{introducing...}

Jack McKay and Henry Benjamin! They were born on Sunday, July 26th, at 1:55pm and 1:57pm respectively. Henry was 6 lb. 8 oz., 19 inches long, and Jack was 6 lb. 0 oz., and 17.5 inches long.

(Jack on the left, Henry on the right)

Here's how it happened...

I started having regular contractions around 7am on Sunday morning, between 8-10 minutes apart. After an hour and a half, and lying in bed, they still hadn't subsided, so I called the doctor. She had me come directly into labor and delivery, where I could be evaluated. I was 35 weeks that very day, and while I was far enough in my pregnancy to be fairly safe, another week would have been even better. So they tried several things to stop the contractions and prevent labor. After two bags of IV fluid, lab tests to rule out infection, and a shot of Terbutaline (which would stop labor only if it was false), the contractions still kept coming. My blood pressure also kept rising, and was significantly higher than normal. At that point, the decision was made to go ahead and take them by c-section.

The rest of of my family was at church, along with the babies' doctor who would be there for delivery. We called our family to let them know, and they paged to the doctor to come right away. I was prepped for surgery, signed a million forms, and tried to prepare myself for the fact that I was actually going to have two more children. We have an excellent hospital, and that includes all the doctors, nurses, and staff. They put me right at ease, and everything went smoothly.

They were born about a half an hour after I got in the OR, but after only one quick glance, they were whisked away for evaluation. Baby A (Henry) was fine, and didn't require any oxygen. Baby B (Jack) had had a knot in his cord, some fluid on his lungs, and needed a little help breathing when he was born. He did need to have antibiotics through an IV to prevent possible infection, but luckily, did not have to have oxygen either.

My parents brought the kids up to see us the day after they were born. This experience will go down as one of the sweetest I've ever seen. They were only able to hold Henry, since Jack wasn't quite ready for visitors, but they were able to see him in his bassinet. The girls were enraptured by the babies, and Ryan was wearing a permanent grin the whole time. They each got to take a turn helping feed the baby, and Kate and Emma sang him a lullaby (Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star). They weren't able to stay too long, but it turned out perfectly.

The next day, they were both discovered to have borderline high bilirubin levels, so they spent the next 24 hours on dual photo therapy, under bili lights. This morning the levels had thankfully decreased, so they were able to be out from the incubators, but we did bring them home today with bili blankets. I'm so grateful they were able to come home when I did though, and hopefully their levels will be down on Friday so we can hold them a lot more!!

Jack

Henry

I realized very quickly just how things might be different now, while attempting to leave the hospital. Trying to take pictures of 5 kids and 7 people? Getting two babies dressed while three other kids are jumping off beds and are needing to go to the bathroom? It's a really good thing that my parents were there--otherwise it would have taken us 3 hours instead of 2!! We finally made it though, and I do have to say that they were pretty patient while I made them sit for what I'm sure seemed like hundreds of pictures.

Jack is blond!

One more redhead...

Welcome baby boys! We are so glad you're here!

{family movie night}

We love family movies, but with the vast difference in ages, we've usually watched something with the girls, then put them to bed and watched something else with Ryan.
Since the girls turned three, I have really wanted to start watching movies as an entire family, making it a night that everyone could enjoy together.

So, we set a date a week out, and the plan went into motion. The kids each had a cup we kept on the counter, and they were able to earn "movie money" (from Monopoly) by doing extra chores, going the extra mile, being kind to each other, and anything else I decided to give money for. :) This money was to be used at our family concession stand, chocked full of yummy snacks, treats, and even a fruit. I did take requests, so it included Snickers, Reese's, Hershey bars, paper bags full of popcorn, gummi bears, juice boxes, and apples. I saved the cardboard flats that canned goods come on, which are just the perfect size for concession trays. (Our next project is to paint the trays and personalize them.)

The night finally arrived, and the kids were so excited they couldn't stand it. I have never seen them eat dinner and take baths so fast! I gave them their money, and each concession item had a price. I even had an "Ultimate Pack" (Ryan's suggestion), which included a candy bar, popcorn, and drink for a certain price. It was a huge hit! They loved the movie, loved the food, and I loved watching my whole family together. My parents were in town by then, so they were able to be in on the fun.



It turned out so well, we decided to make it a monthly occasion. We will still continue to watch movies like we did before, simply because there are many that we want to watch with Ryan that just aren't appropriate for 3-year olds (and Ryan's not so fond of Cinderella. :)), but this is just one more way we can spend time as a family.

With such a large gap in ages, I have always searched for things that we can do as a family to bridge that gap. I'm so glad I have found one more thing to add to that list!!

{you know you're big when...}

-Very nice men at church that you rarely speak to otherwise, ask you when you are going to have "those babies". (and that was 2 weeks ago!)

-People don't look at you in the eye anymore--it's all about the belly.

-Someone who works at the hospital (in the cardiology department no less, nothing to do with maternity), after giving you directions to the ultrasound department, actually meets you at the door with a wheelchair.

-Even full-panel pants don't fit over your belly anymore. Thank goodness for Motherhood's extra stretchy comfort panel and pajama pants with lots of elastic.

-You actually get asked (more than once, mind you) if there is "more than one baby in there". Okay, so there is, but still! What if there wasn't?

-Getting dressed is like running a full marathon. Just trying to lift my leg high enough to get my pants on gets my heart pumping!

-You've passed the point of waddling. I'm not even sure what term might be used, and I don't really think I want to know.

Fun times I tell ya, fun times.

{a little scare}

I woke up this morning about 2:45am out of a deep sleep to a pretty strong contraction. I'm used to getting them often, but this was a lot more painful than usual (especially since not much wakes me up, lol). I decided to start timing them, and soon realized that they were coming about every 8 minutes or so, and maintaining their strength. Being the obedient girl that I am, and following orders, I spoke with the doctor on call around 4am, and he told me to go straight to Labor & Delivery.

Bad news? Rick was out-of town. In Kentucky. I warned him that if I went into labor while he was gone and missed the births of our children (which he would for sure, since I'm having a c/s--no labor time)...well, let's just say it would not be a good thing. I called him on his cell phone, not even thinking he would answer it (since he sleeps about as deeply as I do), but amazingly enough, he did. When I told him I was headed to the hospital, he was still a little groggy, and didn't quite get it. Then all of sudden, I heard him perk up, and say "What?? The babies?? Now?? I told him that I would call him and let him know what happened, but that I really felt like everything was going to be okay. It could just be a scare. I have a feeling that as soon as I got off the phone he started searching for flights.

Good news? My parents had arrived to stay with us not even 8 hours before, therefore saving my dear friends from being called in the middle of the night. It was wonderful to have my mom come with me, and my dad be at home with the kids.

The best news? After 4 hours in the hospital, with contractions varying between 4-6 minutes apart, lots of tests, TONS of fluid, doctors, and nurses, it was discovered that I had an infection, which was causing the contractions. I went home with an antibiotic, an order to rest for the day, and still avoiding bed rest. So, babies are doing well, I'm doing well, and I can still see Harry Potter on Wednesday. :)

{4th of july}

I love Independence Day. It is my favorite holiday next to Christmas, and I look forward to it all year. To me it is the epitome of summer...family, friends, BBQs, fireworks, and celebrating the freedoms that we have the great opportunity to enjoy. Plus, it's just fun!

This year we didn't get together with our friends until later in the day, so we had plenty of time to get some much-needed projects completed. (Can I say nesting?) I cleaned out all the storage tubs in my basement and ended up with a good pile of garbage sacks full of things to go to Salvation Army. I also had time to enter them all into the computer, so they are ready to go! That was a huge item on my list, and I'm so glad it's done.

We spent the latter part of the afternoon at a nearby park to BBQ with friends, then headed to the church for dessert and fireworks.

It was one of those perfect days.