ANOTHER February Birthday....Woof woof!

We are a family of four if you include our fur-baby, Kyla.  Of this fam of four, three of us have February birthdays.  So it would be horrible of me not to give a shout-out to the world's best pup on her 4th birthday!!  Yes, her big day is today- the day before Chloë's actual birthday.  Happy Birthday, Kyla!!!   (another reason that the longer these babies can stay in the oven, the better...it's time we spread out some of the birthdays!  The due date month of May would be great!  Fingers crossed!).  

Birthday Party

The birthday party yestreday was a great success and a lot of fun!  Thanks to all the amazing people who helped put it together and keep everything running smoothly and to all the guests for bringing delicious brunch items for the potluck!   Thanks to Mom & Dad for cleaning up the place, picking up cupcakes, getting balloons blown up, etc and to Heather for organizing the toys, stuffing party bags, taking care of the music, etc (you should really go into the party planning business!).  And of course thanks to Myke who does it all, as well!

I got to lounge on the couch the entire time and got a chance to talk to everyone--knowing myself, if I hadn't been on bed rest then I probably would have been running all around keeping things organized and never really slowing down to be able to have more than a brief conversation with any one person.  So that really worked out well for me.  We ended up with a total of 33 people in the house (21 adults, 9 toddlers, 3 babies) and it wasn't too chaotic at all.  All the kids did fabulous and got along.  The birthday boy & girl had a fabulous time!  Here are some photos:

Birthday prince & princess

Jaxon getting his cupcake on

Chloë chowing down

some of the girls

Relaxing post-party with Grandpa & Grandma

(Chloë still hopped up on cupcake sugar)

The Eve of the Birthday Party

Chloë & Jax

Here goes nothing!  

So a couple months back my friend Kara and I decided we would throw a joint 2nd birthday party for our kids.  They are three days apart in age, with Jax' birthday falling on a Friday (today) this year and Chloë's falling on the following Monday (2/28)  Instead of having two toddler birthday parties on the same weekend it just made more sense to do something together, especially since they  have a lot of the same little buddies.  We planned for it to be a low-key pizza & cake party a local park that has beach, playground, and grass for the kids to run around.  This was all planned before the insanity began...

The "insanity" I'm speaking of is just basically a crazy month consisting of a slew of unplanned "surprises" (like a shortening cervix, bed rest, Kara and Jon suddenly having to pack up and move into a new house last weekend--months ahead of their original plan, etc..).  We pretty much were prepared to just cancel the celebration...however, we didn't.  

So, in order to accommodate my bed rest requirement, we have moved the birthday party to our house.  This ended up being a great plan for another reason, too--forecasters are calling for a big rain storm tomorrow and record lows for this day (a possible high temp of 48 degrees!).  So the birthday brunch will be here at our house tomorrow.  It is supposed to be a low-key potluck-style affair, with just Jax & Chloë's "kid friends" invited.  However, somehow the guest list expanded and the total head count is over 30 right now!  You can start with 8 toddlers and before you know it you have their moms, dads, and an occasional grandma or two thrown in....and 8 becomes 30!  

It's of course a challenge to host a birthday party when I am barely allowed to sit up.  Thankfully my parents are here and Heather is here so they have been a huge help to Myke and myself.  They've been prepping the house, cleaning, decorating, and taking care of Chloë.  So, here goes nothing!  

(ps: I'll be joining the birthday party from the recliner downstairs--should be interesting!)  

Grandpa & Grandma

Saying Goodnight after bath

It's so nice to have two extra sets of hands here!  My Dad arrived Wednesday night. It's his annual visit to San Diego for Chloë's birthday.  He's only here for six days--wish he would stay longer!  I'm sure my Mom wishes that, as well.  

Before he arrived on Wednesday evening, we were telling Chloë that "Grandpa is coming on an airplane" and that maybe he would take her for pancakes the next morning.  Well, Chloë  LOVES pancakes fixated on that idea.  In the car on the way to the airport to pick him up she was apparently saying "Grandpa, pancakes" over and over.  Myke asked her if she remembered what Grandpa looked like and she responded "pancakes?!".  She had pancakes on the brain.  Luckily, the next morning Grandpa and Grandma took her to Denny's where she was able to get her pancake fix.  Afterwards, they went to burn off the calories at a park on the bay for a couple hours.  She had a great first day with Grandpa here!  

Today they are up visiting Legoland.  She won't want Grandma & Grandpa to leave!  

Quick Update

Appointment went very well today.  Everything looks more or less stable (hasn't shortened significantly since last week) so I get to stay at home on bed rest instead of the hospital.  I think the official cervical measurement was 1.5cm and last week was 1.7cm.  I'm just ecstatic to not have to go to the hospital!  Wooo!
Also, both babies are growing really well--they are 2lb 4oz and 2lb 5oz.  So very close in size and measuring a week ahead in size, which is great.  Based on my gestation (26 weeks, 3 days) and their weights the perinatologist (high-risk prenatal doctor) that I met with today told me their survival chances are 88-91%!  So that's great news!  Of course we could possibly still deal with potential blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy or some other issue if they WERE born this early so we don't want them to stay in as long as possible!  Every day helps!
Overall, just soooo happy to be home and have another week at least I get to stay here!  Next appointment is next Tuesday.

My Baby is Growin' Up!!

My little pumpkin is going to start preschool next week!!  How can it be time for me to send her off already?!?!   Okay, it's really only for two mornings per week, but still....

So she'll be starting on March 1st (the day after she turns 2) and will go every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-12pm.  We decided awhile back that enrolling her in something like this BEFORE the twins arrive would be a good idea.  That way when they are born she will have her very own "Chloë's thing" and a little time away from two crying infants who don't know how to play with her yet.  I've been a full-time mom since Chloë was born and we've always been on-the-go together basically since day one.  I've never really considered myself a "stay-at-home" home because, honestly, I almost NEVER stay at home.  We like to be out and about all the time whether it's just on a walk, to the park, to museums, on play dates with other kids, running errands, out for a treat,  Gymboree...anything.  Chloë and I both get antsy staying in the house for too long (which is one reason I'm not sure I would fare well in a different climate, but that's a different topic).  Anyways, my point is that with twins I'm probably going to have to face the reality that it's not going to be so easy to get out the door on a daily basis, at least at the beginning.  So this will at least let Chloë have some social time with peers and a change of scenery.  It will also give me a whopping 6 hours per week where I only have to keep two little ones under the age of 2 1/2 alive, instead of three!

Her preschool is a two-year-old class (they move teachers & rooms when they turn 3) at a church that's only 2 blocks away from our house, if that.  The class has 2 teachers, Ms. Gina & Ms. Abby, and a maximum of 10 children, so a good ratio in my opinion.  Ms. Gina & Ms. Abby have co-taught in this classroom for 5 or 6 years already, which I think is great.  A few of the other preschools we looked at had a much higher teacher turnover rate.  Both teachers are really welcoming and friendly and seem very excited to have Chloë join their class.

Since Chloë starts next week, they suggested she come in a couple times this week for visits with one of us.   I had been really excited about being able to take her to these visits, but obviously that isn't happening.  However, I did get to visit the school with Chloë once when we did the initial tour and another time when we stopped in for a visit about a month ago.

So this morning Myke and Chloë headed off and spent about 45 minutes in her soon-to-be classroom.  They'll go again on Thursday for another visit.  Yes, I'm crushed that I can't be involved in this, but at least Myke was able to text me a photo from the trenches.  See below:

Working on a project with Ms. Gina

Choo-Choo!  

According to Myke, Chloë had a blast during the visit.  She played with the other kids and really seemed to enjoy working on the train project.  He said she even cried when they had to go, but he finally convinced her it was okay by promising they'd come back again soon.  She then gave both of her teachers hugs goodbye!  I think she's ready for this!  The question is, am I?  

Thinking of Christchurch :(

Myke and I are feeling very saddened to hear about the earthquake in Christchurch, NZ.  We lived and worked in that city for 4 months during our round-the-world trip in 2006/07 so it holds a special place in hearts. It's devastating to hear that the death toll keeps rising and to see all the images of the city in shambles.  Luckily, we have gotten in contact with most of the Kiwi friends we have there and they are all doing OK--their houses may be damaged, but they have survived, so that is great news!  I'm now left wondering about my old co-workers at both the restaurant and offices where I worked.  The New Zealand Post office building was a pretty tall building and while I was there I worked on (I think) the 8th floor...so pretty high up.  I hope that building was strong enough to withstand the quake.

A few photos from our trip:  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahmyke/sets/72157594274515201/with/237435083


Also, seeing the Chch Cathedral all broken apart is really depressing/shocking--it is an icon of the city.  Right in the center of the downtown square.

26 Weeks!! 6 1/2 months!

Just a quick post because I'm feeling really tired right now and want to close my eyes.  As of Sunday, I'm 26 weeks along (6 1/2 months)!  26 weeks is a big step because the survival rate for babies born at this time jumps significantly from only a couple weeks before.  28 weeks is even better!  It's amazing how much growth and development takes place during the 22-28 week period.  My doctor says that is precisely why IF he is going to put someone on bed rest at all that it is most often during this chunk of time.  He feels that starting bed rest after 28 weeks is "old school" thought and theory.

According to the UCSD NICU:

Up until 21 weeks: 0% survival rate

at 22 weeks: 0-10% survival rate

at 23 weeks: 10-35% survival rate

at 24 weeks: 50% survival rate

at 26 weeks: 75% survival rate

at 28 weeks: greater than 90% survival rate


I had Myke take a quick photo this weekend of the side view belly shot.  Don't worry, I was only standing for about 10 seconds total.  (I've had a few people voice concerns about me sitting up in the photos on a couple of the previous posts--but I promise that I'm laying down 99% of the day...I sat up to open a couple gifts and to take the photo and that was it!)  Pics below (wore the same shirt as last pics for comparison):

26 weeks

In the photo I don't think I really look that much bigger than 2 weeks ago--so why do I feel so much bigger?!  

Tomorrow morning is my growth scan.  They will do a detailed ultrasound to measure the babies, check their hearts, etc.  It's basically the same as the detailed anatomy scan that all pregnant woman get done around 18-20 weeks--but with twins you have them done every 4 weeks (at least at UCSD this is how they roll).  I'm really curious as to how much they each weigh now--as that is a bigger factor than gestational age for survival rates outside the womb.  I'm hoping they are big boys!!  

I'm also EXTREMELY eager to find out the cervical length tomorrow.  I'm going to ask them to do it that first thing so I don't have to wait in anticipation.  So much is riding on that .7 of a centimeter!  I really don't want to be put in the hospital!  Please send prayers for my cervix!  Lol :)

Myke's Birthday!

Yesterday was Myke's birthday.  I decided to come downstairs for the day--and that it would be the only day of the week between my appointments that I would come down.  In the morning some friends of ours called and offered to pick up Chloë and have her join them on their outing to Sea World for a couple hours, which we happily agreed to!  So Chloë spent the morning playing with her little buddy, Zach, and his parents at the park.  She definitely had a blast---she was so happy and excited when she got dropped back off before nap time.  Thank you, Tally & Eric!

Snack time at Sea World - Chloë, Tally, & Zach

After nap time we had pizza and cake to celebrate's Myke's birthday.  Myke has found a really yummy pizza place that makes a gluten-free crust AND offers vegan cheese upon request.  So he had his own personal "special" pizza and the rest of us had a cheese pie.  Also, Myke's parents ordered him a bunch of gluten-free goodies online including a few bags of chocolate cake mix.  Chloë and my mom decided to test it out for his big day.  We were all a bit skeptical as to how it would turn out but it was delicious!  Very moist and tasty!  You would never know it was any different than a non-gluten free and vegan cake.  Chloë's little friend, Jax, and his mommy came over to help us try out the cake.  It was a fun little party :)

Grandma & Chloë putting the cake together

Now it's time for the frosting!

She was a bit hesitant at first, but Chloë finally sampled the white frosting.

Balloons!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!  

Baby Brunch

A few of my fabulous "mom-friends" (ladies I've met since having Chloë--we all have kids about the same age) came over today and brought Starbucks and some delicious goodies for brunch!  We had previously planned to have brunch at Brockton Villa in La Jolla on this date but due to my bed rest the plans switched to brunch in my bedroom.  There was a "no kids allowed" event (though Chloë did come up to visit a couple times--she hates to be left out of the fun!) so we actually got to hang out, talk and laugh for what ended up being 5 hours!  I had a great time and it was a fabulous distraction from the often monotonous bed rest lifestyle.  The girls also brought gifts which was a complete surprise- so I guess I had a baby shower, after all!  I wasn't expecting one due to this being a second pregnancy.  Now I have a few more adorable baby boy outfits, some cute blankets, and some other neat gifts.  Thanks so much to Stephanie, Tally & Noel - you guys are great friends!  :)

                                   

Yummy homemade goodies!  Quiche, Monkey Bread & Chocolate Covered Strawberries!  

Chloë stops in to help open gifts! I think she thought the outfits were for her.  

The Girls (you can tell I'm the one on bed rest--sloppy hair that desperately needs some color update...and a brush)

beautiful flowers 

Grandma is Here! (and Dr appt. update)

My mom has arrived!  Yay!  It's nice to have her here to help out.  We don't want any one person to get burned out so we have to keep rotating :)  However, Grandmas can't possibly get burned out by assisting their children and spending time with their grandchildren, right?  It's not possible!  I have to tell myself that because we may need her for the long haul!

Chloë was very excited to see Grandma.  It has been 2 months since she was last here and now Chloë is speaking much more and can actually say "Gramma" instead of her previous "Manna".

As for the doctor appointment- it went OK.  The babies heart beats both look great and they still have plenty of fluid.  Unfortunately, the cervix measurement came out shorter than the last measurement.  It was 1.7cm at rest and went down to 1.3 if I lift/strain/walk.  Myke and I were of course hoping it was going to stay above 2cm and remain stabilized.  Dr. Schrimmer said this doesn't necessarily mean that it will continuously go down each week, but we need to keep a very close eye on it.  His cut-off for being put on hospital bed rest is 1cm.  Between 1-2cm is my choice...if I feel like I'd be better off in the hospital and behave myself more I could be admitted....but of course I'd rather try to stay home while I can.  I guess I'm lucky because many doctors put patients in the hospital if you go under 2cm.   I asked and he said he will base that on the "resting" measurement, so that's at least a little helpful.  So I still have .7cm to work with. 

So, for now I need to continue to stay on strict bed rest but be even more strict with my movements, trips downstairs, etc.   No more sitting up.  My next "goal" is to get to 28 weeks (that's 2 weeks and 2 days away!) and then the survival rate for the babies is much higher.  Dr. Schrimmer said if they were born this week their chances of having lifelong neurological problems is about 40%.  I would rather not be changing their diapers for the next 60 years.  2-3 years is plenty.  

I also asked him how long I can expect to be on bed rest and he said at least until 32 weeks if I can keep them in that long.  Apparently, 32 weeks is a magic number for preemies.  If they can get to that gestational age, they will still most likely spend 1-2 months in the NICU and will have some challenges, but they will most likely catch up with their peers later on and be able to live "normal" lives down the road.  

I'll be 32 weeks on April 3rd.  I can't really think about being on bed rest for that long at this point so I'm choosing to focus on 28 weeks right now.  I can do two more weeks of this.  Keeping positive!   

Feeling like a princess!

I feel so spoiled!  A really good friend surprised me with an awesome bed rest gift yesterday afternoon- a pedicure at my house!!  If anyone has been on bed rest, in the hospital, or just sick in bed for an extended period of time, you know that you start to feel kind of yucky after awhile and that you're daily showers are often the highlight of your day if not for any other reason than that they just make you feel just a little bit more human...a touch of normalcy in what otherwise has been a completely changed lifestyle.  So my friend surprised me by having the nail technician from a nail salon near my house show up in my living room with all her supplies!  It was such a treat to be pampered--and boy did the foot and leg massage feel good!  It really helps with circulation and blood flow....much needed when you're not walking around or moving too much!!  

Had to sit up a little for it, but tried to keep reclined as much as possible.

pink toes!

Myke and I are off to my weekly doctor appointment in a few minutes.  Looking forward to getting to go outside of the house!  Will post later if there is anything exciting to report.  

Happy Hump Day!

(I actually wrote this yesterday but then got distracted before publishing it)

Today was an exciting one--I ventured downstairs!!  Wahoo!  After two full days of staying up on the 3rd floor I figured it was time for a change of scenery.  So I write this from my horizontal position on the family room couch.  Well, enough about my exciting life..  :)

A big wet weather system has moved into southern Cali and we have rain today, supposed to be drier tomorrow, and then yet another front coming in Friday and lasting all weekend.  The temps are dropping to what is typical San Diego "winter" weather (highs in the upper 50s) and that means snow in the local mountains!  I'm bummed that I won't be able to jump in the car and ride up there this weekend.  I love snow! (I know a lot of you east coasters are rolling your eyes at me right now).  Here's a pic from Fall 2009 when we took Chloë to see her first snow.

Back to the rain...so Heather took Chloë to Target today and they tried on some rain boots.  Here is a little video clip of her attempt to walk in them. NOTE: they boots ARE NOT tied together (as I assumed when I first watched it).  It doesn't take much to amuse me these days...but this is pretty cute...even if I am a bit biased, being the mother and all...

Heather & Chloë

Our great friend Heather has been our lifesaver the past couple weeks while I've been on bed rest.  She's Chloë's godmother and she lives in L.A. and she just happened to be driving down for a visit the same day that I ended up in Labor & Delivery and then 3 nights in the hospital two weekends ago.  Myke ended up with me in the hospital until midnight that first night while I was getting admitted so I don't know what we would have done with Chloë if it hadn't been for Heather being here at that time.

 

It also ended up working out well that Heather is currently between jobs so she was able to come down and spend a few days with Chloë last week and then again this week.  Chloë just loves Heather so that works out really well.   Also, she has gotten so much done for us - which makes it just that much easier to be stuck on bed rest.  She did quite a few grocery store runs, a couple Target runs, has changed my sheets multiple times (you change your sheets every few days when on bed rest just to keep them feeling fresh--I'll blame Chloë for the crumbs that keep collecting in them!), washed our comforter (twice--the 2nd time after Chloë poured a glass of milk on this this morning), folded our laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, cooked meals, made gluten-free vegan banana bread muffins (yum!), cleaned our Chloë's sock drawer and bought her new socks that fit, etc...and all the while entertaining and caring for Chloë during the day.  Phew!  I honestly don't know what I'd do without her right now.

Yesterday she took Chloë to the San Diego Zoo.  Here are a few pictures from their outing:

Valentine's Day Dinner

Veggies and wine on the bed tray.  The wine was not for me, unfortunately ... 

Last night Heather whipped up a delicious pizza & sauteed veggie dinner for all of us.  Our friend Hunter came over as well and the four of us dined in the bedroom after Chloë went to bed.  For some reason it didn't even dawn on me until I decided to post this today that it was Valentine's Day dinner.  How very romantic, huh?  :)

Heather with the "regular pizza".  I should have taken the pic BEFORE we picked it apart!

The gluten-free crust pizza with vegan cheese for Myke.  He ate 2 of these!

Our Valentine's Day Dinner Guests: Hunter & Heather

Welcome Baby Lucas

No, this is NOT one of the twins!  Don't panic.  Yesterday afternoon our friends Sony & Rob welcomed their little bundle of joy, Lucas Alexander Leming.  He's supposedly over a month early (due March 14) but the doctors who delivered are wondering if the due date was off - he was born 6lb 2oz and healthy as ever!  If only I wasn't on bed rest I would be over there holding him right now!  He's so cute!  That puts the tally up to THREE when it comes to counting friends and family who have given birth since my bed rest started just over a week ago.  

I'm just glad it's not me giving birth.  These babies need to stay put!  Each day they stay cooking is soo important right now.  UCSD's (my hospital) survival rates for really early preemie's are as follows:

24 weeks: 50/50 chance

26 weeks: 75% chance

28 weeks: 90-95% chance.

Amazing how much it jumps up with each week.  I'm 25 weeks as of yesterday.  The plan is to keep them cooking!  

May I...

Chloë has been working on her manners lately-- here she is "asking nicely" for some granola from Heather.  She's finally starting to say it without much, if any,  prompting so of course Myke & I are proud parents.  Had to share :)  

(she says "cheese!" at the end because she thinks Heather is taking her photo)

Sunday Hike

This is my attempt at uploading a video clip to this blog.  Myke took Chloë and the dog out on a hike somewhere out east this morning - a little father-daughter bonding time.  He just texted me this clip to my phone so I thought I would share.  (It was taken with his iPhone, texted to my iPhone, then emailed to myself, downloaded to my computer and then uploaded onto this page.....so I can't imagine the quality is that great, but let's hope it works!)

Spring Weather (and dryer lint) in the Air...

Today might be the most difficult of the days to be stuck in bed so far.  Mainly because it's BEAUTIFUL outside today and supposed to get up to 75 degrees.  I can see people outside running, riding bikes, etc.  Even Myke went out jogging with a friend this morning (and with Chloë in the jogging stroller and our dog).  At least I can open the sliding door to our little balcony and get fresh air.  There was none of that at the hospital.   Here is my view from my bed:

Also, Myke is off work so I know I'm missing out on doing things together out and about on this beautiful day.  It would be a perfect day for a hike.  Ahhhh...

Myke seemed a little overwhelmed with his new life as a "single" full-time working dad yesterday so I managed to find someone to take Chloë to the park & playground for a few hours this morning so he could just have a little "down" time.  I say "down" time in quotes because I ended up awake at 5am this morning creating a "Honey-Do" list of things that need to be done around the house.  I didn't mean he had to do them all (or any of them for that matter) today and, in my defense, he had asked me to create a list of jobs that need to be done before the babies arrive so he can start tackling them one by one.

One of the jobs (and I don't even know why I'm sharing this..) was to clean under the washer and dryer. This got added to the list after Myke mentioned he reached down to pick something up in that general vicinity the other day and noticed about an inch of dust & gunk under the bottom ledge of the washer!  I don't know why I act surprised.  We have lived here over 7 years and I don't think anyone has ever pulled the washer and dryer out to clean under and behind.  I'm sure it's a fire hazard just waiting to happen.  So while I'm up here laying in bed Myke has been sending me pictures via text message of what is going on downstairs.  Here is under the washer:

GROSS!!  

This looks like a photo you would see of a house on "Hoarders: Buried Alive" or something like that.  Very embarrassing.  However, I then heard a vacuum running and about 5 minutes later I get this photo:

Just like new!

The same area!  Sparkling clean!  Just need to wipe the side of the dryer and it will be like new (almost)!

Oh, before I go- He just texted me another disgusting photo that I have to share.  Apparently, he is now cleaning lint out of the hose and here is the collection so far: 

about 2lbs of lint came out of 2 feet of dryer hose!

If my Grandma Schneider were still alive she would for sure find a way to make this into something useful.  You don't throw anything away at her house! :)  

Go Myke!  He not only works full-time but he is an absolutely amazing daddy to Chloë, he is cooking the meals (that adhere to his vegan, gluten-free diet--this is NOT always an easy task), doing the shopping, running errands, attempting to tire out our golden retriever, and running up and down 3 levels to take care of me.  And now spending his Saturday morning getting down & dirty with the laundry room.  He deserves a medal!