week one in photos

"O Thou by whose Name the sea of joy moveth and the fragrance of happiness is wafted. I ask Thee to show me from the wonders of Thy favor, that which shall brighten my eyes and shall gladden my heart. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Generous."

Baha'u'llah

Happy One Week Birthday to my two sweet boys. You have melted my heart within me.

Some photos from Week One

my little joey

((First, let me just thank all of you for your loving comments and wishes. I've loved reading them over the past days, and feel surrounded by the most amazing and powerful support. I have very little computer time, especially now that I'm not in the hospital, so I hope you'll bear with me when it takes a while to respond to your emails and calls... I have received all of them with love.))

Shoghi's gorgeous hand

Today I spent about 7 hours at the NICU with Shoghi and Maxwell, and for most of that time, we practiced Kangaroo Care. All this means is that I open my shirt, unswaddle or undress the baby (I do this one baby at a time) and we snuggle skin-to-skin. Some of that time may be spent practicing nursing, but mostly, the boys just sleep. Here are some photos of Shoghi, who looks beyond content, don't you think? I was trying to get his whole body, with his teeny legs curled up underneath him, but didn't quite capture it.




And because I can't leave him out, here's Max, snuggled up in his isolette this afternoon.


My goal for tomorrow is to give the low-down on all of the amazing progress my beautiful sons are making. Assuming they keep going as they have been, they'll be home before we know it. (well, maybe not before I know it, because every day of separation from them is torture, but you know what I mean!)

See you tomorrow!

heavenly day

Yesterday gave us cause for celebration: Maxwell and Shoghi graduated from their previous beds into isolettes, their IVs were removed, and all of this made it possible for us to get them close enough together for a reunion. It was a 3-step process...

Mon was holding Shoghi and I was feeding Maxwell, so we brought the chairs closer...

Shoghi sensed something was going on and started crying... meanwhile Max stopped sucking and opened his eyes wide to find his brother. He was looking to his right and trying to turn his head until they were finally beside each other...

Peace at last - brothers side-by-side; both of my sons in my arms.
I don't even have words for this kind of elation.

As soon as they progress from their isolettes, they'll be co-bedded in an open crib. I can hardly wait.

three days old

my two little heart breakers, taken today. notice they are breathing on their own!!

some questions that have come up:

can they cry? YES, and how! Shoghi cried to my deepest delight as soon as he was born, and while Max took a little extra time, he's been making his voice heard ever since.

dear little Shoghi with me for a little kangaroo care
(skin-to-skin holding)

sweet Maxwell, being held by his grandma

announcing

My sons have arrived!

Shoghi (rhymes with yogi), Baby A
born 8/8/08, 12:15am
3 pounds, 7 ounces
16 inches long

Maxwell, Baby B
born 8/8/08, 12:16am
3 pounds, 15 ounces
17 inches long

Details to come as things settle down - we're all well! I'm completely in love. These have been the best three days of my life.

a week for my papa

My mom is arriving today and will be here until Friday, so I figure some sort of daily posting is in order. Dad couldn't come along this time, so this will serve to keep him included.

Actually, I'm just hanging around for now, waiting to be called down for my NST (non stress test) and waiting for the call that her plane has arrived, even though I probably won't see her until about 4pm (it's 12:30 now). So far, it's been a pretty uneventful day.

I'm 31w3d today. I have not shared before that reaching that third day after turning over a new week is a big deal for me - it always makes me feel like the next week marker is most definitely attainable (unless there's an emergency). So today, 32 weeks is feeling close... something I can hardly believe.

Last night I got the idea that I should take a couple of pictures with a tape measure, so that's how we'll start.

Measuring around: 47"! Who ever thought I'd be proud of such a number,
nevermind post a photo of it! Ha!! That's my view of my belly, of course.

The red string is something some of my friends and I did at the beginning of this
pregnancy, to bind the babies to me until their healthy birth.

Fundus measurement: 47cm??? Ok, this is totally inaccurate because I'm standing up,
but this is a measurement from the bottom of my uterus to the top. In a singleton
pregnancy, after 20w, this generally measures 1cm for each week of pregnancy.
47cm at 31w? Probably not. ;o) I should be measuring somewhere around 36cm.

31 weeks!

Today marks the completion of 31 weeks!

The doctors changed my monitoring schedule this morning to two non-stress tests per day, which really just serves to increase my stress. I didn't even get a shower this morning, so please overlook the hair.

Without further ado or self-deprecation, here are the 31-week commemorative photos: