Random Musings from the Week that Was

As I sit and type on my iPad, the rest of by suddenly increasing family is fast asleep. A quiet moment to reflect on the past week of events. Images and conversations come flooding back in snippets. Future blog posts in development in my cranium...

* I will say that I (and this blog) are victims of my prior humor and success! This past week as been a tiring one, to say the least, and I am not sure I can keep up with the clamoring for pics and steady doses of high test humor. But I will try.

* Whew, what a blur. What started as a routine call day for me on Valentine's day turned into something more.

* Waiting alone in the hallway, while the GC2.0 was wisked into the OR suite is something that I don't want to relive again. A "10-15 min" wait turned into 30 minutes, and the lights went out. So there I was sitting in a hallway, knowing that MDs were prepping my wife for surgery, and I am stuck in the dark. I found out why later... See the KPs delivery with my wife and her issues with anesthesia.

* Man, I have to figure out how to post pics from my iPad to this blog.

* Sleeping in the Hospital is a weird experience. Nesting is even weirder. It is sort of like living in a hotel, but with hospital food. We were discharged from the hospital, but we never left. Surreal. We would get up every morning, shower, make our bed, and then wait for breakfast. That was the best part of the food deal ( lunch and dinner were absolutely awful ). Then we would wait for the ped to come in a talk to us. Plus with our MD ID badges, we had complete run of the joint! The only other negative was that they didn't allow caffeine on our floor. I had to come up with creative ways to procure this, and even got busted on the Pediatric flood sniffing around.

* We definitely learned a lot about medicine, from the patient perspective. The biggest issue for us, was the transfer of care over the weekend and to the ICU. Every different day we had a different doc, with a different plan. At on point, we went from having Mila go home on Tuesday, to being transferred to the NICU. The NICU initially was worse too; they didn't seem to know or figure out about her course upstairs. ( they eventually did...) One evening, the DQ2.0 and I just went home and cracked open the liquor cabinet (much to Mo's surprise). (Editor's note: this in no way condones the use of alcohol to cure one's troubles. One day, when KP and the Twizzles read this blog, they should understand this fact. There is no salvation in the bottle, but it sure tasted good!)

* If the DQ2.0 is not a Certified Lactation Consultant at the end of this ordeal, I am not sure what she has to do!!!! She has talked to, read about, had hands on training and listened to almost all the world's literature about this subject. Seriously. She can even teach it too. A couple of days ago, we took a break to Target to get some supplies. There we ran into a young lady and her mother perusing the bottle isle. The daughter happened to be pregnant and was looking for supplies. Her mother was lost... Enter the DQ2.0!!!! It was like a freaking informercial for boobiemilk supplies. I just stood back and listened to the DQ2.0 pipe on about nipple sizes, sterilization, massaging, and storage. I tried to add my 2 cents, but got droned out by the mommy madness!!! I thought I should've bought a notebook and taken notes for the girl. Whew. I hope they got it all.

* The Santa Maria was a super cruiser this ordeal. Drove like a dream. I still haven't figured out all the fancy features yet: Bluetooth, iPod radio... But the toasty buns are a rocking.

* Circumcision. Just the name alone can send shivers down a man's spine. This is a totally separate blog post for a different time. I have never seen so much enthusiasm for a boy's junk before. More to follow.

That's all I've got for now. This post actually took like 3 days to write, due to the homecoming. Whew, I've gotta pickup the production here, maybe I should see a Certified Weblog Consultant!!!

We're Home!

After a long 11 days in the hospital, including 8 days in the NICU for Court and 4 days for Mila, we've all been released.

Finally!!!

It has been a long, tiring trip towards the finish line.

But we're here!

More pics and musings later, if we make it through the night!!!!

Lessons learned as a mother of twins: Week 1

when your boss has the record of correctly predicting the birthday of your first child, pay attention to when he schedules the start of your maternity leave for subsequent children

always be prepared.  you never know when your platelets just won’t come through for you.

never underestimate the importance of a friendly face in the operating room, even if it’s a little weird for your friend to see your innards.  at least she’ll be honest and let you know how much or little subcutaneous tissue you have.

make a conscious decision to maintain good health if you have issues with spinal anesthesia.

love your husband. after all, he did this to you, but it makes it all worthwhile if it’s his face you want to see when your blood pressure is 55/36. 

try not to ever be in a situation where you need high-dose magnesium, unless you like the idea of not being able to feel your face, speak, or tell time.

when someone asks you what your pain level is, always answer “one” -- it will save you the trouble of vomiting up narcotics with a fresh abdominal incision.

relish the time that your family can be together in the same room, because it royally stinks when they are separated.

if you have to be separated, make sure to have your staff badge to take the shortcut

have tissues at the bedside, because people know that you are going through a tough time and will want to encourage you, and it’s the nice ones who will cause you to spring a leak

understand that the concept of “time” when hospitalized is dependent on two things: the seemingly rapid 12 hour shift change, and the ridiculously slow passage of days, such that your time with a favorite nurse flies by quickly but the number of days of your stay feels like an eternity.

fear the hormones.

recognize that the field of pediatric nursing and lactation consultancy is comprised of some pretty amazing and genuinely compassionate people.

make sure to have an awesome cousin in town to run your household when you may have a sudden caesarian section.  even better if you can arrange for that person to be such a good chef that your daycare teachers tell you they covet your kid’s lunches.

be satisfied with conservative management.  maybe it will get you a little bit more sleep at night.

KP and the Twizzles

So, we here in the BY Universe, have been inundated with requests for more pictures...  So here we go! 

(Editors Note: We've been locked in the hospital for a week, so our cellphones had to do the trick!)



Daddy and Mila



Mila





Daddy and Court



And to end the exhibit!

The Pizz

Week 1 Update

Well, if you haven't noticed, we haven't been posting since the birth of the Twizzles.  It has been an interesting and stressful week for all involved, but we're plugging through.

First of all, we are all healthy and doing well.

The GC2.0 had an uneventful postoperative course.  She has incisional and abdominal pain, which from what I see is improving.  She also struggled for a little to get her "milk to come in" after being doped up on magnesium and requiring transfusions, etc.  (That is a totally different blog entry for another time!)  But ... without further ado... she is now the DQ 2.0!!!!  This version is so much more advanced from the prior.  She has sought the help from every Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC for short; board certified!) from here to Durham.  She has also rented a hospital-grade, industrial strength pump.  Supposedly, her little Madella hands-free do-hicky was not up to the twin task.  According to some of her CLC's, that little pump motor might not be able to handle the stress of the new DQ2.0.  Oh boy!  And what stress it was!  She has been faithfully using her machines (she now has 3, in strategic locations) for produce every 3 hours!  WOWOWOWOWOW!  Like everything else, she is amazing.  She was discharged on Friday.

The Twizzles are chugging along, but are still in the hospital.  They were 35wks, and are still learning how to eat and develop.  Court had a short episode of respiratory distress, leading to a NICU transfer.  Interestingly enough, the second he was wheeled into the NICU, he perked up and had no further breathing problems.  (Funny how that works.  Adults are the same way too sometimes!)  Both he and his sister are just now working on eating and storing calories.  Today, Mila was brought down to join her brother, but basically to keep them in one place.  Too bad they didn't think about the "twin rooms" 4 days ago, when the DQ2.0 was hauling her postoperative self up and down, up and down, up and down trying to feed the twizzles.  I was also caught up in the act, having to drudge milk downstairs as well.  (Poor poor Editor)

The NICU is very conservative, and likes to hang on to their kids, so things seem to move very very slowly.  But there are much, much worse babies down there.  For that we are extremely fortunate!  (Oh, by the way, the NICU is an absolutely amazing place.  It was just completed about a year ago, and is modern to a T.  Each baby has his or her own room, which is bigger than my office, and they are wired for sound!  Amazing!)

The Editor is chugging along.  Somehow, I was able to keep working last week, making lives better through electricity!  I had 2 cases Tues AM, and then more the rest of the week.  Seems this was a busy work week for me as well.  I also started growing a beard... which I think added to our pathetic look.  The DQ2.0 doesn't like it, but she's so sleep deprived I'm not sure she'll even notice it's there...  I'll only shave it if the Pizz doesn't like it!  (So we all really know how long the beard is going to last!)

The Pizz is sooooo big, especially now compared to her sibs.  She is amazing; growing and developing at an alarming rate.  Seems we have missed so much in the past week.  Mo has been here since last Sunday (talk about timing!) and has been an absolute force for us.  We've gotten Pizz-o-penic the last couple of days, and with the consolidation in the NICU, decided to start sleeping at home.  (We had been "nesting" in the GC2.0's old room... which gave us a hotel-like feel.  With hospital food!!!)

So, we're home.  I'm blogging and the DQ2.0 has gone into the Nursery 2.0 to use her hospital-grade breast pump (we'll call it BP2.0!).  Mo, the Pizz, and Ham are sleeping.

Almost a complete family...

Happy Valentine's Day

So, it started off like any other day...

With the Pizz

But then a day filled for Valentines, hearts, flowers and chocolates

became filled with call, pacemakers, broken hearts, low platelets, creatinines, blood pressures, uric acids and "atypical pre-eclampsia"

But at the end of this wild 30+ hour ride comes the most amazing Valentines day gift ever.

Without further ado..

The Twizzles





"Court"

Michael Harcourt Yarnoz

5lbs 13oz

"Mila"

Camila Anne Yarnoz

5lbs 6oz.



Both Mommy and Twizzles are doing well...

and Valentine's day would never be the same again.

(What would you expect from a cardiologist?!)

Goodnight Kemper!

So, now that our Mo'Pair is in town, we have to show off some more cuteness...

First she needed a trim of the 'Do

A Frontal shot...

But then, we realized that the Pizz's gullet might be getting a little too big for her PJ's

Time to upgrade to the next level of Cam-me-downs!

Day 1... Year 5!

So, as many of you may know...  4 years ago today... was the first day of the rest of my life.  According to my ring, 2/10/07 is the date that will live on forever!

What a great trip it has been!

Here are some stats:

• We've lived in 2 states, 3 counties and 3 cities.
• We've bought and owned 2 houses.
• We've renovated both of them
• We've sold one of them
• We've bought 2 cars.
• We almost bought the Leaf (that was my idea, but the Twizzles happened)
• We've travelled to (and stayed in) Long Boat Key, Orlando, San Francisco, Houston, Austin, Bunkie, New Orleans, New York City, Boone, and Atlanta.
• We've travelled to 4 countries.
• Internationally, we've visited Niagra Falls, London, Paris, Normandy, Pau, Serlat, Pamplona, Madrid, Yarnoz (yes!), and San Sebastian.
• We've had car troubles in a foreign land (that is also if you include the fact that we couldn't start the rental car for two hours in the Paris garage... had to read the manual... in French!)
• We've been on the London Eye.
• We've walked the Normandy beaches...
• We've Run with the Bulls... (ok, maybe we just watched...)
• We've eaten more cheese, jamon, beans and chorizo that you can shake a stick at.  (But some could try)
• We've drank more wine then possible. 
• We've been to Pizza Hut in France
• and McDonald's in Madrid!
• We've been to famous museums and churches!
• and come back alive!
• We've worked in 8 separate hospitals and each held 3 jobs.
• We've gotten a MPH degree, and passed two boards. (The last one was absolutely mind boggling!)
• One is a Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist
• The other is a Master of Public Health.
• One has been to Haiti, and one almost went...(it counts for something!)
• One likes Justin Beiber... (it's not who you think!)
• We both like Glee.
• We've watched our friends get married...
• We've seen our cousins get married...
• We've been back to Duke to watch some basketball.
• We've won another National Championship (although it had to be watched in separate rooms!)
• We've had our names in lights (granted we had to pay for that!)
• We've watched some broadway and off-broadway plays.
• We've been to the movies like 5 times... (it is tough to agree on ones to watch... she can only stand so many SciFi movies, and I can only vomit through so many love comedies!)
• We watched every episode of the new Battlestar Galactica.  (Now, to my defense, I never wanted to start watching this, for fear of getting sucked in.  This one was all Maine)
• We've seen the Saints win a Super Bowl.
• We've had our luggage lost a couple of times... (leading to interesting stories of makeup buying and carseat renting)
• We've been to 10 beaches... (I think)
• We have one dog
• who's killed 2 cats... (er... 1 confirmed)
• We've locked in to Apple
• We've been pregnant 3 times... (ok, I am stretching the we part)
• with one calamity
• and one huge Cuteness
• and now the Twizzles on the way
• We've started a blog, and kept it going.  With an international flavor (Hoff, eat your heart out!)
• We've published the blog twice.
• We've taught our Cuteness to sign.
• and are struggling with the potty training
• We've invented AA, Goodnight Kemper, a Kemper lullaby, the Protectors of the Feet and the CleanCutenessArena.
• We're reading books
• We're using Green/cloth diapers... and Bum Genious'  (seriously, I don't ever think I would have typed that one)
• We've got the Pizz to sign "potty" when she... um... you know...
• We've cut the Pizzle's hair, like a ga-gillion times!
• We've eaten at Moe's about 250 times. 
• We've gotten the Pizz to love burritos too!
• We've experienced the Pizz post-burrito!  (pee-you!)
• We've gone solar hot water and geothermal!
• We've gone induction and low flow.
• We've rolled bamboo and Flor tiles.
• We've actually cut down trees too (yes, aghast!  how can that be green?!?)
• We've painted many walls, pregnant and not pregnant.
• We've re-done windows and put in skylights (one that is automatic!)
• We've bought a mini-van (yes, I might have mentioned this earlier.  But this shear fact alone is mind-boggling)
• We've crammed 3 carseats in the 2nd row of the minivan.
• We decorated walls with vinyl stickers
• We've put together two cribs.
• We have 2 nurseries.

Whew!  I am all tapped out.  My mind is racing.  Heart is pounding.  I cannot believe where the last four years have taken us.  But I can say that there is no other person I would have done it with.

rre

34 weeks down!

Now you see it (or, more appropriately, "them").....

Now you don't....

Yay! We're almost there!

The Santa Maria is Loaded Up!!!

The Pizz looking none too happy to be sitting next to two more carseats...

Living with the GC2.0

So, I am sure that you all are dying to know what its it like to live with the glorious incubator that is the 2.0!


Let me first preface this post (which was to be entirely composed on my new iPad) by saying that there is no way on this earth that I could do it. Nope. Not even for one day. Too big... Too uncomfortable... Too painful. (I can't even survive a simple tetanus shot...)

So, with that in mind, here are my observations:

1. The GC 2.0 has been genetically engineered for this moment!  I mean she is absolutely amazing.  She looks great and truly does not appear to be incubating twins.  Those little suckers are growing exponentially now, and she is physically none the worse!  (I am sure that when she was growing up, she thought about this moment to herself!)

2. But, as she is getting bigger, she gets more and more uncomfortable with herself.  (But you could never tell).  She physically can't do what she used to, but she still tries!  This leads her to start huffing and puffing... almost as if she had COPD. 

3. With the twizzles, the action in the GC2.0's cargo area is quite amazing.  One starts kicking, and then the other.  Soon, you have two separate areas of kicking and punching.  I cannot imagine how this feels internally!  It looks fairly impressive from afar...

4.  The larger size of the GC2.0 makes sleeping a huge problem.  She cannot stay in one position too long, due to either shortness of breath, backpain, sternal numbness, GERD or having to pee.  It is amazing.  I almost can't fall asleep at night with her moving... (almost!)  She also now utilizes about 10 pillows to sleep.  Seriously.  She has 3 pillows arranged to form a graded slope for her head.  She has a throw pillow on each side for lateral padding.  Then she has the pillow on the side so that when she rolls over her head is still high enough... Ok, so maybe I exaggerated some on the pillow quantity.  But it is still impressive. 

5. Speaking of the GERD and the peeing...  there is only so much real estate inside the GC2.0.  Since the Twizzles are taking up loads of it, other things have to go.  This means mainly the more accommodating organs, like the stomach and bladder.  Now, the GC had her share of GERD and urine frequency, but the 2.0 takes it to a whole other level.  It is unbelievable.  She cannot eat normally, for fear of early satiety or, even worse, GERD and burping.  This also means, that we have to eat by 6pm, because any later.... uh oh!  Also, she now is popping Tums like they are breathmints.  She had to relent to actually carrying the large Tums container around with her 24/7.  Yup!  In her purse!  The Pee thing is even worse.  Now it is to the point where, when she finishes in the bathroom and gets up, she has to pee again!  Wow!!!  (I actually just had her review my post, and this paragraph made her have to pee!!!)

6. "The Mind is Willing But The Body is Weak!"  So, essentially, this means, that the GC2.0 is the same as Charmaine, but with watermelon strapped to her abdomen.  This, unfortunately for myself, means that she physically cannot do what she wants to.  This means that someone else has to do the dirty work...  Since Hamilton is not able, that leaves the Editor to do the heavy lifting.  Man, she really likes to nest!  I think having 3 brains is making her want to work overtime!  It is tiring... and the Twizz haven't even arrived yet!

7. KP has no idea.  We're trying to keep her informed, by pointing to the GC2.0's belly and saying "babies".  But that doesn't seem to stick.  She does notice, however, that mommy's lap is not as accommodating as it once was.  This doesn't stop her from sitting it, but really makes her uncomfortable.  Once, while sitting her GC2.0's lap, she turned and pushed the belly, like she was fluffing some pillows.  Nice.
 
8. The GC2.0 seems to need lots of recharging.  Especially now, as she hits the home stretch.  Seems that the battery needs recharging quite frequently.  There is her morning nap, which occurs between 7-8 am.  There is the afternoon nap, which occurs between 3-5pm.  There is the post-lunch nap.  And then bedtime occurs around 9.  Whew! 
 
That is all!  (For now!)

And Down the Stretch We Come!!!

So, as of yesterday, the GC 2.0 has graduated from her MFM doctor. 

She is now officially on "cruise control".  (That is if the GC2.0 can cruise....)

And that means the Twizzles are around the corner....  oh Gosh!!!

So we're streamlined the BY Universe here a little, and hope add more posts soon.  (We've been busy, tired with work, tired with the continued renovation and stressed over everything...)

But I am sure there is humor to be found somewhere!!!   And I will find it!