Video from Natalia: "Noah you so yummy!"

Natalia likes to eat her family,

She's had her way with my boob,

She's given her father hickies,

BUT

Nothing is yummier than her brother Noah

as you can see in this video =)

Happy 30th Birthday to me!

I'm no longer in my twenties.... *sigh*

Time flies! I swear I was just celebrating my 21st birthday and now I have to say goodbye to my twenties. Crazy stuff. I've hardly given it any thought since the kiddos have kept me "entertained" but now that its here I can't not notice, right? I have big plans by the way... plans that will make you want to eat your heart out.. wanna know what they are? Ok, my birthday will involve diapers, feeding and lots of kisses (drools) from my babies... awesome =)

I actually already went out on Saturday. My Mommy & Daddy (along with my 3 year old niece) watched the babies so that Jeff could take me to the movies. I HAD to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I am a big Harry Potter fan so I was going to die if I couldn't watch it. The bummer was that it was the first time I didn't catch the midnight showing... BUT I caught it at 9am.. you know I'm a parent when I go to the movies at 9 in the morning, Jeff said we got the senior citizen special and I can't say he was wrong. Oh, I had popcorn and soda at that time too. Don't judge, my hours are completely screwed up and its dark inside so technically it was night for me. Review? It was good, I'm not completely satisfied because there were small details they left out but it was way better than Half Blood Prince. I don't want to give anything away but I will say I loved the animation of "The Tale of The Three Brothers". Anyway.... now I'm off to go  take a nap (best present ever!)

Mommyhood so far

It's awesome.
and tiresome.
The end.

People with 1 baby: it's hard but good for you for managing!
People with 3 or more babies: I don't know how you manage so I bow to you!

My twins? They are pretty good babies. They only fuss when they have really bad gas and are in pain. For the most part they are on a very close schedule which is hard because you have to take care of them at the same time. But it beats having to deal with one after the other, trust me I tried it and immediately went back to put them back on same schedule, as much as its possible of course. The one day & night they were on separate schedule I just didn't sleep and had a massive headache the next day. Its hard dealing when I'm alone but its not impossible. Hopefully their tummy's continue to adjust and their fussing time gets cut down, its not a lot of fussing but since its times two its pretty time consuming.

My days consists of this: feed/burp/change diaper/pump, sneak in some food for myself, feed/burp/change diaper/pump, maybe pee, feed/burp/change diaper/pump, massage them and give them a bath, soothe them here and there when needed, feed/burp/change diaper/pump, maybe take a nap, feed/burp/change diaper/pump, greet Jeff home and run to shower and eat and sleep, and back again to feed/burp/change diaper/pump.

It is a lot of hard work and of course I expected that and do not and will not complain because they are sooooo worth it, but I will say this: I would not have survived this far without MY Mommy. I just don't know if she does it for her baby or my babies.... the line is very thin there... and does it matter? no, cause she loves us all yadi yadi yada BUT since I'm her baby it should be all about me, right? hee hee I may be a mother but that doesn't mean I can't still be my Mommy's spoiled baby. Just saying... 

Jeff is back to work so I try to let him sleep in the nights as much as possible but the poor guy still doesn't get enough sleep and I think has been a walking zombie at work. He actually tends to sit up, in his sleep, to "take care" of the babies a.k.a the blanket. He talks to the blanket and literally pats it so it can burp. He does it constantly but every time I try to videotape him he stops. I'll get him some day! And yes, I will share it =)

Seriously though, thanks Mom soooooooo much! We love you.
Thanks also to Jen for coming over when you have a chance to hook me up.
And to my kids, thanks for letting me experience mommyhood even if you demand lots and lots of attention, you are awesome and soooo worth it.

Happy 1st Month Babies!

I've been a mother for a whole month already!
Its amazing, unbelievable and exhausting all at the same time =)

My babies are very smart and advanced, they can: sleep, pee, poop, and eat! Crazy, right? I know, I know... I'm very proud of them so I tend to reward them with kisses and hugs. They deserve it. They may not give Mommy enough time to do things (how selfish of them!) but they sure do give her lots of diaper changing time. Love it! Except for this one time where I gagged 3 times changing Natalia's poopy diaper, I had teary eyes and all.... that was really stinky! Noah has been a gentleman about it but then he goes more often than her so I guess that's how he makes up for putting me through poopy good times.

I have plans for pictures that I want to take of them but not enough time. Or maybe I do have time but any free moment I have I like to spend it staring into space, no kidding. Anyway, Miss Natalia and Mr. Noah are very expressive but apparently don't like to show it in pictures. We will keep trying though, no worries. Here are some more pics of my little darlings taken today:

 They are wrapped up in 2 beautiful blankets

knitted for them by my awesome friend Brenda 

Miss Natalia

Mr. Noah

And the cry shot!

Look at us!

These are from my camera, I don't have too many pics because as you can imagine I also don't have enough time to take too many pics. BUT Jeff has more on his camera and I will share those as soon as I can. For now, these are my babies:

Noah

Natalia

Jeff's birthday on 10/29 

The 4 of us

And these are the name blocks I made for their nursery,

now I can finally share them! 

Noah's condition information

I know most people wont read this but I'm sharing it for those who are interested in this rare genetic disorder. My little boy will be fine with medical treatment for life but if this had gone undetected it could have caused him his life. It's hard to swallow the reality of it but I'm so grateful that it was caught early on and that he is doing fine. We give him 3 different medication 6 times a day and have extra stronger doses in case of emergencies. I am petrified of having to deal with an emergency situation, I don't want to screw up and endanger his life further. For now I'm only taking it one day at a time and pray that I never have to worry about things getting too out of control.

I'm just going to copy & paste from this website to give you the general info.


Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

What is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)?
Congenital (con-JEN-ih-tuhl) adrenal (uh-DREEN-uhl) hyperplasia (HY-per-PLAYzhee-uh), also called CAH, is a group of genetic disorders in which the two adrenal glands do not work properly. Children inherit
one gene that causes this disorder from each of their parents. The adrenal glands, located on top of each kidney, make hormones that are essential for body functions.
People with CAH lack one of the enzymes needed for proper function of the adrenal glands. (An enzyme is a protein that causes a chemical change in the body.) Without the enzyme, the adrenal glands may produce too little of the hormones cortisol and/or aldosterone and too much androgen. CAH can be severe (classic) or mild (nonclassic).

What are the different types of CAH?
There are two types of CAH—classic, which can be life threatening, and non-classic, a milder form of the disorder. Noah has Classic CAH.

Classic CAH, usually first found in infancy or early childhood, is the most severe type of CAH. In one form of classic CAH, called “salt-wasting” (meaning the body has trouble keeping the right amount of salt in the blood), the adrenal glands do not make enough cortisol and aldosterone. If not found and treated, classic CAH can cause shock, coma, and death. In another form of classic CAH, called “non-salt wasting,” the enzyme shortage is less severe. The adrenal glands make enough aldosterone but not enough cortisol.

Growth: Although children with CAH grow too rapidly, they may finish growth  prematurely, so that adult height is shorter than average. Balancing medical treatment to maintain appropriate blood hormone levels is often complicated in CAH. Untreated or inadequately treated children grow rapidly and may not reach their height potential, but on the other hand, those treated with excessive medication doses suffer growth retardation. Since over-zealous medical treatment is a major cause of poor growth, it is important to treat CAH children with the lowest dose effective in maintaining adrenocortical hormones in a reasonable range. Optimal levels of these hormones will change with age and sex. Although the topic of growth inhibition by excessive treatment has been studied in infants and young children, there has been no careful study of whether less stringent control at puberty is effective in promoting maximal growth. There is still only very scant information about experimental treatment regimens and how they alter adult height among CAH patients. (this portion is from this website, written by Noah's Endocrinologist Phyllis W. Speiser, M.D.)

Signs and Symptoms
In many cases, female infants are diagnosed at birth because they have ambiguous genitalia (external sex organs that resemble male genitals). However, they still have normal internal female organs (ovaries and uterus).
A male infant with classic CAH usually appears normal at birth, although he may have an enlarged penis. After infancy, boys with classic CAH grow rapidly and show signs of early puberty. If infants are not diagnosed at birth, several weeks later they may show weight loss, dehydration, diarrhea, and heart
problems. They also may vomit frequently.

Treatment
The goals of treatment are to ensure proper hormone levels and promote normal growth and sexual development. Patients with classic CAH should have a team of health care providers, including specialists in pediatric endocrinology, pediatric urologic surgery, psychology, and genetics. People with classic CAH need medicines called glucocorticoids to replace the cortisol their bodies can’t take.
People with classic CAH, especially those with the salt-wasting form, also need medicines called mineralocorticoids. Newborns also may need sodium chloride (salt) supplements. Surgery can correct ambiguous genitalia in girls. Experts recommend that surgery be performed when the infant is 2 to 6 months of age.

Nonclassic CAH
Unlike classic CAH, nonclassic CAH is mild and not life threatening. Signs and symptoms might not appear until childhood or adulthood.

Signs and Symptoms
Signs and symptoms in both males and females include:
• Early development of armpit and pubic hair
• Rapid growth during childhood
• Early or severe acne
• Infertility or decreased fertility
Adolescent girls and adult women also may have:
• Masculine characteristics such as facial hair and a deep voice
• Infrequent or absent menstrual periods

Treatment
Some patients have no symptoms and require no treatment. Others need low-dose glucocorticoids, but might not need life-long treatment.

What does the future hold for people with CAH?
With proper care, people with either type of CAH can live long and healthy lives. In the meantime, researchers continue to explore better ways to diagnose and treat this condition.

Birth Story

I want to make sure I write this down before I forget too many details.

After having my bloody show on the evening of Thursday October 7th, 2010 around 7:45ish, things seemed to have gone slow and fast at the same time. I stayed calm since I wasn't having any contractions (that I could feel) and also because the bleeding was few and far in between.

Then on the morning of the BIG day, Friday October 8th, 2010 I went to the doctor's office around 10 am and was told that I was in early labor and that I should go straight to the hospital "to go have people", my doctor's exact words. The babies weren't in position and even my cervix was still very high, so we knew that  the C-section would have to wait a while since I ate that morning and decided not to go straight to the hospital, instead we went home and got our things ready. I wasn't in any major pain, just a slight back cramp, but the doctor felt there was no reason to make me wait it out since I was already bleeding and was almost 38 weeks. I agreed.

We got to the hospital and I was in a room by 1:00 pm being monitored. At that point they could see I was having contractions but not too close together, and frankly I didn't really feel much, my cervix was only about 2cm, the only thing I could feel was my heart pumping with excitement. In the next 30 minutes, things changed pretty fast for me. Those contractions were coming a few minutes apart and I was definitely feeling them. It was painful I wont lie but I know that I never got to a point where it was excruciating. Why? Because of the epidural, that's why. My doctor came in around 2pm and said I was about 3cm but they could clearly see my contractions going at it. She said to get the epidural now because I was going to need it for the surgery in any case and it didn't make sense for me to suffer the whole time, and again I agreed. Let me tell you, I found out at that moment that I was allergic to pain, and I think its important for everyone to be aware of that.

I got the epidural and was relaxing waiting for 5:30-6:00pm to come around since that was the scheduled time. The next thing I know its 4:30 and I was being prepped for the surgery. The whole time I was pretty excited and not nervous about the surgery, they even mentioned how calm I was...until I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. Did it work? yes, but I could still move my legs and feet if I wanted to... I umm tested wiggling my toes. The bad reaction happened in my chest. From my neck to my waist I couldn't feel anything but heavy pressure, mainly in my chest. Jeff had to wait outside of the OR while I was being prepped so that made me anxious. Being aware of everything but not being able to move when you are a claustrophobic is not a good combination, I had a major panic attack. I felt like I couldn't breathe and as I got nervous about it my heart went crazy fast which just made me feel like I wasn't breathing even more. I was actually breathing, I had the oxygen tube in my nose and I knew it but I couldn't snap out of it. All I wanted to do was get up and walk out, I can't believe I reacted that way. They brought me the oxygen mask to help out but it only made me feel more trapped so they put it by my mouth and I was able to calm down with that, somewhat.

Jeff came in and things started happening. I kept asking Jeff to talk to me and he was being very sweet telling me that he loves me and that we were about to meet our babies and all that good stuff, except that it was the wrong thing to say to me. It got me excited and happy which was of course the purpose of the words BUT it also got my heart going faster which just caused a chain reaction of panic. When they brought Natalia to show me, I was sooo overwhelmed and I could feel my tears coming but couldn't even enjoy the moment because I had another panic attack. The same thing with Noah. When they were closing me up I was able to kiss Noah quickly, I don't know where Natalia was but I was OK for a little while. Then I saw Jeff holding them and I started freaking out again, I was like that for maybe an hour after. My mom was there and I couldn't even look at her without getting my heart/breathing completely out of control. I was so frustrated with myself. I was so happy and my body wouldn't let me enjoy it, I felt like a bad mother already knowing I couldn't handle seeing them. I was aware of all this but could NOT snap out of it. That extremely heavy pressure in my chest and arms from the anesthesia really screwed up my moment for me. It is the only thing I regret but not too much because without it I couldn't have had the babies, I was fine after the anesthesia wore off. The struggle in my head and my heart was the worst to deal with. In the end, I had my babies and I was good after the anesthesia.

Natalia was born at 5:06PM, 6 lbs 14 oz, 20 inches long

Noah was born at 5:08PM, 5 lbs 7 oz, 18.5 inches long

Wanna know something funny?
I always had October 8th stuck in my head as "the" day.... I was right! I kept saying I think they will come between 10/3 & 10/8... the scheduled c-section date of the 12th just didn't feel right to me, which is why I kept saying I didn't feel attached to it. I kept pushing Jeff to help me get things done before Friday the 8th because that was my day in my head, and I'm not making this up, my people know this. They may have thought I was crazy when I mentioned it weeks and months before but now they know I was right! I love being right =)

Oh, and I did play "Push it" to them on the way to the hospital!

Here are some quick pics of the day, I will add more later. With everything going on we haven't really been taking too many pics. That's changing ASAP.

Last pic with my table top belly

Minutes before I was cut opened

First pic with Daddy

First time I held Natalia

First time I held Noah

 My little darlings with their exhausted mother

 Noah (left), Natalia (right)

Natalia (left), Noah (right)

This is when they were coming home