October 27 - Alyssa & Katelyn Come Home!

Our babies are home finally! Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!


Katelyn & Alyssa´s first car ride - Headed home from the hospital!


Finally resting at home!


Our little angels!


They love to cuddle!


Bathing in the sun!


Little Monkey

Before & After the Twins´Arrival

Here I am 35 weeks pregnant with Alyssa & Katelyn! This was actually taken on the same day that my water broke and I went in to have them. Little did I know!


Here I am about a week after having Alyssa & Katelyn:

October 24

My mother (Granny Brooks) got to hold both babies today! (Alyssa on left, Katelyn on right)


Granny Brooks holding Katelyn and me holding Alyssa:


The girls with their pediatrician/neonatalogist, Dr. Salguero. He is our hero! He worked with Alyssa for 3 long minutes until she started breathing and he has given excellent care to both of our girls!


Our family!


Everything is going great with the girls and the pediatrician still thinks that they will both be able to come home either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Praise the Lord!

October 23

They are going to take Alyssa off the light treatment for jaundice today! The doctor is going to let them gain a little more weight and then hopes to be able to release them BOTH to go home on Monday or Tuesday of next week! We can´t wait!!! It is so hard to go to the hospital every day to see them and then have to leave them.

October 22

It was wonderful to be able to hold both girls again! The pediatrician is going to take Alyssa out of her incubator today, but she will still be receiving light treatment for her jaundice for a little while longer. He hopes to be able to release Katelyn to come home next Monday or Tuesday! Keep up the prayers!

Katelyn & Alyssa look so peaceful snuggling with one another.


Mommy with her girls!


Daddy with his girls!

October 21

We are excited that Katelyn can come home once she gains 6 oz. more!

Alyssa will be there at least one more week. Her bilirubin levels have decreased with the phototherapy (she has jaundice). Her oxygen saturation is staying in the 96-100% range. Praise the Lord! They also have her on medication to help with sleep apnea (normal in preemies). Thank you for all your prayers!

Kelly holding Alyssa for the first time today!


Alyssa smiling big for her mommy!


Jeremy holding Alyssa for the first time!


Alyssa smiling big for her daddy!


Alyssa very sleepy and very cute.


Katelyn very sleepy and very cute too!


Kelly holding the twins at the same time for the first time.


Jeremy holding the twins at the same time for the first time.

October 20

I was so happy to hold Katelyn today and help bottle feed her! Hopefully she will be able to nurse and come home within a few more days. The doctor is just waiting for her to gain some more weight. Alyssa is doing better every day and hopefully the light will be removed for the jaundice in a few days. I go this afternoon to get my outer stitches from the C-section removed.

Jeremy holding Katelyn:


Big yawn from Katelyn:

Alyssa being treated for jaundice:

October 19

The pediatrican told us this morning that he will be taking Katelyn out of the incubator this afternoon! I am still not able to nurse her though because of her having problems keeping the milk down. Alyssa´s jaundice is improving and they hope to be able to remove the light in a few days. They will take her off the monitors and remove her IVs tomorrow, but she will still be in an incubator for awhile.

October 18

I finally got to hold Katelyn for the first time today! The doctor will be testing Alyssa's jaundice again tomorrow and hopes to be able to remove her from the light treatment on Tuesday, so hopefully we will be able to hold her soon too! We are totally in love with the girls! They are just perfect.

Taking breast milk to the twins:


Holding Katelyn for the first time:


Jeremy holding Katelyn:


Look at the size of Katelyn next to Jeremy´s hand!


Alyssa relaxing in her incubator:

October 17

I was discharged from the hospital today! Pray for Alyssa & Katelyn as they will probably be in the neonatal unit for another week or so. Both babies are still in incubators, but breathing on their own now and feeding on breast milk through a tube. Alyssa is being treated for jaundice, so please lift that up in prayer. We still can´t hold them, but all things in God´s timing. We are anxious to bring them home and spend lots of time cuddling with them! Thanks to everyone for all your prayers!

Checking out of the hospital...the missionaries that we work with here, Don & Terri Triplett, sent the beautiful flowers!

Alyssa under the light treatment for jaundice:

Katelyn:

October 15

2:18 a.m. - I can't sleep with all my girls at the hospital!!! My mother-in-law got here today and she is staying with Kelly tonight. First time in a year and a half to see her. We're so glad she's here!

Kelly and her mom with Alyssa:


The proud parents with Alyssa:


Alyssa in her incubator:


Kelly and her mom with Katelyn:


The proud parents with Katelyn:


Katelyn in her incubator:

10:11 p.m. - Praise the Lord that Alyssa is finally breathing on her own! She has developed jaundice and is under a UV light now, but her oxygen saturation is great. Katelyn is eating through a feeding tube and was able to take some breast milk from Kelly via the tube this afternoon. Alyssa is on an IV for nutrients. Kelly is up and walking around and able to pump milk for the babies. Praise God! He is so faithful!

-Jeremy

October 14

Katelyn is in excellent condition and Alyssa is getting there. Alyssa is only on 40% oxygen now, so she is at 60% breathing on her own.

Here´s Katelyn...

Here´s Alyssa...

October 13

Kelly and I are rejoicing over the two precious girls the Lord gave us last night!!! Katelyn is doing great, but Kelly and Alyssa need some prayers. Kelly is in pain from the C-section and Alyssa is on oxygen. We haven't been able to hold them yet, but I saw them in the incubators last night and they are just beautiful! - Jeremy

Arrival of Alyssa & Katelyn - October 12, 2009

It all started with my water breaking around 6:45 p.m. on October 12, 2009! Jeremy was on his way home from teaching classes out at the King´s Castle Camp when I called him to let him know what had just happened. He was about 15 minutes away from our apartment, so he called our missionary friends that live just around the corner from us and asked the husband, Scott, if he would pick me up and meet him at the hospital. I called Dr. Ramírez to let him know that I was on my way to the hospital and he said he would meet us there as well. Scott picked me up soon after and in about 5 minutes we were at the hospital...Jeremy had already beat us there and was waiting on me outside of the emergency room!

Once at the hospital, I was rushed into the Labor & Delivery area. The OBGYN on call checked the fetal heart rates of the twins and rate of contractions while a nurse inserted my IV. I didn´t feel any of the contractions or have any pain (Praise the Lord!)...just more and more water! Dr. Ramírez arrived shortly to check on me and before I knew it, I was in for my C-section. The anesthesiologist gave me a spinal and soon after I couldn´t feel a thing. Jeremy was allowed to come in the room at this point and the C-section began. I couldn´t see anything that was going on over the cover, but Jeremy was able to watch the whole thing.

I heard the babies cry as they came out! Katelyn Joy was born at 8:40 p.m. and Alyssa Grace was born at 8:42 p.m. Katelyn was 4 lbs. 3 oz. and 17.3 inches long. Alyssa was 4 lbs. 6 oz. and 17.3 inches long. I saw them briefly as the doctors and nurses laid them on a table to check them out after they were born. Katelyn was doing fine, but Alyssa wasn´t able to expel the fluids from her lungs at birth and had to be resuscitated after several attempts to suction hadn´t worked. Those were the scariest 3 minutes of our lives, watching one of our babies lying there lifeless. Jeremy & I both began to pray for her and the Lord saved her! After the doctors saw she was alright, they headed off to the nursery with the girls and the doctors began to stitch up my incision. Afterwards, I was wheeled into the recovery room where I would stay until about midnight, when they would finally take me to my room to rest.

Side note about Dr. Ramírez: He was not the doctor I used my entire pregnancy, but was actually another OBGYN that shares the same office as my doctor, Dr. Zavaleta. Dr. Zavaleta was out of the country for a few weeks and I had seen Dr. Ramírez for my latest appointment since my doctor was gone. Dr. Zavaleta warned Dr. Ramírez that I might go into labor before he got back, so Dr. Ramírez might have to be the doctor to deliver them. He was right! I was only 35 weeks along and didn´t make the October 25th date that Dr. Zavaleta had hoped I would make. Dr. Ramírez did an AWESOME job and Jeremy and I were well pleased with how everything went.

Belly Pic - 35 weeks

34 Weeks!

Yesterday's checkup and ultrasound all went well. The doctor said the babies are doing great! Looks like the bed rest combined with the shots and medicine to stop preterm labor are doing their job, so hopefully we will make it a few more weeks.

We decided the other day that it would be easier to go ahead and use their names when we are talking about their weight, movements, etc... They are laying side by side and head down, so Jeremy decided that we should call the smaller baby on my left side Alyssa and the bigger baby on the right side Katelyn. Alyssa is a little under 4 lbs. right now and Katelyn is a little over 4 lbs.

Keep up the prayers! Below are a couple pics. from the ultrasound yesterday. They are both of Katelyn. The doctor said Alyssa was shy and wouldn't pose for the camera!