Our Journey (so far... thru the end of week 29)

People often say that having children will be the journey of our lives. We agree, yet we also reflect on a journey that got us to this point. It was a road filled with hills and valleys, with emotional highs and emotional lows. But we have never wavered from the central idea that we wanted children. And, we feel so blessed that in the middle of September, 2009 our wish, our dream, our want of this journey, had come true.

So, please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened, keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and prepare for the journey of a lifetime. Well, actually it is our journey, but we will let you ride shotgun (and if you are lucky, we'll stop at Sonic for a Route 44 drink).

It was a Thursday evening (October 1st to be exact), and I was on my way home from a soccer game, pulled into the garage and walked in the downstairs door at our old house. Kristi was standing at the top of the stairs leading into the kitchen (only 5 stairs to get there) with this absolutely beautiful little smile on her face. She held up the test and just smiled. Jubilation, that is word. It was a jubilant night. We celebrated by going out to dinner and of course we started talking non-stop about the things that lay ahead.

Now we had appointments and scans to look forward to. Our first sonogram after getting the news we were pregnant was on October 16th. October 16th, a date which will live in twinfinity. Yep, the sonogram showed we had two children cookin, not just one. Now, truthfully, it showed two sacs, and we could only see one true child, but they seemed pretty sure. And I am sure we both were a little shocked, a little scared, a little nervous, and a lot happy. Well, actually, our first reaction I'm sure was...HOLY SH!T! ARE YOU SERIOUS? Then, it was a little scared, a little nervous, and a lot happy. It was a defining moment for us, and I think we passed with flying colors. Only one expletive upon finding out we were having twins qualified us for the Staying Calm Hall of Fame. So, now we continued to talk about what lay ahead, except now we talked about it times 2! Also at this point, the only people who knew we were pregnant were our parents, and now we get to inform them that it will be not 1 grandchild, but two!

Life for the next few months was relatively peaceful. We lived in the Brookside area and soaked up information on raising twins. We went out to eat, shopped, and slowly but surely told more and more people that we were having twins. I must admit, it was awfully fun telling my brother. I sent him two sonogram pictures around Thanksgiving. He was excited of course, but didn't even realize, until I told him, that two kids were on the way. I think at first that was a shock to him, but he was still very happy for us (and if he wasn't, I would have kicked his butt like I did when we were kids). Even after we had told our families and friends, the realization that we were having twins didn't really sink in until...

We looked at baby furniture, bottles, diapers, burp cloths, high chairs, mattresses, formula, clothes, onesies, Pack N' Plays, changing tables, thermometers...oh, did we get off track here? We lose focus sometimes when thinking of a 54th trip to Babies R' Us or looking on the internet for 10th time for just the right bottles. While tiring, I must admit, that has been pretty fun.

Okay, so back to the appointments, all of which had gone swimmingly, as our twins continued to grow through the holidays and we looked forward to 2010. If only someone could have prepared us for what lay ahead.

We had a relatively uneventful growth scan of the twins on Jan. 20th. We were now 20 weeks in and looking great. It was also at this point we found a new house for our new family. We finally came to terms with the sellers and were told we would gain possession of the new house on Feb. 25th. We continued rolling along through the winter, and we came to our next growth scan, one that was done on Feb. 17th. And now, as Paul Harvey so vividly put it for decades, the rest of the story.

It didn't take long for us to realize that something was amiss at the Feb. 17th growth scan. Just a few minutes in the technician commented that baby B was significantly smaller than baby A. A thorough scan provided us with the details. Baby B was 1 pound and Baby A was almost 2 pounds. This discordance was troubling but we were also given significantly more distressing news. Baby B was not getting proper blood flow from the placenta (called high resistance) and also had a very low amniotic fluid. Both of these things were troubling for our doctor who ordered Kristi to go on immediate bedrest. This of course was a shock to both of us. Now, more arrangements needed to be made and Kristi had to inform her job that she would not be back for quite some time. In addition, we were told to come back in one week for another scan to check cord flow resistance and fluid levels.

We made it home, got Kristi situated in bed, brought in the 5000 gallon water tank so she could stay hydrated, called Emeril to come to KC and cook for her, and hired the people from Hoarders to keep our house in shape. Amazing how fast one week can go by. I mean, we really didn't have anything to do. Just finish closing on a house, monitor Kristi's water intake (she may have finished 5000 gallons in a week, it was amazing!!), take care of the dog, go to work, and figure out how to keep her in bed even though there was no bathroom on the same floor as the kitchen (a big bummer!!).

During this week we also made a quick decision to do a very rushed move to our new house. Our thought process was if she was going to be on bedrest until the twins arrived, it would be important for her to have everything she needed on one floor. So, Feb 28th became our new move date, instead of March 17th.

Perhaps this is a good time to let all of you know a really cool fact. We are having twin BOYS. Yep, let the aiming training begin!! Okay, that might have to wait awhile, but I am sure we can have them started on their soccer, baseball, hockey, football, golf, wrestling careers by then. To be honest, we did not care if it were boys, girls, or one of both, we were just elated to be having children.

Okay, back to the story. The day of our next appointment (February 24th) we actually went to the title company and had Kristi sign all of the house papers just in case something else went amiss. Apparently we would also have careers as psychics because the home bedrest had not changed our situation and our Dr. ordered Kristi into the hospital. Damn, damn, damn, damn. Of course, we were now scared as to what our situation would be. We took a SLOW walk from Dr. S's office to the labor and delivery area at the hospital and got checked in. We were shown to our apartment (that is what we call it!) and Kristi was put on continuous monitoring (meaning, being hooked up to a machine that traces the babies heartrates 24/7). I took the next couple of days off school and Kristi and I stayed together those first 4 1/2 days. During that same time, I closed on the house, took our dog to camp, and tried to get some of Kristi's things for her to the hospital. It was impossible to know how long we would be here.

At this point in our journey, Kristi was at 25 weeks. We were just entering into viability for the boys. While their survival chances would not be good, they would have at least a chance. Our first morning at the hospital started off rough as we found out that incorrect information had been given to the neonatologists. Incorrect information is not good. Incorrect information when dealing with medical issues is really not good. Incorrect information regarding the lives of our children...bad, bad, bad. That first morning, we had a meeting with neonatology and were basically told that Baby B had very little chance for survival. It wasn't until 4-5 minutes after being told that we realized the information was not accurate. Once we got everyone on the same page, there was some relief in knowing that we were holding steady. Kristi would be in the hospital for as long as possible and we would get routine scans (every 3-4 days) until the boys were born. Here is hoping we are here for a long, long time.

Scan 1 - Feb 27th. It's all good! Our boys appear to each have 10 fingers and 10 toes. Whew! Blood flow not all that improved, but not worse either. Amniotic fluid not worse. At this point, stability is great.

Scan 2 - March 3rd. Still the same. No real news to report other than Kristi can be a little cranky! Hehe!! Oh, and I had to go to back to work this week. Booooooooooooooooooo...

Scan 3 - March 6th. Baby B has showed signs of slight improvement in blood flow and in amniotic fluid levels. Kristi is started to hate hospital food. We have been here almost two full weeks at this point. Kristi hasn't gotten to go to our new house and won't get to until the babies are here. Booooooooooooooo.... (I think I like using boooo, hmmm, just get used to it I guess)

Scan 4 - March 9th. 4/4 in good scans. We are rolling now. Well, I mean, we still have to be at the hospital, but things are stable, we are happy.

Scan 5 - March 12th, 2010. Kristi got to go for a wheelchair ride today as we went to get a growth scan today to see how the boys are growing. It was a tough day because we got good and bad news. The good news is both babies were growing. Baby B continues to grow at a slower rate at now is estimated to weigh about 1.6 pounds. Baby A continues to grow like a champ and is estimated to be 2.6 pounds. However, our joy was overshadowed by imagery that showed it was possible that Baby A had some kind of issue with his spine. It was unclear at that point what exactly that meant. At this point we are starting to wonder if we can catch a break.

Scan 6 - March 16th - Dr. S came in and did a routine scan but also spent a long time looking at Baby A's spine. He concluded there is a defect in the spine. There are so many unknowns at this point but the initial speculation is that it was what is known as a closed spinal defect. That means there is skin covering the spine (which is a good thing), and it is appropriate in thickness and there are no visible bulges. We discussed with Dr. S what some of the possibilities were but ultimately none of this will be known until they are born. We have now been here almost 4 weeks. Hospital food isn't getting any better.

Scan 7 - March 19th - Dr. S did another routine scan. Baby B is holding steady and we are encouraged by that. Baby A is doing fine except for the spinal issue. Dr. S continued to scrutinize the area but it is still too difficult to tell what the problem may entail. We are now 28 weeks!!!! Here is hoping we are here for at least another 4 weeks!

Scan 8 - March 24th - Another day, another scan. All is well in twinfinitydom (I just made that word up, I like it, deal with it). It should also be noted that we have kept our sanity through all these scans and I personally enjoyed watching end to end basketball during the NCAA tournament at the hospital. I am pretty sure Kristi only liked K-State, but their run made these past two weeks fly by. We are certainly encouraged by these recent scans and will hope for continued positive news here in the next few weeks.

Scan 9 - March 28th - Dr. S performed the 9th scan since we have been here. The boys continue to change positions (which is good) but it has made it hard to see the spinal problem in Baby A. We are obviously hopeful that it will turn out to be nothing, but we have educated ourselves as to other possibilities and some of the things that might entail. We are still upbeat though. Scan 9 was only the second time I haven't been there for a scan (wasn't feeling very good that day) and it always makes me a bit sad to not see my boys when they do a scan. I guess I will just have to take them golfing one extra time to make up for it. Put myself through that torture! :)

Scan 10 - March 31st - Dr. S was back and Baby B amniotic fluids levels were the best so far! And, blood flow also appears to have improved! Apparently this boy likes being surrounded by dozens of women nurses! Atta boy! Baby A was still in a position where it was hard to see anything new in regards to his spine situation. We will keep you posted.

You know, having written all this out, we would remiss to not take a moment and say thank you to everyone who has helped us out through these tough and busy times. We first want to say thank you to our parents. They have never wavered in their support. They have been there with everything we need, and even though we may not say it enough, you guys have been unbelievable, we couldn't have gotten through these past few months without you and we love you all. I am sure Kristi can add to this list, but I also wanted to single out my brother. He flew in from Nashville at a moment's notice and helped so much with our move to the new house, in fact, I really didn't have to move much of anything (probably should have packed a bit more before the move, right guys?) and I just can't express my gratitude enough to him. So, Russ, thank you so much, it means more than you know (and thanks Andi for letting him come here!!).

To everyone else, thank you for the cards, foods, prayers, and kind words. Our church family, small group, and all of the other prayers and thoughts that have been lifted up for us are more appreciated than you know. We are truly lucky for all of the support we've been given through all of you.

Remember to check back often as we can't wait for this journey to take a giant leap forward. To Twinfinity and Beyond!! (Please say like Buzz Lightyear!)