Bringing Brody Home!!

Yesterday we went to do the 11 am feeding with Brody and were told he was going to finally be discharged! We knew it would be coming any time but were so excited for the time our family could all be together at home was finally here. Brody has been a perfect baby since he has been home. We thought Hudson was really good until Brody got here. They are both sleeping great together in their crib. Today is the first day we don't have to go up to the NICU...what a treat!! We took some pics of the boys together to show all of you. We will post pics on our blog as time goes on but we won't have as many updates...things should get to be a little more normal around here...whatever our new 'normal' is.

Thanks for all of your interest, thoughts and prayers along the way.

Until next time,

Ryon, Paula, Hudson and Brody

Family time in the Family Room at the NICU

Last night we loaded up Hudson and all went to see Brody in the NICU. They have a room there with a couple of sofas where we can all go and spend some private time relaxing together. We had a great time laying the boys next to each other and snapping pics. Hudson is on the left and Brody on the right. As you can see Brody no longer has the feeding tube or any tape on his face. We are counting down the days until we are all having family time in our own family room.

Ryon, Paula, Hudson and Brody

Headed Home with Hudson

Okay, it's taken us a few days to get this post up...we are busy, busy as all of you knew we would be. Last Saturday afternoon we found out Hudson would graduate from the NICU to the regular nursery and then be put in our room after being evaluated. We were so excited to get to have him with us all the time. He has been an absolute jewel every since then. He hardly cries at all, sleeps a lot, eats well and entertains us with all the faces he'll make at us...we just can't get enough!!

Sunday, Hudson and I were both discharged to go home but were allowed to stay at the hospital until late that evening so we could have easier access to Brody. We left the hospital at 10 pm happy to have Hudson and sad to be leaving Brody behind.

Since then we have gone to see Brody for the 11 am feeding and the 8 pm feeding. We are usually there for 1-2 hours each time so these outings take quite a bit of the day. We are trying to keep them both on the same feeding schedule so we are strictly following the every 3 hour pattern...as all of you parents know it comes around really quickly each time. Sleep is hard to come by these days but we have been lucky enough to have some overnight help the last couple of nights.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is Hudson's first doctors appointment.

Brody's progress has been really good the last few days. His nasal cannula was removed yesterday morning and he was placed in a new room in the NICU called the 'big stepdown'. It's for babies only being fed. He is breathing room air and doing good. He was having a bit of trouble eating from the bottle and at times his oxygen saturation would drop and his heart rate would suddenly drop. This morning he sucked down the contents of his bottle without a problem!! Great progress! The nurse said he had two bradycardic episodes today (heart rate suddenly dropping) and that he needs to have two days without any to be sent home. We are so excited for him to be maturing so that he can join us at home.

As for the pics above: the first two were us about to leave the hospital with Hudson. The third and fourth are from this morning when we went to feed. We got to go into the 'family room' so we had a little more room to play with the boys. We layed them on the sofa side by side. As you can see Brody (on the left) was hungry. He does still have a feeding tube in his nose, so that is what the tape is that you see on his face. They also still have some adhesive patches on his cheeks left over from the CPAP. I got to hold them together for the first time...quite a handful, but what a great handful!! We are so blessed!!!

Until next time,

Ryon, Paula, Hudson and Brody

Delivery + two and a half days

Today was a very good day. Although the two of us are tired, we are enjoying every minute of it (except the pumping). Today Hudson continued to take his bottle every 3 hours and has a great appetite. He drank a full ounce at his last feeding and the nurse seems to think if he continues at this rate, he should be able to go home on Sunday. The only concern with him at this point, is his ability to hold his temperature high enough. He continues to check in at borderline temps, and the nurses are doing everything they can to keep from having to put him back under the heater. Hopefully, his new clothes and hat from home will keep him warm.

On the other hand, we're beginning to think Brody may be a bit of a slacker, and will begin to progress when HE is ready. They did have to take a step up today and place him on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). This essentially makes the oxygen go directly into his lungs, but he is breathing it in on his own. It is not a breathing machine. They will then try to wean him off of this, just as they were before. In fact, when we left at 9:00 tonight, they had taken him down to 24% oxygen and he was doing very well at this level. The goal is to get him to 21% (not sure if I mentioned that last night). The doctor said today, that she prefers to take this route over administering surfactant, as that procedure is much more invasive. Also, they have begun giving him formula through his feeding tube and he is getting about 1/4oz every 3 hours and is holding it down very nicely. As soon as he can get to 21% and breathe easily on his own, then we can begin feeding him from a bottle. As for now the only sucking he does in on his passy, which he seems to really like. We can't wait to be able to hold him, but for now we just get the joy of having him grasp our finger as we stand by his side.

That's all for now, we will post again tomorrow.

Paula, Ryon, Brody, and Hudson

Brody and Hudson at 36 Hours

Hello all,

Just wanted to give a quick update and post a couple of pics. Hudson (the top pic) is progressing rapidly, and is taking a bottle at his scheduled feedings every 3 hours. He is getting 15mL's at each feeding and is eating it all, I expect them to increase the volume tomorrow. He is doing very well.

Brody is doing about the same. They are trying to get him weaned off of the supplemental oxygen, but they can't seem to get him down to the level which we breath. However, he is still breathing on his own, and I feel as long as he continues to do that, his lungs will strengthen and he will begin to progress. He has not eaten yet, but is receiving fluids via IV, and is maintaining his weight.

As for us, I have jumped right in to changing poopie diapers (a first for me), and paula is thinking of starting her own milk factory (and absolutely loves it......NOT). We are both pretty tired, but realize that is just part of our future lives, and are learning to deal with it. We are really enjoying every second we get to spend with the boys, and have had a blast feeding and holding Hudson. We hope to be able to have the same bonding experience with Brody in the very near future.

Please know we appreciate all the support, but don't hold it against us for not getting back to everyone directly. We are not sure where all the time goes, we just know it goes fast.

Hope to see everyone soon,

Paula, Ryon, Brody and Hudson

They're Here

Well, they've made it. Paula gave birth to Hudson Arrington and Brody Kameron this morning at 7:58 and 7:59 respectively. Everything went great and the boys are doing well. Hudson weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds and 0.2 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Brody on the other hand, who we expected was the larger of the two, weighed in at 4 pounds 13.8 ounces but was an inch longer at 18 1/4.

Both boys initially went to the regular nursery to be checked out. After a little monitoring, we were advised that Brody would need to be moved to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) because of low oxygen levels. He is breathing on his own, but has been placed in a dome to provide a higher level of oxygen for him to breathe. He will continue to be monitored, and if he cannot be weaned off of the oxygen and continue to breathe easily on his own, he may need to have surfactant to help his lungs open up a little more.

Hudson was breathing very well, however had low glucose levels. To help fix this they tried feeding him, and he actually took a bottle right away, and did great. However, his glucose levels still did not increase enough, so he was also moved to the NICU to be placed on an IV which will hopefully bring his glucose levels up. Once the level comes up the where it needs to be, he will be weaned off of the iv, and will be ready to go.

We appreciate everyones support through everything we've been through, and look forward to having you all meet the boys soon.

Paula, Ryon, Brody, and Hudson.

Tomorrow is the big day!!

Well, the time is finally here to have these babies! We really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers!! The c-section is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. We are to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am and the procedure is expected to take 30-45 minutes. I will then have to go to a recovery room for 1-2 hours while Ryon goes with the boys to the nursery. They will be checking the boys out to make sure they can do all the normal things...swallow, maintain their body temperature, etc. We will find out if they will be in the NICU or regular nursery...from what I understand twins usually go into the NICU even if they seem to be doing great. We will get to see if they'll get to go home with us (most likely Friday or Saturday).
Ryon will post whatever news we have on the blog as soon as he has time tomorrow. We are so excited for you to all meet to boys but we are going to limit visitors on Wednesday to immediate family only. After that we are open to whoever would like to stop by...just please call and let us know your plans. We will also get a picture on the blog as soon as possible...who knows....they could look alike or completely different!
Talk to you all soon,
Ryon, Paula and the Boys

35 weeks done...and 6 days to go...

Yesterday we had our final doctor's appointment before delivery. We had an ultrasound but she didn't take measurements to estimate weights...I guess we'll just have to see what they weigh next week!! Everything else looked good with the babies. I am scheduled to have a c-section next Wednesday. We are both really excited to see these little boys. So, if my body can wait until next Wednesday they will be born on the 11th of March! As you can see from the picture I am quite large at this point...my skin is stretched out like you wouldn't believe. We look forward to our next post having pics of two little boys for you all to see!!
Until next week,
Ryon, Paula and the Boys

34 Weeks...Can you believe it?!

We are so shocked I am still pregnant at this point...this is more than we had even hoped or prayed for. I am getting larger by the second and feeling even less mobile...not that I get to move around much. We went to the doc today for a check up. I am still dilated to a 1, so holding steady there for at least 4 weeks now. I go back next Thursday (assuming I haven't had them by then) and we will schedule a c-section for March 11 or 12. So, in 2 weeks or less we should get to see these little boys I've been pregnant with for 2 years...just kidding, but it does feel like it's been a really long time!! Baby A and Baby B were estimated to weigh 4 lbs 4 oz and 5 lbs respectively. Dr. Schmidt said I can move around a bit more starting today, although the mean trick about that is that is starting to be pretty uncomfortable to move at all. She just laughed when I mentioned her giving me a bit of freedom around the same time I no longer felt very comfortable...she just laughed.
We will post another update if anything exciting happens or after our appointment next Thursday. Thanks for your interest and concern for the four of us!! :)

We made it to 32 weeks!!!

When I was admitted to the hospital on December 3rd we definitely weren't expecting I'd still be pregnant at this point. We are so thankful that the boys haven't been born yet. I had an appointment today and all checked out great. The boys are gaining weight at the rate of a singleton pregnancy vs a twin pregnancy when they are usually smaller. Baby A weighed 4 lbs today with Baby B still outweighing him at almost 4 1/2 lbs. Dr. Schmidt measured my very rapidly growing belly and I am measuring like I am 38 weeks pregnant...no wonder I feel huge. I put a picture up so you can all see for yourselves!!

I am still to stay on bed rest until 34 weeks. At that point I will be taken off of bedrest (so she says) until I go into labor or go in for a scheduled c-section. Since the babies weren't positioned correctly it was assumed I would have to have a c-section but somehow Baby B (who was breach) is now head down!! I guess we'll wait and see how they are when the time comes.

I have now been home for almost 2 weeks. 'There's no place like home, there's no place like home' has even more meaning after over 2 months in the hospital! It has been fantastic...except for a little mishap last Monday night. Every night between 9:30 and 10 I take my prenatal vitamin along with my additional 4 folic acid tablets. This last Monday night I went to do the same thing. As I was chewing the folic acid (I can't swallow pills for those of you who don't know) I thought it tasted a little different..actually quite bitter. Just as I was washing them down with water and thinking maybe the pharmacist put the wrong pill in my folic acid bottle I realized I had grabbed the almost identical pill bottle of generic Ambien. Absolute panic set in as I confirmed that I had just taken 40 mg of Ambien (4 times the maximum dose). I have never been one to self-induce vomitting but tried without much luck. Diana, my mother-in-law, was staying with me that night as Ryon was in the Valley. I told her what had happened and that I thought I needed to go to the hospital. I knew I had a good 30 minutes or so before I would most likely be deep asleep, nonresponsive, or in a coma...I had no idea. I was petrified about what I had possible done to the babies. We called Dr. Schmidt who confirmed going to the hopital immediately was needed. It was a very scary hour or so...and then I was deep asleep in Labor and Delivery being monitored throught out the night. My poor parents along with Ryon's Mom were there late into the night and my Mom spent the night on a small, uncomfortable chair until morning when I was released and all was fine. I felt completely normal the next day and the babies did well on the monitors all night. We laugh about it now...what a stupid mistake to make! So please...check your medicine before you take it...and make sure pills that look the same are at least in different looking containers.
We really appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, calls, emails and cards that have been sent our way. It means so much to us and it has clearly worked because even the doctors are amazed I am still somehow keeping them in there!!
Until next time...
Paula, Ryon and the Boys

SIIIKE!!!!!

GUESS WHERE WE ARE???? HOME SWEET HOME, AND LOVIN' IT. That's right, Paula was sent home unexpectedly yesterday after 8 weeks and 4 days in the hospital resort. It was a shock, but Dr. Schmidt came in, while I was out golfing, and told Paula she could go home. When Paula called me I got to the hospital in record time (after finishing 9 holes). We thought it was going to be a much bigger chore loading everything up to go, since we had really moved in, but thanks to her parents and brother we were able to make it happen pretty quickly. We are very glad to be back, and are about to begin working on our caretaker schedule, as she will have to have someone here 24/7. Although she is home, she is still on strict bed rest, just as she was at the hospital. She is able to get up to use the restroom, and she can take a shower every other day. Her next appointment will be at 32 weeks, on February 12th. Until then, she will be doing home monitoring twice a day to keep a close eye on contractions. We are looking forward to seeing the boys again in a couple of weeks, and will give another update then. The best I can figure we should be recuperated from our super bowl blowout by that time.

Until next time,
Paula, Ryon, and The Boys

In the hospital to stay...

Hi everyone! Ryon is in Florida this week at his National Sales Meeting so I am venturing out and posting this myself. Today has been a big day and it's not even noon yet. My doc came in to do an long awaited exam to see if I could possibly go home since I will be 30 weeks on Thursday. She found that I am 100% effaced and 1 mm dialated...therefore she said she would not send me home. A lot of people are out there running around in a similar situation (maybe not at 30 weeks) but she felt it was best for me to stay put. I had hoped and prayed yesterday that whatever was decided today was the best thing for the boys and myself, so i believe staying put is the answer. I will try to stay sane in this room and enjoy more hospital food!! I also had another ultrasound today. It has been 4 weeks so I was ready to see the boys moving around in there. My Mom was here to go with me since Ryon is out of town. The boys are doing great, thank God. Baby A is weighing in at 2 lbs 15 oz with Baby B showing him up at 3 lbs 3 oz. At this point Baby A is 'head down and face up' with Baby B in a breach postition (folded up with his rear down). We are planning on having a c-section so this positioning doesn't really matter. Today Dr. Schmidt said if my water breaks we'll go ahead and deliver them otherwise at 34 weeks she'll do a scheduled c-section. That puts us at Feb. 26th...so I'll be hanging out there until one of those two things occur. My guess is that she may try to get me to wait past 34 weeks if I make it there, but at this point thinking I'll be here more than 4 more weeks is a little hard to handle. I have now been in the hopital for 8 weeks and on bestrest for 10!! Talk about losing muscle mass...I guess it's a good think I didn't have much to start out with! :)
I had my second and last round of steriod shots today and yesterday which should help with lung development at this point. We feel so thankful to have made it to this point with the babies doing good and getting so big. It's been a LONG journey but I know it is worth it. I am so excited to see these little guys in the near future!! Thanks for all of your love and support along the way. It means so much to the 4 of us!! :)
We'll post more as it occurs.
Paula, Ryon and the boys

28 Weeks

Look who's gettin' fancy, a picture. This was taken a couple of weeks ago, when one of Paula's doctors told her she could have outdoor priviledges. She really enjoyed that day, before her primary doctor told her she had no idea about the privilidges and asked that they stop.

I'm a day late with this, so let's make it 28 weeks and 1 day. This is one we have been looking towards for a while. Paula doesn't really know what to do now that it's here, so she decided to just lay down. We haven't had any measurements or real monitoring since I last updated, so all we really know is that the baby's still have heart beats, and they still move alot. In fact, Paula is convinced that one of them is going to stick a body part completely through her abdomem, and the other is going to collapse her bladder if he keeps kicking her there.

The plan is for her to go home at 30 weeks, but she will have to remain on strict bed rest. So, we will be sending out assignments to everyone to let you know when you are scheduled to be there for your shift. Of course I am kidding, but Paula has been putting together a strategic plan for when she gets to go home. She has been hanging in there pretty good, but she is ready to go home now. However, she will continue to stay here for another 2 weeks, but when the doctor asks her next time if she can maintain strict bed rest at home, I am 100% sure her answer will be yes. It may not be truthful, but it will be yes.

There is a chance the doctors may do some exams within the next week, if so I will update again at that time. If not, then I will update at 29 weeks.

Until next time,

Paula, Ryon, and The Boys

27 Weeks

So we have finally recovered from the new year's bash here, and I am ready to give another update. Today marked 27 weeks, and we are glad to have another one behind us. Nothing has really changed here, she is just laying and waiting it out. We really can't figure out if she is really going to have a chance to go home, or if the doctor just keeps giving us a date into the future to keep her looking forward to something. We are really looking forward to getting to at least 28 weeks, as that seems to be another really good point to reach. The next big one after that is 30.

Paula has been talking on the phone more, and it hasn't really seemed to be bothering her. If you would like to talk to her, fell free to give her a call. I think this has been helping her pass her days a little quicker, since I have returned to work and she is here by herself for longer periods of time now. I mean, she does stay pretty busy between reading magazines, watching t.v, and taking a shower every other day, but she may be able to squeeze you in.

That's all for now,

Paula, Ryon, and The Boys