and pains or just how bored I was. They heard me bitch and moan day in and day out, brought me food and gifts for the kids, checked up on me, and cheered on my cervix after each doctor's appointment. I can't thank them enough for putting up with me.

While I was laying in bed feeling sorry for myself, life did go on for everyone else, especially Piper and Fletch. Here are a few snapshots of things they did over those 4 months.

They played at the mall at the Microsoft store...

They played in the snow...

And colored with chalk in the driveway...

Got excited about cherry blossoms...

Visited Eric's office on Take Your Child to Work Day...

Got special treats for good behavior...

And discovered that their twin was their best playmate...

So, while the winter and spring were rough, we all came out the other end just fine, and with little Deacon as our reward. Not too bad for a few months of hard work.

Sibling Love

For months, we wondered what Piper and Fletch's reaction would be to finally meeting "Baby Brother." We'd talked to them a lot about it, but we weren't sure if it really registered with them, since they're not even 3 years old. Sure, they've been around quite a few babies at daycare, but seeing your mom and dad holding a new baby is a different story.

Late in the day that Deacon was born, Eric's parents brought Piper and Fletch to the hospital for the introduction. It was such a precious moment. They both totally got it and were so excited to meet him (okay, excited for a few minutes until they noticed all the cool stuff in the hospital room, like the sink and the huge windows with a construction site to see outside).

Piper was giddy and speechless when she saw Deacon. Fletch kept saying, "Ooooh, so cute." I think these pictures tell the whole story--it was a mixture of wonder, awe, and excitement.

Since we came home, they have (mostly) been great with Deacon. They really do love him and want to help feed him and calm him when he cries (by tickling his toes). They give him lots of hugs and kisses, and tell him all day long how cute he is. When they leave the house, they make sure to say bye to Deacon, and they give him goodnight snuggles before going up to bed. I've been very proud of how well they've done.

That's not to say there hasn't been challenges. While they haven't shown any true jealousy, they have been acting up quite a bit, especially in the afternoons when they get home. But, it's hard to tell if that's because of the change in their routines, the introduction of Deacon, or just because they're almost 3 years old, and 3-year olds aren't known for being especially well behaved. I guess time will tell.

Welcome to the World, Deacon!

We're happy to announce that on Monday, June 10, 2013, we welcome Deacon Alan Woodard to our family. Weighing in at 7lbs 9oz and 21 inches long, Deacon arrived kicking and screaming into the world at 1:10am via repeat c-section. He's happy and healthy and came right home with us.

Deacon's arrived when I was 37 weeks, 6 days pregnant, so just short of 38 weeks. Considering all we went through to cook Deke that long, we were extremely happy with how far we made it. And, I say "we" here because I couldn't have done it without Eric's support and without him holding down the fort at home while I laid around in bed.

So how did Deke end up being born on Monday, June 10 (instead of his scheduled c-section on Tuesday, June 11)? On Saturday, June 8, I started having these weird cramps that I had never felt before. They weren't timeable or regular, so I tried to dismiss them. However, by Sunday, they were getting worse and were happening every 6-8 minutes. After trying to ignore them all day, we finally decided shortly before P&F's bedtime to head to the hospital, especially because I also wasn't feeling the baby move very often. So, we dropped P&F off with Eric's parents and visited L&D for what seemed like the zillionth visit of my pregnancy.

When we got to the hospital, the nurses hooked me up to the monitors, and I was indeed having minor, semi-regular contractions. However, in a crazy twist of irony after dealing with the cerclage and bedrest, the contractions weren't changing my cervix, and it was still long and closed. Dr. Tran, the doctor on call from my practice, gave me IV fluids and kept me on the monitors for several hours.

Around midnight, she decided that I wasn't in real labor and decided to send me home. We had mixed feelings about this--these contractions hurt a lot, and I couldn't imagine dealing with them for another 30 hours until my c-section. However, I also wasn't mentally prepared to deliver that night. Just as we were making peace with the idea of going home, Dr. Tran came back and said she was rereading the notes from my previous L&D visit when I also reported reduced fetal movement. Since I had now reported that twice, she changed her mind and decided that tonight would be the night. She didn't want to risk sending me home again and having something go wrong. We'd be meeting our baby shortly.

In just a matter of minutes, the doctors and nurses had the OR prepped and ready for me. The anesthesiologist came to meet with me, and thankfully, he was so incredibly nice and did so much to calm my fears. I knew he'd be okay when he was wearing a Boston Strong lanyard around his neck, and he told me was a marathon runner too. After meeting with him, they took me to the OR and then brought Eric into the room. About 20 minutes after that, at 1:10am, I heard one of the sweetest sounds of my life--a loud, angry scream from a little baby boy. The nurses cleaned him off, weighed and checked him, and then let Eric and I see him. He was perfect.

After having a few minutes to see him, Eric went with Deacon back to recovery while they stitched me up. A while later, they wheeled me back, where the three of us got to spend some precious time together while the heavy drugs wore off.

And just a few hours later, we got a room in the maternity ward and caught a few Zs before starting our life as a family of five.

Pre-Sibling Rivalry

We've started talking to the kids about their baby brother. So far, they are just starting to get it. Here is an awesome video of Piper trying to "tuck in" baby brother with a wipe, which resulted in a little scuffle with Fletch. Excuse my general whale-like state. Bedrest does nothing for one's figure or fashion sense.

2.5 Years Old

Yesterday, the kids turned 2.5 years old. I can't believe it. That just seems so old to me. Time is really starting to fly by. 

Since I"m on bedrest, Eric bravely took them to the pediatrician, and lived to tell. He said they did great. I was a little worried because before they left, Piper told me, “I’m going to the doctor's, and it’s not going to hurt, and I’ll be very brave. I won’t be scared." Not sure where she learned to make all those associations, but it was so sweet. 

The doctor declared them happy and healthy, although Fletch remains a beast. Here are their stats (taken standing on the regular doctor's scale--the kids are getting so big they no longer get measured on the baby scale):


Fletch: 
6 months: 27 inches (66%), 18lbs 12oz (68%)
9 months: 28.5 inches (59.9%), 22lbs 7.7oz (79.4%)
12 months: 30.5 inches (74%), 24 lbs 10 oz (76%)
15 months: 31.5 inches (64%), 27 lbs 8.5 oz (86%)
18 months: 34 inches (93%), 29 lbs (95%)
21 months: 34 inches (although measured at home so maybe not accurate), 32 lbs (93%)
24 months: 35.75 inches (71%), 33.4 lbs (97%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 37 lbs (97%)

Piper: 
6 months: 25 inches (19%), 15lbs 11oz (39%)
9 months: 27.75 inches (57.9%), 17lbs 13.7oz (32.5%)
12 months: 30 inches (79%), 20 lbs 1.9 oz (34%)
15 months: 31.25 (76%), 23 lbs 1 oz (55%) 
18 months: 32.5 inches (73%), 24 lbs (87%)
21 months: 32.5 inches (again, measured at home), 26.4 lbs (63%)
24 months: 34.75 inches (71%), 27.6 lbs (75%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 30 lbs (66%)

So, what are the kids up to at 30 months. Here is a little recap:

Fletch:
A year ago at this time, Fletch had zero words and barely recognized it when we called his name. After a year in speech therapy (which we just graduated from), he's now our little chatterbox. I swear he talks more than Piper. He knows hundreds, if not thousands or words, including more Thomas characters than I could ever memorize, and is saying 3, 4, 5+-word sentences. He just loves to talk and for people to listen to him. 

Fletch is also really into pretend play. He loves to wear his pirate and superhero costumes and zoom around the house. He also loves to set up his Thomas trains and make them talk to each other or start little battles between his Jake and the Neverland Pirates figures and Captain Hook. His imagination has really taken off and it's blown me away. 

In addition to trains and pirates, Fletch loves snowmen (he's still singing Frosty the Snowman, several months after the holidays), helicopters, planes, and dinosaurs. For a while, he was sleeping with several Thomas trains, but when it started to get out of control with the number of trains required for slumber, we transitioned him  to sleeping with two dinosaurs, which has worked out much better. 

Speaking of sleep, for the past few months, Fletch has been having trouble going to sleep at night, often requiring us to tuck him in many, many times before he'd relax. Over the past few weeks, we've transitioned them to a later bedtime at 7:30pm, and now he just needs to be tucked in once or twice and he's out (knock on wood). I think he just didn't need to go to sleep so early and he was so busy learning so many words, that he couldn't sleep.

All in all, Fletch remains our sweet, cuddly boy, with a slight mischievous side that is coming out more and more. I can't wait to see what comes next for him.

Piper:
Oh my little Sweet Pea. She just kills me every day with how smart and beautiful she is. There is nothing that can get by Piper, so don't bother trying anything. She's practically speaking in full paragraphs these days, and loves nothing more than telling you what to do or other commands. 

Like Fletch, Piper is very into pretend play but in different ways. She prefers to do things like Mommy and Daddy do them, like ask me to "hold still like a statue" and brush and style my hair, just like I do with her. She also loves helping Eric cook, particularly on weekend mornings when he makes pancakes. As soon as you ask her to help cook, she comes running in. 

Piper is a collector, and may need to be featured on Hoarders someday. She just loves to figure out what toys belong to her, and collect all her stuff in various place. Her main hoard is the Ikea circus tent. Toys that go in there are rarely seen or played with again. Cleaning it out is like excavating a landfill with layers of various toys you haven't seen in days or weeks. You'll also find lots of mini-Piper hoards around the house, such as between the couch cushions or under pillows. And, now she's trying to rope Fletch into her game by creating small hoards for him of the toys she's deemed are his. . 

Like me, Piper loves her sleep. She happilly goes to bed every night, snuggling in tight with her lovey trifecta of Diego, BearHead Jones, and Dollie, along with whatever stuff she's decided to pile into her crib that day. She loves getting cozy in her blanket and being left alone with her toys. 

Piper is also my snuggle bug in the mornings. When she wakes up, she needs a good 10-15 minutes of snuggling in the glider before she's ready to get dressed and carry on for the day. I love it because she's so happy to sit next to me or on my lap and just enjoy the moment and quiet.

Piper is my sweet little girl with a lot of sass. She's going to take on the world someday, I can feel it.

P&F Together: 
For a long time, P&F just sort of coexisted. They didn't interact much or really even acknowledge each other. Honestly, it worried me for a while. These days, however, they full on love each other, with Fletch being particularly attached to Piper: At bedtime, they need to go through this complicated routine that only they understand of saying goodnight and I love you to one another. If Eric takes Fletch out to the car first, he freaks out that Piper might not be coming. Piper doesn't get quite as concerned about Fletch, but she loves to give him hugs and kisses, especially if she's hurt is feelings or upset him. 

They also are playing more and more games together. I love hearing Piper say, "Fletchie-boy, come here." and Fletch respond with "Pipu, I'm coming" and then following Piper into the living room to do something. They particularly love to "make dinner" together, where they set up all their pretend food on their toddler table and then sit down to "eat" together. 

They also love to play tag with one another and chase each other around and around until they both collapse in a fit of giggles. It's just the cutest thing ever. I love the bond between them, although it's already starting to make me worried for a day when/if we have to split them up for school.

While 2.5-years old is REALLY challenging at times, full of whiining, tantrums, and crying, it's also full of so many funny, sweet, warm, playful moments that really make up for it. 

Still Alive

Just wanted to let you all know we're still alive. One thing I haven't posted about here yet is that right now, I'm 22 weeks pregnant. Yes, you read that right. I'm due June 25 with a baby boy--the newest member of our little family. About two weeks ago, we went for our 20-week anatomy scan and while everything was perfect for baby boy, they discovered my cervix was shortening, just as it had when I was pregnant with P&F. They recommended I go on bedrest immediately and signed me up that week for a surgery known as a cerclage, where they essentially stitch your cervix shut.

Last weekend, I had the surgery (which went fine), and since then, I've just been spending a lot of time at home, in bed or on the couch. Poor Eric has been doing all the hard work around here. I won't lie, it sucks. Bedrest is a total mind game. I think I said this during bedrest the first time around that one of the things that helps are all my years of marathon training (ironic given they are total opposites of the energy expenditure spectrum).

Those seasons out in the sun, running mile after mile, taught me how to face long challenges in small increments in intervals and keep the feeling of getting to the finish line in mind when things get rough. That's what I've been trying to do, take it day by day and not think about the fact that I could be on bedrest until June. The first two weeks are the hardest, usually filled with lots of frustration and tears, so I'm hoping that by the end of next week, things will start to feel like a new normal. (I also have a dr's appointment next Friday to check the status of my stitch, and there's a small chance they could lift a few restrictions, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet.)

Anyway, so now you know where I am. Before bedrest, we did try to pack in as many activities as possible, which is one reason we went to Lancaster. I guess I always knew bedrest would be a possibility again. We also went to the Washington Auto Show a few weekends back. It was quite an adventure. The kids got to sit in a few cars and meet some of their favorite characters.

And Eric and I learned a painful lesson: Sometimes 2.5-year olds still need a stroller.

Now that I have more time on my hands, I'll try to update more often.