Coming Home...

So we have been home for 5 weeks now, I thought it was about time to post something about our coming home day.  We were told just after they turned 1 month old that we would be coming home on Sunday, June 26th.  So on Saturday, June 25th, we prepared to "room in" at the hospital.  Saturday morning, Zach and I got up early to go to the hospital for their 8am feeding time.  Then we had our last meal without children after that at IHOP.  We would have gone out on Saturday night before rooming in, but Zach had to work 11am-8pm.  It was a perfect meal.  Saturday afternoon, I went back to the hospital at 2pm for their feeding and then my sister and I ran to Target sans kiddos for one last time.  We ran in to our favorite nurse, Lisa at Target where she was actually buying us a coming home present.  So sweet!  

We got to the hospital to room in at 8pm and started the process of their nightly weigh in and feeding.  Then they moved us into the hospital "hotel room" where we were then in charge of the babies.  It was such a strange feeling to be in charge of the boys all on our own and to be able to pick them up and carry them across the room without any cords attached.  It was a very freeing experience.  We nursed them every three hours and when I say we, I mean it took Zach's help to nurse them because I couldn't get them positioned to feed at the same time without his hands.  Lisa was our nurse for the night, and was very helpful in coming in to check on us and making sure that we were up to feed the boys at the right times.  We missed getting to say goodbye because we were fortunately sleeping at 7am during shift change.  It was a long night, only the first of many long nights, but it was successful and very rewarding to know that they were finally strong enough to come home.  

Nurse Lisa and Shavondra

We loved the nurses that we had at the NICU. Couldn't have asked for better care for our boys.  These two nurses were pretty special to us because we had them several times.  Lisa was our nurse when the boys were first admitted to the NICU, so it was extra special to have her on our coming home day.  

Truett Reid - 6lb 2oz

Ellis Jay - 6lb 11oz

On Saturday night, June 25th, the Truett and Ellis weighed in at 6lb 2 oz and 6lb 11oz, respectively.  They were both exactly two pounds over their birth weight in 5 weeks time.  Big boys!

We strapped them into their carseats for the first time that Sunday morning and headed home around 11am.  This was the last time that we would have to be buzzed in to the NICU doors and wash up for 3 minutes.  What a relief!!

When we got home, we were a little lost as to what we should do, so putting them in their beds seemed to be the best option.  They hung out there for a little bit and then they moved to their bouncy seats.

Truett

Ellis

Truett and Ellis

We spent the first couple of days in a daze.  Fortunately, Zach didn't go into work that Monday and we were able to begin to adjust to life with twin boys.  Our first outing with the boys was on Wednesday after they came home.  We made our first trip to the pediatrician to get our checkup.  This was the first time that we met our pediatrician since the consultation I had scheduled hadn't to be cancelled since they came early.  We were given a great report at that time and in a matter of 4 days the boys had gained 5 oz each.  I was thrilled that the breastfeeding was working and that the boys were growing and healthy.  The doctor was so impressed that he told us to just schedule an appointment for their two month checkup instead of the next week like he would normally with premature babies.  So we scheduled our next appointment for 3 weeks after that on July 21st, their two month bday.  What a great beginning to our life with these two precious little boys!!

The Nursery Unveiled!

Now that the boys are about to come home from the NICU, it's time to unveil the nursery.  It's complete. The finishing touches were put on it this week and I'm so excited to show this off to everyone.  

When you first walk into the room, there is the repurposed bulletin board and book slings made from IKEA fabric.  The idea for the book slings came from here.  This will be used for the most often read books.  Thank you to Sarah and Camryn Kirksey for making us a welcome sign.  They are so ready to be home.  

Ellis' crib is on the far wall.  My thought was to put them in birth order as far as the cribs go.  Our cribs are Baby Mod - Modena from Walmart.com.  We used white sheets and bumpers because I wanted a very clean look.  Zach painted the room with Behr Citron paint color.  I love that it's so bright and cheery!  He also installed the crown molding that you see with a little help from my dad and his dad.  I think that it looks great!  My mom had the baby quilts machine-quilted and then she sewed the binding on.  They are beautiful!  We used IKEA fabric for the quilts.  Ellis has the Charlotta Block (Cityscape) side showing and Truett has the Charlotta Teckning (cartoon) side.  She also made the bed skirts from Ikea fabric.  

I saw this cool room on Ohdeedoh that had a set of lockers in it and Zach really liked the idea.  So he went on the hunt for a set of lockers.  We had found some at the antique store that we frequent, but they were way out of our price range.  So he found a single locker on Craigslist in the Dallas area that were in pretty bad shape and then he restored them.  This is perfect for us to store blankets, towels and sheets in, since we are pretty low on space in this little room.  We have displayed on top of the locker: Zach's Rangers batting helmet and our picture from the last Rangers game that we went to (while I was still pregnant).  

We framed all the pictures in their room in these white frames that we picked up at IKEA.  These two hang above Ellis' bed.  The one on the left is a piece of wrapping paper that we found when we were in Taos, NM a year and a half ago.  If you look real close, it's different "spanish" phrases such as El Beatnick, El Ice Cream, and La Lawn Butt.  We thought it was funny!  The city monster picture came from a store called We are 1976 that Zach went to while he was in his design classes at school.  

Moving to Truett's side of the room, we picked up the folding chair from our favorite little antique store here in Lewisville, Groovy Treasures.  We recovered the seat of the chair since it had a big tear in it, but I think that it looks great in the boy's room.  The "t" and "e" hooks came from two different places, I found the E in a little Boutique in Marion, AR (Zach's hometown) and then I had to order the T online.  I had no idea what color the T would be when I ordered it and thankfully it turned out that it was green as well!  It matched perfectly!  They are made from old tin cans like a Barbasol can.  Loved them.  I hung the babies coming home outfits on the hooks.  My great friend, Suzanne had these little outfits monogrammed for the boys and I can't wait to put them on them on Sunday when they come home!

This picture hanging above Truett's bed is what gave me the original inspiration for the room.  I wanted something fun for the room, but nothing themey.  We got this print from the Ft. Worth Main Street Arts Festival last year from artist, Larry Stephenson's booth.  I love that it's vintage toys and Superman, both things that I believe our boys will grow to love.  

Now to the window wall, again we are limited on space in this little room, so Zach's solution was to build a shelving unit around the windows.  It's wonderful and allows us to stores lots of things!  We have  all the books displayed here as well as the sock monkey's given to the boys from Zach's mom (we're still unsure what we're going to call her.)  The green bins on the top shelves are from Target.  We have the football Popple that was mine as a child and Zach's Mr. PotatoHead.  On the second shelf from the top on the left side is this really cool Dinosaur rock that my sister got for the boys from FAO Schwatz in NY.  They will love it once they are able to play with it.  On the shelves in line with the dresser are the covered milk crates that I made to hold our toys and diapers.  We bought the dresser at the little antique store from the Retro Revival dealer.  It was a great deal and we love how it fits perfectly under the window in the room!

Here's a little better view of the dresser.  It has 9 drawers and fits all of the boys "current" clothes perfectly!

And finally here's a pictures of the shelves with the IKEA lamps turned on.  I love how this back lights the big E that we found for Ellis.  We are still looking for the perfect T for Truett.  

Everything is ready and we can't wait to bring the boys home!!!

Happy 1 Month Birthday!!

The Shirley boys turned 1 month old on Tuesday.  It's been a whirlwind of a month running back and forth to the hospital and I'm proud to say that that journey is almost over.  On their one month birthday, we made it to the next milestone in the NICU which is taking all nipple feedings whether by bottle or breast.  I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would start talking about discharge after that.  So we came in to see the boys yesterday morning (June 23rd) and they immediately started talking about discharge.  We were told to bring their little outfits for their hospital pictures, signed consent for their circumcisions & Hep B vaccines and also bring their car seats in for a car seat study.  They also told us that we would be rooming in on Saturday night (June 25th) and going home on Sunday 5 weeks after they were born.  We've been waiting for this day for what seems like forever, and it's finally here!  Can't wait to bring you home and show you off to all our friends!  Tired of just talking about these precious little boys!  

Truett Reid

Ellis Jay

Happy First Father's Day!

Our boys were 4 weeks old on Saturday, and they are continuing to grow and learn everyday. We learned how to breastfeed on Thursday and Saturday we tried out and were successful at tandem breastfeeding. They did a super job! The lactation consultants were so impressed with how well both of them did. Saturday night after having had a long day of trying new things: Ellis weighed 6lb 9oz and Truett was 5lb 15oz. Hopefully today they will bump up their feedings to 6-8 bottles or nursing a day. That will mean they are that much closer to coming home.

Yesterday was Zach's first father's day and I'd say the boys treated him to a pretty good day. When we got to the NICU yesterday morning, these cards were there waiting for daddy. Truett and Ellis are already so talented that they could make cards!


We went to church with my family and then to eat "fish" per Zach's request at Joe's crab shack. For his first fathers day, he bought his own gift of a new (to him) Eames style recliner for the bedroom. It came from our favorite little antique store up the street from our house. The boys and I also got his diploma framed and some baseball onesies for them so that daddy can show off his boys in style.


The boys are already smitten with their daddy and their daddy is doing wonderful job being a loving and supportive husband and father! After only 4 weeks of being a father, I'm so proud of Zach Shirley and I can't wait for the years to come with our boys!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Birth Story - May 21, 2011

So as not to keep you waiting any longer (since it's already been 3 weeks), here is the birth story of Truett and Ellis.

On Friday, May 20th, I worked a full day in my recliner doing the usual bedrest thing that I had been doing for the previous three weeks.  I called it quits on my laptop around 5 and waited for Zach to get home and then our friend Angela was bringing dinner to us.  We started watching a movie shortly before she arrived and when she came we talked for a long while about the progress of the babies as well as the progress of her baby.  She brought us a great dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes and veggies.  She also brought us a sweet treat of graham cracker mini pies filled with strawberries and blueberries with whipped topping.  Once she left, I made my plate and decided to wait a couple of hours to eat my dessert because I didn't want to go overboard with my diabetes.  So Zach and I finished watching our movie "When in Rome" and then we watched some of the Ranger game and about 915pm I got up to get my dessert.  Before I ate my dessert, I went to the bathroom and I got a little concerned because I just felt like I didn't have control of my bladder.  I called my mom and I called Shevawn and was unsuccessful in getting in touch with them.  When I finished in the bathroom, I came out to eat my dessert and I felt like I was leaking.  I went to the bathroom again and again and I just knew that something was up and since I couldn't get a hold of my mom, I called the on-call doctor.  He obviously couldn't confirm anything over the phone and so he suggested that we go to Labor & Delivery.  So Zach hurriedly packed my hospital bag (because we had no idea how long we would be there) and I finished eating my dessert all the while I felt like I was leaking.  

We left for the hospital about 10:30pm and I was admitted by 11:30pm.  My parents met us at the hospital since I was able to get ahold of my mom after talking to the on-call doctor.  The L&D nurse wasn't able to get in touch with doctor for a long time, so all they did when I was initally admitted was check to see if I was truly leaking amniotic fluid.  They also hooked me up to the monitors for me and both babies.  It wasn't until almost 1:30am that they finally had orders from the doctor that came on at 7am to start me on fluids and a round of antibiotics in case there was an infection that had caused me my water to leak.  So Zach and I settled in for the night and were under the impression that we would be at the hospital for the long-haul based on what the nurses and doctors had said.  

The doctor saw me that morning around 7am to tell me that they were ordering no food or drink for me just in case something might happen in that day.  He also told me that they intended to keep me pumped full of fluids and sustain me and the babies for at least two more weeks (I was exactly 32 weeks on Saturday, May 21st.).  So Zach hung out with me that morning and my sister showed up that morning to hang out as well.  My parents came up around 11am to see how I was doing before heading out of town to Tyler for a cousin's graduation party.  We were all under the impression that I wasn't going anywhere for a good long while and so everyone went on about their business.  I called several friends to let them know what was going on, but I didn't post anything on Facebook because I didn't want to cause a big stir.   

I called my friend, Amanda, and she happened to be in Lewisville that day.  She was excited to come up and see me because I had been one of the first people to see her when both of her children were born. Amanda showed up around 12:30 and hung out with me and my sister went to grab lunch.  Zach had gone home to get showered and ready for work and then he came back about 2:30 to see me before going to work at 3pm.  I told him to be on high alert in case something did happen though I was still under the impression that nothing would.  I remember at about 3pm that my contractions didn't feel too great, but they were definitely bearable.  I decided to get up to go to the bathroom at that time thinking that it would make them feel better.  So I got back in bed after that and they didn't feel any better, they actually started getting worse.  Amanda was then glued to the monitor watching when they would reach above a 10 and would cheer for me.  I didn't really feel like cheering, but she was enthralled with watching the monitor.  I was having contraction very regularly (1-2 minutes apart) and they were getting to be pretty uncomfortable.  Yet still not what I would call intense pain.  My sister was back by this time and the nurse, Clara, came to check on me again at 4pm.  When I told her that my contractions were hurting, she called the doctor.  The doctor told her to check me (which I might add, this was the first time that they checked me because they didn't want to disturb anything since they were trying to sustain me.  I have no idea if I was effaced or dialated when I came in on Friday night.) and when she did check I was 3cm dialated.  She called the on-call doctor back and within minutes she was back in the room telling me that the doctor would be here in 30 minutes and they would be performing a c-section.  Amanda promptly asked what the timing would be for me and the nurse replied that they would prep me now, and the C-Section would happen within 30 minutes.  Oh MY!

Me on operating table. 

Lisa called Zach on my phone several times until he finally answered and told him that he needed to be there now.  He had to excuse himself from some customers because he knew that it was obviously important.  He high-tailed it out of Home Depot and made it to the hospital in no time (it helps that it's only 5 minutes from the store to the hospital.)  He called his parents on the way to the hospital to let them know that it was happening now and that they needed to get in the car and head to Dallas.  She also called my parents to tell them, and they promptly turned the car around and headed for home (since they were about to stop at my uncle's house).  Zach arrived at the hospital about 4:45pm and the anesthesiologist was discussing with me what would go on in the OR.  Next thing I knew, I was being wheeled into the OR, and they were preparing me for an epidural.  This was actually the part that I was fearing the most because I knew that it was a really big needle.  It really wasn't that big of a deal though.  The part that hurt the most was the numbing medicine before the actual epidural.  They brought Zach in as they were started the surgery and he stood at my head watching the whole thing happen.  The anesthesiologist was my best friend in the OR because he talked through the whole procedure and would let me know when I would feel lots of pressure and tugging.  It was all very surreal!  Within minutes it seems of the start of the surgery I heard a crying baby, Truett and then not long after that another crying baby, Ellis.  They were whisked away to the cribs in the room and were tended to by the NICU nurses and neonatologist.  They were intubated immediately  and they showed them to me in their little incubators before they were taken away to the NICU.  They finished up with me and then I realized that my husband was gone, apparently he goes with the babies when they are taken to the NICU.  I was done with surgery and wheeled into recovery by 6pm.  Soon followed by Zach, and then, my parents showed up by 6:20pm.  My sister had to hold down the fort in the L&D room all by herself while I was in surgery.  Talk about a whirlwind!  

Truett

Ellis

After surgery, I called lots of people to let them know the news and Jason & Jacquie came to see me while I was still in recovery.  I remember thinking that the L&D bed wasn't so bad anymore now that I was numb from the chest down.  I hung out in L&D recovery until 8pm, when they then wheeled me through the NICU to see my boys before taking me up to my post-partum room.  I don't remember too much about that first night seeing them in the NICU, but I do remember thinking that this was all just unreal.  I couldn't believe that it had happened and happened so fast, but I had two perfect little boys.  After getting to the post-partum room, I was really itchy (from all the anesthesia) and they gave me some benadryl-like medicine.  At that time, Mark and Shevawn had come to visit and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open while Shevawn and I talked.  I was so glad to see all our friends though, but sad because I didn't have my babies to show them.  Zach and I then slept (as well as possible) through the night and went to see the boys in the morning.  And thus began, my ritual of going to the NICU daily on May 21st.  

Truett Reid Shirley was born at 5:23pm and weighed 4lbs 1oz and was 17 inches long (they at first told us 15 inches long.)

Ellis Jay Shirley was born at 5:25pm and weighed 4lbs 12oz and was 18 inches long. 

Waiting for babies...

Now that my showers are over, I guess it's time that I post the maternity pictures that my dear friend, Amanda took of us. We did this back in March during her spring break and I'm so glad that we did because if we had waited until now then I wouldn't be able to take pictures. Here are our favorites...

Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun!

On Sunday, May 15th, I made it to another milestone in this pregnancy. I made it to my church shower!! Ever since going on bedrest, I have felt unsure as to when the babies would come and I was afraid I wasn't going to make it to this special day. But I told these lovely ladies as long as a)I haven't had the babies, and b) I am not on hospital bedrest, then I will be at the shower. My doctor gave me her blessing to go when I went to see her last Thursday, and so I'm so glad that it all worked out!

Shevawn hosted the "Perfect Pair" shower at her home with the help of Monique, Renae, Casey, Cassie, Sarah and Erin. It was so good to be showered by these ladies and to see all the other guests that made it to the shower. It has been a long three weeks of not being able to go to church.

The decorations were absolutely perfect even though I didn't really get to see them. I am seeing them all by way of the pictures that my sister and Renae took. I didn't really take a tour of the decorations before I plopped myself down on the couch to resume my bedrest position.

I invited a couple of people who were unable to attend my last shower and of course, my mom and sister were there to see all the wonderful gifts that Truett and Ellis were given.

Shevawn and I, what a great hostess she was!
Amanda and I... a great picture of us since it has been a long time since we have taken a picture together. I was so blessed to have her there with Lane. Lane wondered how we were going to "wash" the babies since they would be so small. Amanda had to explain that the babies aren't even here yet and that a shower is where you give gifts to the babies.

We were so blessed by everyone at Riverside... we were given many of the essentials such as our diaper genie, our bumper pads, a Bumbo seat, our activity mats and some travel booster seats. I was also given some very special handmade presents. I'm so excited about all of the presents though and being able to use them for the boys.

Bethany Cassity's sister makes these awesome hooded towels for little ones. She gave me green ones with a strip of cute dinosaur fabric. So cute! You can find her sister's shop at yellowdaydesigns.etsy.com.

These beautiful little sweaters were hand crochetted by Joan Harris. So special and I am so excited for the boys to be able to wear them around Christmas time!

My friend, Courtney makes cute little diaper cakes and she made two peas in a pod for me.
My friend, Amy had her friend monogram these precious burp clothes for the boys. I love them and then are so our style!

And the boys were given their first pairs of shoes. So cute!! Can't wait to put their little newborn feet into these!

Overall the shower was double the pleasure, double the fun! Just as the parting gifts said! Thank you so much Riverside ladies for making this an extra special day for me and the Shirley boys. Can't wait to introduce these little boys to all of you who have made an impact on our lives in the past two years!