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.