Two Bottles, Twenty Diapers, Two Sleepers, Two Hours of Sleep Each Night......

First of all I have to apologize to Emily and everyone who I promised a timely blog update. As you can imagine things around our house have been doubly hectic (haha). The twins were born on August 4th at 7:19 and 7:28pm. Sara was able to deliver both of them without a c-section, which is something we are extremely grateful for.

Following are all the details, which are long and probably uninteresting to everyone but us but if you make it through to the end you might just get a trophy or something.

If you would rather have the short version it is that the twins were delivered on Monday August 3rd and are healthy. Now you can either read on or just skip to the pictures. Love you all!!

Before and After


Monday Morning August 4th -

Sara had a regular scheduled doctor's appointment at 8:45am where the doctor was going to check to see if she was dilated. She went through the regular NST which raised a little bit of worry with the doctor because during one of Sara's contractions one of the baby's heart rates went down, so he sent Sara over to the hospital to do an extended NST. Sara was dilated to about 4cm and due to the alarm of the heart rate about noon the doctor decided he was going to start her. Another small reason for concern was that she was at 36 weeks and that is when our dear Emma passed. So, they started her on low doses of pitosin about noon and prepped the surgery room for delivery.

The doctor had patients scheduled all day so he didn't want her to get too far along before 5pm. At 5 the doctor showed up and started upping the pitosin to increase contractions and get Sara fully dilated. He had asked several times if she wanted to deliver them or just opt for a c-section and Sara really wanted to deliver both of them. The prospect of trying to adjust to twins while recovering from a c-section was rather daunting. So about 6 they suited me up in scrubs (which Sara said made me look really cool) and they moved us into surgery. Earlier I had given Sara a blessing and told her that everything would work out well and she would be able to deliver the babies without complications, but we were both like scared little children as we moved down the hall from the labor and delivery department into surgery. Sara was visibly nervous and having a hard time keeping her composure. That made me try to put on a brave face and I kept telling her that everything would be OK. I thought I was fooling her into believing that I was confident everything was going to be fine, but she told me later that she could see that I was worried too.

The Surgery Room

Once in the surgery room everything seemed like a whirlwind. There was a multitude gathered to witness the births. Two doctors, the anesthesiologist, 5 nurses for sara, 4 nurses for the babies, and then me. I was told where to stand and was told that if I moved or got in the way I would quickly be escorted out of the room and not allowed back in. They hooked up an ultrasound machine which kept unexpectedly shutting down. The doctor seemed to keep asking for more supplies which were hard to find as they were setting everything up. Then there was a problem with the surgery table that Sara was on and they almost had to bring in another table. The stirrups on the table weren't working right so they had to bring in the "old stirrups" and set them up. All this was going on while Sara was having contractions and waiting to be told to push. Then the epidural starting wearing off on one side so Sara was feeling half of the labor.

Preparation Done

Time to break the water. The first baby was head down but not fully in the birth canal so if the umbilical cord came out with the water it would result in a c-section. Once the water was broken the head moved down and the first hurdle was cleared. Next thing that would warrant a c-section was if the first baby got stuck in the birth canal too long. It took about 20 minutes of pushing for the first baby to be born, but during that time it was discovered that the heart rate monitor we had didn't work with twins so they had to rush to the delivery room and snatch the monitor we had in there and get that set up. Throughout all this Sara had nurses at either side of her who were encouraging her and were a great comfort as the whirlwind kept spinning around us. Bella Rose was delivered at 7:19pm and after I cut the umbilical cord I actually did a little jig because I was so excited! The nurses and doctor were laughing at me because of this and a little comic relief was definitely welcome.

Next Hurdle

Two more hurdles to cross to avoid a c-section. The second baby was breech and our doctor was trained in breech births and had successfully done several so we were confident in his ability to help deliver her. He had explained to us that after the first was born if the baby did not quickly turn on her own he would need to grab her feet and pull her out. He quickly got one of her feet but she would not give him the other. Just at the point that he was about to abandon a normal delivery and cut Sara open an amazing thing happened. The doctor's words were that she kicked her feet out and springboarded off his hands, doing a somersault and placing her head in the birth canal. The second water was broken and time started ticking. The doctor had told us that if she wasn't delivered within 10 minutes it would again result in a c-section. At 8 minutes she had crowned and with a little help from a Kiwi (Not someone from New Zealand or the Hairy Fruit with Green Meat, but a little vacuum device that is attached to the head and used instead of forceps) Jemma Sage was born at 7:28, 9 minutes after her sister.

Twenty Tiny Fingers, Twenty Tiny Toes, Two Angel Faces, Each with a Turned-Up Nose

Bella looks like a total chunk compared to Jemma in this picture!

Bella Rose weighed in at 6lbs 12oz and Jemma Sage was 5lbs 7oz. They could be identical but due to the difference in weight it is pretty easy to tell them apart right now. The twins did great in the hospital learning how to eat and doing all the other things that little babies are supposed to do. We were able to leave the hospital with the twins around noon on Wednesday. There was no jaundice, no complications and the babies are healthy. Tomorrow they will be 2 weeks old and they have a doctor's checkup.

Despite the lack of sleep everything is going well. Sara's mom and sister came after we returned from the hospital and were here at different times and that was an enormous help to us. We also have AWESOME neighbors and friends who have dropped in with meals and support and encouragement. We really feel that we know what it is like to live in a Zion like society. Sara is feeling better every day and is really doing well. She can't wait to start running again and says it feels much better to have them on the outside than it did to have them on the inside.

So that is the long story. Hope all is well in your world. Enjoy the pictures.

Jemma in the nursery. The 2 fingers are to tell us that she was the second twin born. She regularly furrows her brow and looks concerned like this.

Bella just seems fat and happy most of the time.

Got this precious picture today. They were holding hands as they slept.

My little women. The older girls are doing great with the twins and are very helpful. Jemma is on the left and Bella is on the right.

Great Grandma Marble holding Bella.

Dad is holding Bella and Bet is holding Jemma

Ew!!!! You licked a what?

A Slug!!!! We were at the Knouse Family Reunion last weekend and Eliza came running up to me so excited saying, "Dad, Dad, Look I found a slug!!" On a whim and partially as a joke I said, "I will give you a quarter if you lick it." which was followed immediately, without thought, with a, "No way daddy!" Phew! Sometimes I just slip into my scout leader mentality and start kicking out dares without really thinking. Well, a couple minutes later Eliza brought me the slug plate and said, "Dad, I washed the slug. Will I still get a quarter if I lick it?" I thought I had dodged that bullet but I was wrong. Eliza got the quarter.

The thing I forgot was that she still remembered the banana slug incident in the Redwood Forest in California. You see a few years ago we went to San Jose to visit my brother-in-law Joe. As we drove to the redwood forest Joe told me that if I licked a banana slug my tongue would go numb. Hmmmmm!! Sounded interesting. Always up for a new experience I promptly found one and bent down to test the tongue numbing properties of the yellow creature. Eliza started crying and screaming, "Daddy, no, what if it gets stuck in your throat?" She thought I was going to eat the banana slug. After a considerable amount of explanation she was calmed down and I tested Joe's promise! You know, you should all thank me! None of you need to lick a slug! Eliza and I already tried it! Your tongue doesn't go numb!

Oh yeah, and by the way, Eliza and Savana both held a snake that I caught while we were up there. It was a great weekend!!!

Latest on the Twins

So now Sara is up to two doctor's visits a week. All is well. No changes since last week. Sara will be at 34 weeks on Sunday. If she makes it 1 more week the doctor will take her off of bed rest and the medication and will let her go into labor. Sara asked the doctor if she could go to Katies wedding and he said it was up to her, but that if she went into labor in Orem he wouldn't be able to make it down to deliver the baby. So, Sara is going to try really hard not to go into labor in the Sealing Room or any time on the 25th because she doesn't want to steal Katie and JT's thunder. Thank you for all your prayers, well wishes, and help!

God's Fireworks Are Awesome

This morning we woke up to 27 new Day Lillies in the garden. How appropriate that on the day that people celebrate Independence with fireworks God sent us a display better than anything man-made. Hope you enjoy!

Twins, (W)Under Girls and Green Skies

So... I kind of failed miserably at posting on a monthly basis. Sorry! I got caught up in the facebook world and other internet past times fell by the way side. So, here is the update on the twins. If you don't know by now, they are both girls. So that will make #5 and #6 girls for us. We don't know if they are identical and won't know until they are born. They do both have the same nose though, and it is my nose and not Sara's (so sad for girls to come into the world with an English bubble nose instead of a sleek Italian nose). Sara is at 32 weeks and has started having contractions that are pretty much being controlled by blood pressure medications. She is on bed rest. The doctor says there is a great chance that we are safe for another 2 weeks at least, and optomistic that she can hold out until 36 weeks. We have almost decided on the names. We are going to keep with the tradition of classic names and call them Esther and Polly. Sara truly looks like she is going to split in two any day now. See for yourself.

Audrey is having troubles with potty training. Given the choice of playing and going potty she chooses the former (and let's face it, if it was socially acceptable I think we all would do the same). But in addition to her insatiable desire for fun getting in the way of proper waste disposal, it seems that she has underwear dyslexia. It doesn't matter if we tell her that the unders go on UNDER, because the other girls find it funny and mimic her. So now we call them our Wunder Girls! Something similar to this happened when Eliza was young. She was just learning her colors and, as a joke, I told her the sky was Green and the lawn was Blue. It took Sara 4 months to convince her otherwise.


I will strive to post weekly for the next few in order to keep you all in the know about the progress of Esther and Polly. And we hope you all have a W'under'ful Independence Day!

Twins

Here is the first ultrasound. The first 10 minutes of the ultrasound was done only on the baby on the right with the assumption that there was only one baby. At the end of the ultrasound the doctor quickly swept to the right and said, "Hold on wait a minute. I think I just discovered why your uterus is so big. There is a twin...No, that is the same one, Wait.... there are two... No....Um, Yes I am sure! See here, You are having twins!" What a roller coaster!!! Afterward he looked at me and asked, "Do you need to sit down?" I guess I looked a little bit shocked.

Now we have had a week and a half to start adjsting to the thought of two infants and still are in a state of shock. Daily we think of several things that we will need to do to prepare or that will change our daily lives once the babies are finally here.

You can see in the ultrasound that there is a line between the two babies. That is really good! Separate sacs means that they have their own blood supply, and there are many less complications for them growing in the womb. Due date is aroung the end of August, but 32-36 weeks is average for twins so we are hoping for somewhere after the first of August. What a rollercoaster ride!!

Two Placentas, Two Babies


Profile and Arm


Is this a boy? The doctor made an educated guess but I hav no clue. Never have been able to figure ultrasounds out!!

My Turn On Earth Family Home Evening

We decided to listen to My Turn On Earth for Family Home Evening and talk about why we are on the earth and gaining a body. The music was just sooooo good that we had to get up and dance!! Enjoy the show. P.S. My favorite part about this whole video is Sara's laughter in the background.

God Vs. The Super Bowl

Confession time! So, a couple of weeks ago Sara and I were discussing the merits of scheduling a church meeting smack dab in the middle of the Super Bowl. And I being the facetious man that I am commented (tongue in cheek, mind you), "I had better not schedule a meeting because today the Super Bowl is more important than God!" We both got a good laugh at that as we curled up on the couch to watch Bruce Springstein use too much momentum and knee slide right into the waiting camera (I thought that was funnier than any of the commercials). The problem with making a comment like that in my household is that there are always 6 little ears that hear everything that is said but don't necessarily catch all the sarcasm that is included in the conversation.

Last week as we retrieved our daughter from a friend who had been tending her my friend looked at me funny and said, "Do you know what Sabby told me? She said, My dad thinks that the Super Bowl is more important than God!" Note to self, Be more careful of how you use sarcasm around Sabby!

Savana Montana

A couple of months ago Savana got a little keychain guitar that played a Hannah Montana song. She played it over and over again until now the batteries are almost dead and it plays the song an octave lower. Savana will tell you now, "When I first got it Hannah Montana sang the song, but not it is a boy that is singing." Anyhow, here is Savana's cover of the Hannah Montana song 'Nobody's Perfect'. The real lyrics will be posted below the video.



The real Lyrics are: Nobody's perfect I gotta work it Again and again 'Til I get it right Nobody's perfect You live and you learn it And if I mess it up sometimes Nobody's perfect. Savana is my little superstar!

Vegetarian Princesses

I have a New Years resolution to post at least monthly on my blog, and even though I am currently being held hostage by the demon creators of facebook, I will prevail.

Wednesday we went out to celebrate Sara's birthday. Upon picking the girls up from our friends house we were informed that Eliza is now a vegetarian. Apparently when they sat down to eat dinner Eliza looked at her plate and said politely, "I am sorry, but I am a vegetarian now and cannot eat this stuff on my plate." Unfortunately the stuff she was referring to is commonly known as broccoli. Apparently in the world of a 5-year old, being a vegetarian allows you to pick and choose what you would like to eat. Tehehe. In the end she did eat her vegetables, but that is the most recent joke in our house. "I am sorry. I can't help with the dishes. I am a vegetarian." "I'm sorry. I can't brush my teeth. I'm a vegetarian."

On another note, Savana has decided who she is going to marry when she grows up. She has told me several times this week that when she grows up she is going to marry me. I told her that I could only have one wife (even being mormon haha) and that I am married to mom. Her reply, "That isn't true dad. Remember St. George? You can marry me when I grow up." I had no clue what she was talking about until Sara reminded that while on vacation to St. George we pulled up next to a van with a polygamous looking man and several women who looked like sister wives and we explained this to the girls. In spite of all the reasons we cannot get married it is pretty cool that my little girl looks at Sara's and My relationship and wants to have something like it when she grows up. I hope she marries someone who will love her as much as I love Sara. But for now I have to just tell her, "I'm sorry Savana. I can't marry you! I'm a vegetarian!!"