Simple Joys

The boys nursed together consistently for 17 minutes today! I know for some that may seem like a personal thing, but for me right now to see them gaining strength is pure joy. Especially amidst all the "adventures" we've been having around here lately. They were awake and alert and had that look in their eyes of pure wonder. The neonatologist is ready to send them home in the next few days. A scary thought, but at the same time, we are excited to pull this family back together.

Still Storming

That last post was only the beginning of the storm---believe it or not.

By Monday, my leg was hurting so bad I knew something was not right. I got in touch with the Dr. and had an ultrasound on my leg---confirmed blood clot. I was instructed that it wasn't the life threatening kind and that the goal was to break it up and move it through. So I was to deep massage, use heat, and walk. So for the next three days I beat my leg with a vibrator, rubbed hard, heated it, and walked any time I wasn't at the hospital, and sometimes when I was. By Wednesday I was in such pain I could hardly walk. I decided to try something else, aspirin to thin the blood.

On Wednesday night, I took one aspirin at about 9pm. Within a half hour my face started to swell and I was breaking out in hives all over my body. Soon there was a tickle in my throat and my chest started to tighten. About that time my mom walked in the door, she called 911 and James took me to a neighbor who we knew had a least a child's dose epipen. We came home and waited the few minutes for the ambulance as I tried to take deep breaths. The paramedics stormed in the door and within seconds had shot me with the epinephrine. I was whisked away in the ambulance requesting to at least go to the same hospital as my babies. They loaded me with drugs at the hospital and kept me for observation. An hour and a half later, my IV was taken out, I signed the discharge papers and was about to step off the bed when it all flared up again (called "rebound") and I had to have everything including the epinephrine again. If you get two doses of epinephrine you get to stay the night. So, I spent the night at the hospital, it the critical decisions unit.

The next morning I had another ultrasound on my leg. It was actually feeling a lot better and I was very hopeful. However, the report stated no change. However, it felt better and I was grateful.

After being discharged from the hospital, I walked upstairs and spent the afternoon with Rex and Lyle.

Home again that night, at about the same time, the hives started coming back. Uggh! Not wanting to do the whole ambulance thing again, we decided that Mom would just take me to the ER before anything progressed to emergency status. (James had gotten 1 1/2 hours of sleep the night before.) More drugs to calm the histamines and my own epipen. But, I didn't have to stay the night.

So, here we are, Sunday evening. My leg is still bothering me. It is stressing me more than being painful at this point. I have a husband and 6 kiddos including preemie twins who need their wife and mother. A traveling blood clot is freaking me out! I happened to see my Dr. at the hospital when I went to be with the boys tonight. He said we'll do another ultrasound on Tuesday (tomorrow being Memorial Day). Now I'm just praying that the clot will stay at bay and that I can calm my nerves.

On the bright side...

Rex and Lyle are doing great. They are in the same isolette, off all breathing helps and IV fluids trying to learn to eat and gain weight.

The night nurse caught Rex and Lyle the night before last when they were
reunited for the first time in 10 days.

Bumble Bee Boys

This is how I found them when we went to visit them this evening. Lyle holding Rex's ear.

Dad and Hyrum holding both boys together for the first time.

When it Rains it Pours

Yesterday morning as I was anticipating discharge from the hospital, James called and said that Hyrum had broken out horribly. We talked to Rex and Lyle's doctor about whether or not I should go home. Since it sounded like allergies and not something contagious (no fever) he said it was okay to go home. By the time James and I got here, it was overwhelming and James took him immediately to the urgent care. Does this not break your heart (and put medical dictionary images to shame)?

On the bright side, Lyle nursed three times today! We are probably talking about 10-15 mL each feeding but I can't tell you how exciting that is for me. To see him and hear him gulping now is pure joy. (I'm sure I'll be scolding him for such atrocious manners in a few years.) He gets worn out fast, but he has shown a few smiles (reflexive of course) and I just beam inside. He is so tiny. An ounce shy of 4 lbs., as of this morning, but the nurses words today were, "he doesn't act like a preemie." She also said under her breath that she expects Lyle will come home sooner than Rex. I don't know how I'm going to take care of two preemies in two different locations! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it I guess.

The breaking news of the day...I got to hold Rex for the first time. It was a major undertaking with all of his wires, cords, lines, and ventilator apparatus. I'm so grateful the nurse and respiratory therapist were willing to tackle such a feat so that I could hold my little Rex. And when I say little, I'm talking 3 lbs. 14 oz.! He hasn't made much progress as far as lung development. Dr. Hadeed ordered two doses of steroids to see if that will help him over this first hurdle and help him get on his way. When I just called the hospital to find out how he responded, they said his evening blood gas showed a CO2 level of 54 and they won't pull the tube until it is less than 53. He will have another dose of steroid at 2am tonight and they'll check a chest x-ray in the morning.

Oh how we love these little, little ones.

Oh how we appreciate the outpouring of love and generosity of so many people around us. Friends even took our three oldest to church today because I was at the hospital and James was home with Hyrum!

Oh how we value the prayers of all those praying on behalf of Rex and Lyle. We know those prayers are heard.

Ready or not, here they come.
I had to include this picture because it is such a great picture of the man who is holding us all together right now. Oh how I love him and appreciate the incredible person he is. He is doting on Hyrum--- oatmeal and soda baths and lots of TLC. I'm so grateful he is such a good dad and I don't feel like Hyrum is in any way neglected when he is needing so much love.

Meeting Rex for the first time (all of about 30 seconds)

Meeting Lyle for the first time.

So tiny!

Sariah meets Lyle.

James holds Lyle for the first time. (Thursday night about midnight.)

I hold Lyle for the first time.

Holding Rex for the first time. (Today)

So tiny!

Rex and Lyle

The Birth Certificate applications state:

Rex Kimball Hales

and

Lyle Robert Hales

Now we can pray for Rex and Lyle instead of Baby A and Baby B.

Brithday Party, Baptism and Mother's Day

In our family, the kids get a birthday party with friends at ages 8, 12, and 16. (Bryant was an exception because a couple of years ago he had invited several friends to a non-existent birthday party and so we ended up having them and their families over for a BBQ.) Anyway, Bryant wanted a baseball birthday party and so that's what it was. The boys all brought their mitts and we (yes, I participated for awhile) played a game of baseball. We had baseball food---hot dogs, chips, and soda. And sent them home with this baseball icon.

Party Favors

Mud Pie for birthday cake.

The next day was what really counts. Bryant was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He listened to the speakers intently (I was happily surprised) and it was a simple and wonderful experience.

Afterwards, we went to my grandma's 86th birthday party. My kids don't know the grandma that I knew, but I'm glad they will have memories of her happy and loving demeanor.

And I had a wonderful Mother's day for so many reasons, this being one of them:

Hyrum made this picture in his nursery class. When I saw it I sincerely told him I loved it. He responded, "it booful" (it's beautiful). So precious.

Another moment that melted my heart on Mother's Day.

Saturday night, Bryant pinched a nerve in his neck after his baptism and he had been in a lot of pain ever since. Bryant had sat perfectly still the entire sacrament meeting because he hurt so bad. I told him he didn’t have to go up and sing when it came time for the primary musical number. He said he wanted to go up. He got up on the stand and looked at me, and with a painful grimace all over his face he forced a smile at me. It said loud and clear, "I hurt, but I love you." It melted my heart.

Talmage and Sariah also looked right at me and gave me, “I love you” smiles. All the while Hyrum kept saying, “Me go up dare. Talmage, Byant, Siah, up dare. Me go up dare.” How we love these precious little ones. Again, we asked ourselves this evening, how do we archive these moments to relive when we are old and lonely. Oh, how we love these little ones.

The time passes so quickly as I'm sure my own Mother would agree. This is she and I, probably 1976. With each passing Mother's Day, I appreciate her more.

Week 31

Put on a pair of maternity capris this morning. After a while my legs started to feel tingly and they looked mottled. I changed into the skirt I've been wearing most of the week. The tingling went away. The maternity pants were too tight!

A few days ago I went to dry off after my shower and realized I was still soapy on the underside of my tummy! Is that too much information?

Noticed in the one pair of maternity jeans that I have which are long enough that I have literally burst the seam on one side of the stretch panel!

I usually have to get up and walk around at about 2am because I am so stiff and achy.

Still, I hope for 7 more weeks.

70 Degrees

It broke 70 degrees today and what did my kids need to do?

Eat popsicles and run through the sprinklers.

It's also teacher appreciation week. It's the first time one of my children has had a male teacher. A little something not cutsie for Bryant's teacher. He's a fan of lizards.
(Thanks Lizza for the idea.)

Patches

More patching of knees. Yesterday I put a patch in Hyrum's pants, two fun little heart patches on the knees of Sariah's pants, and SEVEN patches in the knees of Bryant's pants. His pants have to go through the mending pile as often as they need to go through the laundry!

Also, just outfitted our second cub scout...more patches.

Talmage and Bryant actually got to go together on a field trip for Bryant's first day of scouts.

Did I mention that James has to have a full uniform for his new calling...more patches.

My sweetest moment for the day...peeking into the bedroom at naptime. Hyrum crawled out of his bed and found a book. He put the book on the bed, laboriously crawled back on the bed (he naps on Sariah's bed) and tucked himself in, then opened the book and started studying its pages. It was simply precious.

Today was teacher appreciation day. I so appreciate school teachers, violin teachers, music teachers, and church teachers. Hopefully they can catch a glimpse of that with our simple tokens of appreciation.

In hammering through my project pile before the babies come, I had a couple of bags to make. Sariah insisted she have one as well.


Day #2 of James's cooking - bacon sandwiches. The house may have been a little smokey, but the dinner was delicious.

Baseball

Hyrum and Sariah went outside to play baseball this morning. They had 7 bases. After awhile, Sariah came in and said, "this isn't working very well, I think we have too many bases."

James brought fried chicken, chips, and juice boxes to Bryant's game tonight. He's cooking dinner all week in honor of Mother's Day. Yeah! Yeah! YEAH!!

Spring Weekend

We finally had a couple of gorgeous spring days.

Yesterday...

Talmage went with James to the annual Teancum Timbers clean-up. As he was going to bed he told me he was glad he could go and help.

Bryant took the entrance test for the spectrum program. He told me he got a 214%. I wonder how he did on the math portion :).

Hyrum and Sariah ate graham crackers outside while they "helped" James mow the lawn for the first time this year. Looks so nice.