Beautiful Weather

Today when I got home from school I found the garage door open and all the children running around in the front yard. The weather was so beautiful that Peter opened the garage door so he could continue to work as the kids played in the fresh air. When I got out of Oscar I started playing ball and hula-hoop with children. We had a great time and really enjoyed the wonderful temperature. Peter ran off to get a few errands done and I stayed outside with the kids. We played a good hour or so after I got home and then it was time for dinner and we all needed to clean up. I love weather like this, wish it would stick around for longer than just one day at a time though.

Oh Christmas Tree

Since we didn't get a chance to put the tree up over the weekend we decided to get it done after school today. I was hoping Javan could help a bit but it was obvious he didn't sleep during his nap and the rest of us could really use a break from his screaming. After we put Javan done to bed for the night the girls and Peter and I got everything out to decorate our tree. Peter had already put the lights on it so we just needed to pretty it up with our ornaments. It was fun to go through all the ornaments and see the decorations that we have collected from over the years. There were so many that I had forgotten about and it was exciting to remember the cool ones that people had given us or the ones we purchased on trips out of state or even out of the country. It didn't take long to get the tree all prettied up. Peter topped it off with our Angel and it was all done. Goose was excited and very curious about the tree too. I wonder how many ornaments we will find on the floor in the morning.

Babies!!

The parents of the twins decided to sell the car that they had here and asked if I knew anyone who was interested. I immediately called my friend Brenda because her car was dying and she had just asked me to keep my eyes out for a reliable car just the day before. Turns out the car was perfect for what Brenda and Bill were looking for and today they were going to drive over to where the parents were staying to pick it up. Since they were going over there and I figured I could tag along and that way they could drive home together in there new car and I could just drive home after I hung out with the parents and babies a bit. I asked the girls if they were interested in coming along. I didn’t know if they would be since we had just made the 5.5 hour drive last weekend but they were both excited to see the babies again. Peter had plenty to do at home and I knew he wouldn’t want to take the trip so after church the girls and I drove to Brenda and Bill’s and then the five of us were on our way. Traffic wasn’t bad considering it was the holiday weekend and when we got to the house we enjoyed some baby love and talked. We were there just over an hour before we headed back out. The girls have school tomorrow and I have to get up at 5am to make it into work on time. This was the last time I will see the babies for a while. The father’s job relocated him to China temporarily and they fly out on Thursday. We were invited to come visit them in Hong Kong and Peter and I have already purchased our tickets for our two week trip. I don’t know if I am more excited to see China (as you know I LOVE to travel) or to see the babies. I have to say though, I am pretty sure the babies win.

A Day to Play

This morning the girls were very excited to go to a birthday skating party that a friend from church was having. My girls have never been skating before so couldn’t wait to get on the rink. I tried to tell them that was difficult and that they would have to learn how to skate before they would master it but like most things this seemed to go straight through heads without sinking in. We got to the rink and got the proper size skates and girls went at it. I told them to hold on to the wall and kind of shuffle along to get an idea of how it felt. Abbi was a super trooper and although she fell a lot at first she kept it and persevered the whole time. Bresa on the other hand had a breakdown and nearly got put in the car for the rest of the party. She wanted to get out on the rink and just be able to skate and when she couldn’t and kept falling she fell apart. If Abbi weren’t at the party too I would have just taken Bresa home at that point because she really was not acting like a child who deserved anything other than severe discipline at that point. I made Bresa take the skates off but she didn’t want to give them back to the rental desk so we put them aside and she played a couple of the arcade games until she calmed down. Javan was also with me and he was being very good. There was a racing game and he was happy to just sit there and “drive” without actually playing the game. After a while Bresa decided she wanted to try skating again but I warned her that there would be no outburst like before or she was done for good. This time, she did very well and made it around the entire rink in record time! I was very proud of her for trying again. She did have a couple moments of “it’s too hard” but after some encouragement she just got up and tried again. When it was time to eat the girls came in and had some pizza and drinks. There was some time to skate again before cake and presents and both girls got right back on the rink and went for it. They were still moving slowly and kind of scooting along but they had already come a long way from when they started. I was very proud of both of them for persevering and working at it even though I know it was very difficult and discouraging in the beginning. By the end Abbi was even skating a bit away from the wall and in the center of the rink. After cake and presents we had to get going because we were meeting my brothers at a park in Sanford so we could talk while the kids played on this beautiful day. We met Steve and Mark but the park was packed so we ended up going down the road to another park that had almost no one there. The kids had a great time and once again Abbi ended up with Tyler’s hat and guns and played with Garret. Javan had a bit of a meltdown but eventually recovered and ran off to play some more. We stayed at the park for a couple hours before Steve and Heather came over to our house for dinner. Mark and Angie had to get going since they were leaving to drive home this evening. We hung out with Steve and Heather and the kids played in the girl’s rooms and Javan got a bath and went to bed. It was nice to just relax after a long day of chasing kids.

Thanksgiving: Take 2

After a wonderful meal yesterday we were, once again, lazy this morning. Not too much went on at the house. Peter did manage to get the Christmas things down from the attic and I baked a couple loaves of Pumpkin Bread for this evening. The Christmas tree that we have was given to us by my Dad and Judy and my Dad had rigged it to be pre-lit by wrapping the branches with lights himself. It was great and looked really nice but in the last couple years we realized that more and more strands were going dead and at this point only about half of them were lit anymore. We discussed our options and decided that taking all the old lights off was our best bet (at least from a financial standpoint). Peter and I started the task and the children eagerly jumped in and were quite helpful. I think every bit helped for this chore. My Dad was very thorough in stringing the tree so it took a long time to get anywhere with it. We finished the very top and very bottom of the tree before we called it quits and decided to head to Target for a little Black Friday shopping. I didn’t really need much, most of the children’s gifts were already purchased, but I like to see the specials they have and pick up a couple cheaply priced gifts for gift exchanges for the various Christmas Parties we go to. We got to the store in the afternoon so the morning rush was over and really the store was not that crowded. We got a couple things and looked at others but in the end we really only spent money on the new LED lights we got for the tree. We stopped at the house and dropped off the goodies and picked up the things we needed for tonight and then drove over to Mom’s house. When we got there we put all the kids in the backyard so they could run around outside and play with each other without destroying the house. My two older brothers have sons who are about 7 months younger than Abbi. Mark had bought cowboy hats and guns for the boys but somehow Abbi confiscated Tyler’s set and played with Garret as a cowgirl. They had a blast together and Abbi really didn’t want to give up the hat. When Janell arrived Javan had a playmate too, Charlotte who is just a week older than he is. It’s always interesting to see them play together and this was no different. When Brian showed up with his girlfriend that was our cue to eat. Dinner was great and everything was delicious. I was smart enough to leave room for dessert this time. After everyone had finished eating I took all the kids and started a craft. I had bought a box of foam ornaments that the kids could decorate but before I let any of them start their artwork I asked each of them what was something they were thankful for. On the back of each ornament I wrote what they were thankful for with their name and age on it. When the ornaments were down the kids hung them on the Christmas tree. It was starting to get a bit late and the children were getting tired but we couldn’t leave until we had taken a few family photos of all us kids with our spouses and then all the cousins together. It was very interesting trying to get 7 kids, all under the age of 8, to look in the same direction and smile. I think we did pretty well though. Steve took the good pictures because he had his good camera there. I am excited to see how they turned out.

Happy Thanksgiving

With so much to be thankful for it is hard to pick just a couple things to note. First and foremost I am thankful for our Awesome God who is so gracious and merciful even though I totally don’t deserve it. Of course I am thankful for my wonderful (and I am quite certain he is also the best) husband in the world. He supports me and encourages me like no other and reminds me constantly of the true meaning of this life is. Also, my three beautiful children who not only drive me absolutely crazy but somehow fill my life with more joy and love than I ever knew was possible before I became a mommy. That being said we can move on to the day’s festivities. All my brothers and sisters were coming in to town but with all of our schedules tomorrow seemed a better day to celebrate together. Since Peter and I didn’t have any plans I asked Christina what she and Noah were up to. They had planned a great dinner with a couple out of town friends and Christina’s mom and were very excited at the idea that we were available to join them. We took the morning easy and didn’t do much of anything other than lounge around. Eventually we got things together and headed out to Christina and Noah’s house for some fun. We arrived around 2 and the kids ran off to watch a movie as us adults conversed and I attempted to help with appetizers and setting tables. We played a couple games and the girls helped decorate one of the trees. Christina pretty much had everything under control, even with the about 20 things that were on the menu for the evening. After all the guests had arrived we enjoyed a fabulous dinner in which I cannot even begin to describe the wonderful gourmet foods that were had. Dinner was absolutely delicious and everyone cleaned their plates. I didn’t even have room for dessert, though I was tempted. Christina and I discussed how we have been friends for 22 years and this was the first time we had spent Thanksgiving together. Eventually I realized that we actually had spent the Thanksgiving in 2000 together when she lived in CA and we lived in AZ and she drove over to spend the weekend together. Apparently we are on the 11 year plan which is better than the 22 year plan. Once things were pretty cleaned up and leftovers were dished out to take home we gathered the crew and headed back. Thanks for an awesome night Christina and Noah!! You guys really know how to cook, I am never disappointed!

Shapes

Bresa and Abbi were playing with their little shape pieces and Bresa came in to ask me if she could use the camera to take a picture of hers. The girls don't have much camera experience but they do know how to take a shot. I said that was fine and pretty soon Abbi was asking if she could take a picture of hers too. Here are the pictures they made and took. Bresa made the butterfly and Abbi made the fish.

Day Trip to see Babies

Today Peter and I packed up the kids and headed over to the Tampa area to see the babies. The parents are still in town, staying with the intended father's aunt, until Dec. 1st so we made a trip out to see them. We had been planning to go for about a week and I surprised myself with how excited I was to be able to see the girls. I had been pumping my milk so I brought them everything I had as well as a couple cute outfits for them to wear when they get a little bigger and the weather gets a bit cooler. When we arrived the babies were sleeping peacefully so we let them be and talked with the parents a while. We all enjoyed some pizza for lunch and then Peter put a movie on for Javan. After lunch it was time for the babies to eat so we woke them up and I fed one with the help of Abbi while Bresa helped feed the other one. The girls were really taken by the babies and Bresa pretty much wanted to take one home. After the girls were all fed and burped Peter and I held them for a long time. We just laid back and talked with the parents some more while the girls fell back asleep on us. Eventually it was time to drive home so we put the babies down and gathered our own children and loaded up the car. We said our goodbyes and then we were on our way. It was really good to see them and how they have already grown in the last 2 weeks but I still didn't have any feelings of custody for them which was really refreshing. I know they are right where they are suppose to be. I know the pictures look like there is only one baby but there really are two, they are just wearing the same outfit.

The Mad Scientist

Bresa had quite a bit of homework to do for a project that is due on Friday. She got a bit overwhelmed and we had to separate her from the computer so we sent her to her room to practice violin. While that was going on Abbi asked if she could do her experiments from her Science Lab yesterday. I picked out half of the cards and said we could do those. With Daddy's help our kitchen was soon the laboratory for Dr. Abbi. The experiments on the cards were simple and didn't require much and the ones I picked out were ones I knew I had all the ingredients for. Some of them worked out well but some not so much. Abbi had a good time and got to practice her measuring and cleaning up skills. She was excited to see how they worked and also how different ingredients interact with each other. She also realized that vinegar smells really really bad. :) After a few different experiments it was time to get things cleaned up. Abbi really enjoyed the whole thing and I think learned a thing or two also.

A little something for everyone

This morning I left Peter alone to see if he could get some rest but he decided to try and get some work done instead. It didn't work out so well for him though because his meds make him feel bad. Anyhow, I had signed the kids up for a workshop at Lowe's so we drove to the store and got our materials after we had signed in. This week the kids were making a Science Lab. It was really simple and only had 8 nails to pound in and was pretty much done in no time. All the kids had fun nonetheless and I was happy I could get them out of the house for at least a little while. The Science Lab came with two test tubes and bowl plus a 5 cards that had 10 simple experiments on them. When we got home and ate the kids wanted to do all the experiments but Peter and I had other plans. We were meeting up with Christina and Noah to have some fun of our own. I met Tina at the nail salon and we got some nice pedicures while Peter and Noah played video games and watched the kids. When Tina and I were done we went back to her house played a few games ourselves. We played Skipbo with the girls and then we played Quirkle with just the two of us. The kids watched movies and played Animal Crossing and when the boys were done we played a few rounds of Tsuro with the four of us and then invited the girls to join in on the last couple games. Since daylight savings time last week we are still adjusting so we were ready to go home a little earlier than usual. No big deal though we still had a ways to drive to get home. We all had a great time and I was so happy to have a pedicure again. I had been wanting one for a few weeks and really wanted to go before I gave birth but I never had time or someone to go with and I didn't want to go alone. Thanks for the fun Christina and Noah, can't wait to do it again!!

Peter's Turn

Well I got all the medical attention last week so it is only fair that Peter gets some too. Last year when Peter went to the dentist for a regular check up and cleaning he was informed that he needed to get his wisdom teeth taken out. Peter had told me that he had already had his WT taken out but it turns out that the teeth previously removed were his premolars before he got his braces on. We kept putting off getting his WT pulled because of the expense and the time that it takes for recovery and everything else. Finally I made a phone call to the oral surgeon that our dentist recommended. Peter went in for a consultation and got a price quote and for the first time ever I was happy to have the insurance we have. Because two of Peter's WT were impacted, one was completely parallel to his jaw bone, only an oral surgeon could pull them out. The other could have been done by our dentist under local anesthesia but that would mean Peter would be awake for it and he would have to make two trips and recover twice to get all his WT out. When we figured the costs both ways it wasn't much more to have the oral surgeon remove all four and Peter would get completely knocked out for it so we went with that. This morning we dropped the kids off at our friend, Liz's, house and I took Peter to the Sanford where the office was. I had to stay for the entire duration of the procedure to prove I was capable of driving him home (liability issues I presume). We went in and did the payment part and then they prepped Peter with the IV and got everything prepared. I was there when the Doctor put in the medication to put Peter under and right after he inserted the first into the IV he stopped to pray, that was awesome! It seemed to only take a minute before Peter was loopy and saying weird things and then I was sent to the waiting room. I thought it would take a while but the whole thing only took about 20 minutes and then I was called back to wait for Peter to come out of the anesthesia. When he started coming around he again said a few odd things and asked the same question over and over again. He asked what time it was about every 45 seconds and he also asked if they had already taken his teeth out about 8 times. Just as quickly as he went under he started having a bit more clarity and pretty soon we were ready to go home. I got him into the car and we picked up the kids on the way home. I left Peter and Javan home for naps and took the girls to get his prescriptions filled. I had stocked up on some soft foods for Peter but I picked up a couple more that friends had recommended. Now on to recovery. Right now Peter looks pretty puffy and swollen and his pain is pretty high. Hopefully in the days to come he will start feeling much better and be himself again. We have both agreed that we are really happy his WT have been removed. That is one less headache (or should I say toothache) that we have worry about again. Personally, I think if you are really wise you will just choose not to grow any WT so you don't have to have them removed, after all, that's what I did.

Javan's Rock'n his new Jammies

Life Goes On

Today was our church's Annual Family Picnic. Peter and I hadn't RSVP'd for it until last night because we didn't know when the twins were coming or how I would feel when the day came. When the twins were born mid-week and my labor and delivery went perfectly I was excited about being able to go to the picnic and I knew the kids would be excited to get out and run around with friends. Since I was technically only 3 days postpartum I knew I had to take it easy and I planned to pretty much just sit around and talk with people and not get into any activities. I did well and did mostly just sit. It seemed like everyone already knew about the delivery and they were all surprised to see me up and about so soon. The way I saw it, I either sat around there or I sat around at the house so why not get to talk to people? The kids had a great time with the crafts, face painting, games, and food. Peter also had a good time talking with people and actually being able to have a longer conversation than what is normally available before or after church. Towards the end of the picnic I was ready to go so loaded up and went home where I rested even more. It was really good to get out though and I really enjoyed being able to be a part of picnic.

Going Home

Last night around 10 or shortly after Peter and I went to bed. I took some minor medication for the cramps I had been feeling. I really wanted to get a good nights sleep and I knew the pain would most likely wake me up.  I didn't have any trouble falling asleep as I was so tired from not getting much yesterday.  I slept until exactly 5am when my body decided it was time to get up.  Peter woke up about 10 minutes later but wanted to go back to sleep so I figured I would try too.  I asked him if he wanted to share the bed with me and he got pretty excited.  We found a comfortable position and soon we were both asleep again. I think that sleep was better than any other I had in the last couple of days.  Around 8am we woke up again and decided to stay up.  Peter ordered me breakfast and when it came there was enough to share.  We didn't do much just relaxed and caught up on emails and texts again.  We watched the TV a bit and read some from our books.  It was nice not be on a schedule or have to worry about childcare things.  Around 10 the IPs came in to say hi.  Last night they had brought me some bottles so I could try and pump some so this morning I had just a little bit for them to take.  I asked about baby B and they said she was doing well but they were waiting for her to have a bowel movement before they would consider letting her leave the NICU.  After the IPs left we were served a special couple's lunch that is provided for patients and their spouses who just gave birth.  The food wasn't too great but there was a decent quantity of it so it filled us both up nicely.  Around 1:15pm my doctor came in and talked about follow up appointments and made sure that I knew the routine.  Shortly after that a nurse came in with the discharge papers and told us there was no rush for us to leave but that we could whenever we wanted to. I had spoken to the IPs and they said that as soon as baby B had drank the milk I pumped for her she had a bowel movement and now everything was looking great. Around 3 Peter and I went up to the nursery to see the babies. It was baby B's feeding time and the IPs were with them. They had taken baby A into the NICU with them so the sisters could be together. I picked up baby A and held her while the IM fed baby B. When she was through she handed me baby B so I could finally hold her. The IPs wanted a picture of me with both babies which was a dream for me as it was all I wanted from the first surrogacy but never received. I sat in the rocking chair and held a baby in each arm. It wasn't hard to get me to smile for the camera for those shots. Peter took baby A and I just sat and held B for a while. Eventually we went back to our room to pack our things and Peter started taking things to the car. Our friends Bill and Brenda came as we were getting ready to go so we took them to the nursery and showed off the sweet little girls. When it was time we said good bye to everyone and headed back to our house. I was really excited to see my children and my bed. It had only been a day and a half but it felt like we were gone for at least a week. We stopped on the way home to get a few things from the pharmacy and then made it back to the house. Abbi was very happy to see me, my mom said she was worried about me since I had to be in the hospital. Bresa wanted to know about the babies and when she would get to hold them. We showed the girls a bunch of pictures and told them we would meet up with the parents in a couple weeks after the babies were home and things were a little more settled.

Later that day

I got very little sleep last night. It's never easy for me to sleep somewhere other than my own bed and even harder when Peter isn't next to me.  He stayed in the room with me last night but he was in a recliner next to my bed.  The nurses came to check on me regularly so it was hard to get sleep there and then my internal clock had me up at 5am because that is when I normally get up during the week. During one of the check ins I requested some pain relief for my cramps.  They weren't really bad so I only asked for the very smallest and weakest strength medication they had to offer.  At 7 my doctor came in and woke me up.  He asked if I wanted to go home today. I was really surprised he would release me so soon but he knew the situation and knew that I would want to get back to my normal life and since I didn't have babies to take care of here I had no reason to stay since the birth went so well.  I told him I wasn't sure because I knew it would be easier to get rest here whereas at home I have three children and a house to take care of.  He said it was up to me and after we spoke for a few minutes I was too awake to go back to sleep right then.  I checked my phone and answered some emails and texts and then updated my status on Facebook so everyone would know the girls had arrived (I was too beat to do it last night).  Peter ordered breakfast for me and when it came up he went down to get some coffee and food for him too. Shortly after Peter came back with his food a nurse came to my room with baby A.  There was some confusion with the nursery nurses and they didn't understand that I wasn't taking care of the babies while they were here.  I texted the IM to see where she was. I didn't want to step on any toes by letting A come in my room but I was excited to see her again too.  It was feeding time and since I didn't hear back from the mom I said I would take over the feeding.  After she ate and I burped her, the IPs came to my room.  They were perfectly fine with me having taken her. We all talked a bit and then they left with Peter to put in the carseats and get some coffee.  I sat with A and just enjoyed holding her.  It was pretty amazing to hold her but not feel like she was mine.  I know she grew in me and that I birthed her but I had no attachment that would cause me not to let her go.  Eventually Peter and the IF came back in and I passed the baby to her Daddy.  As the morning went on my lack of sleep was catching up to me so the IF left to give me rest. I held the baby a little longer but then called the nurse to take her to the nursery.  I tried to get some sleep but after about an hour my friend Jennie came by to visit.  I was happy to see her and we talked for a while but pretty soon I was tired again.  Peter ordered me lunch and then he left grab a bite for him and head home to take care of a few things.  After I ate I laid down and slept a little bit.  It seemed every time I would get into a good sleep someone/thing would wake me before I was an hour in.  This happened 2 or 3 times before I decided I would just sit up and read for a while.  Peter came back after a while so I decided to get up and take a shower while he was there to assist me if I needed it.  Once I was all cleaned up and dressed more comfortably we chose to head to the nursery and NICU to see the babies.  When we got there the IPs were out and about but we got to see the babies nonetheless.  Baby A was sleeping so sweetly so I talked to her a little bit but didn't pick her up. We went to the NICU and saw baby B. Today they said her lungs were clearer but earlier she was breathing very quickly and they couldn't feed her until she had calmed down a bit.  By the time we saw her she had calmed enough and had eaten.  Up to this point she had been pretty fussy but now she was nice and happy and sleeping quietly.  I really wanted to hold her but I was afraid that if I picked her up I would wake her and they would have a trouble getting her back to sleep.  Just like I did with baby A, I just talked to her and stroked her face a bit. We didn't think to bring up the camera but Peter had my phone so he took a few pictures with that.  We went back to the room and just hung out and watched some tv for a while.  As for me, I am doing really well. I am so grateful that I didn't have to have a c-section.  I am a bit sore but not much at all.  My hands and face are a little swollen from all the fluids I was given last night through the IV.  I can walk pretty well and do have to take my time getting in and out of bed but other than being a bit sleepy I can't complain.  I have a lot of support from my friends, family, and church and I can feel the love and concern from them all.  

My Labor Story -Twins 2011

I woke this morning as usual, to the sound of my alarm clock going off at 5am.  I got up and ready for work and started my day.  When I got to work I was greeted by a large amount of evidence from a search warrant the day before.  The morning went pretty quickly with all the work I had to do and my weekly appointment at SCSO and before I knew it it was lunch time.  Since I hadn't brought anything for lunch I decided to meet Peter for a quick bite.  We just got Wendy's since I had to be back at work by 1pm for a news conference regarding the evidence from the search warrant.  Right before I left I started feeling some small contractions that were stronger than the Braxton Hicks I had been feeling but not so painful they prevented me from doing my normal activities.  I returned to work and the contractions stayed fairly consistent.  I decided to wait a little bit before I called the IPs because I didn't want them to head out if this wasn't the real thing.  The intended mother (IM) beat me to the call though when she called me out of the blue just to see how I was doing.  I told her about what I was feeling and we decided she would call back in an hour to see how things were.  I made sure to get everything set up for if I were to go into active labor and not return to work for a while.  I told my boss that I didn't think I would be coming in the next day and sent out a couple emails to tell people about what to do in my absence. The IM called again and I told her things hadn't changed much; that the contractions weren't stronger but also had not subsided.  She said they would get things together and head our way.  I stayed at work until my normal time and left just before 4pm.  I was still having contractions but they weren't getting stronger but I was feeling a lot of lower abdomen pressure.  I still wasn't sure if this was prelabor or not.  I had called my mom to tell her this could be it so that she could get her things together and come to the house to take care of the children if we had to head to the hospital.  When I got home I wasn't really sure what to do.  At one point the contractions stopped for at least 30 minutes but then would come back at 2-3 minutes apart but not real strong.  Just before 5pm I called the doctor's office and my doctor called me back just after 5.  I told him about the contractions and how they had stopped and started up.  I wasn't sure what to do but he told me to come in.  I told him it would be a while and he said that was fine.  Mom made it to the house and I took a shower as Peter finished packing my hospital bag.  Once I was out and dressed I was ready to get going.  I wasn't in much pain still and could still walk and talk and be normal during the contractions.  I kissed the kids goodbye and hugged mom and then Peter and I left for the hospital.  It was about 5:45 at this point and Peter said we should get something to eat on the way.  I wasn't hungry but I knew that if they decided to keep me they wouldn't let me eat until after the babies were born.  We stopped at Chick-fil-A and then got on I-4 to head to the Halifax Hospital in Daytona.  We made it to the hospital and went up to the maternity ward where we had to stop and register before we could go in.  It didn't take very long and we were sent in around 6:20.  When we got to the front desk they directed us to a triage room where I changed into a gown and got hooked up to the fetal and contraction monitors.  My contractions were peaking around 60 and were about 2-3 minutes apart still.  I still really wasn't sure if they would keep me or not.  At my appointment last Friday I was 3 cm dilated and I knew that it probably wouldn't take much to have me dilate more.  The nurse asked me to rate my pain and I told her it was about a 2 (on a scale of 1-10). I was still able to talk and laugh even with having to stay in bed with the monitors on.  I was back in triage for a half hour or so and once the nurse had me monitored for while and had gotten my previous pregnancy history she did an exam and said I would be admitted because I was 5 cm dilated.  An ultrasound was performed to find the position of the girls to see if a VBAC was still possible.  Baby A was still head down (yay!!!) but B was breech and happy.  I was unhooked from the monitors and moved to a labor/delivery room when it was just after 7pm.  I got all hooked up to new monitors and was told that I would actually be delivering in an operating room since I was having twins.  I already knew that so I wasn't upset or surprised which was nice.  I told the nurses very early on that I wanted an epidural so they started an IV for my fluids and put me on the list to receive the epidural.  There were a few other things going on in the hospital so there weren't any anesthesiologist available right away.  The pain was still minimal but I bumped up my rating to a 3.  The contractions were getting to about 100 at this point and still about 2-3 minutes apart.  In this next hour my contractions really started to get strong and some were peaking off the charts for a while before they would come back down to where we could see them on the screen.  Having had Javan at home with no medication at all I knew the contractions could and would get a lot worse so I think I told my nurse my pain level was about a 5-6 at this point.  The IPs made it to hospital but I was so much pain I couldn't talk to them.  The contractions were really close together, some never fully relieving itself before the next would start and I just had to breath through each one and try to ready myself for the next one to come.  There were a few that were very hard and almost made me cry but again, knowing what they could be, I knew this was not as bad as it was going to get.  Finally the anesthesiologist arrived to do the epidural and not a moment too soon. I was definitely ready for some relief.  The anesthesiologist told me about complications, what to expect, and he made sure I understood what he was telling me.  I sat on the edge of the bed as he prepped my back and tried to hold still while he inserted the numbing medication.  I didn't remember the pain that went with this from having the girls so I was a little taken back but the pressure and burning of it.  I was trying really hard to hold still but I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.  Finally, he inserted the catheter that would administer the medication and then taped me up.  Just knowing that relief was coming was enough to give me a breath or two even though I knew it would take a little bit before I would really feel it.  A few minutes after the epidural was in my doctor came in to break my water and to do another exam to see where I was at.  He broke my water and found I was at 6 cm, much less than any of us had expected.  He said he may give me potocin to strengthen the contractions and get me dilated faster but then decided he would wait an hour or so before doing that. I was really glad to hear he would wait because I have never heard anything good about potocin labors.  By the time he left the room, around 9:30pm, I wasn't feeling any pain. The IPs came back in the room and I was finally able to greet them and tell them I was okay.  Since we were to be in the operating room Peter and the IM had to put on scrubs. There really wasn't much to do but wait at this point.  Baby B was really feisty and dancing all around. It had taken a lot for the nurses to get her heartbeat on the monitor all night, at one point I even held it for the nurse so she could do other things.  Eventually they got a decent reading and were able to leave the room and not hold it in place.  About this time the IPs left to give me some rest and I tried to shut my eyes.  I dozed in and out but didn't really sleep at all and Peter did the same.  The nurse came back and checked on me and I mentioned to her that my contractions (on the screen) seemed to be less intense.  They were still consistently coming every 2 minutes or so and they didn't seem to be going below the 20 mark but they were also only reaching about 60-80 on the scale.  The nurse didn't seem too concerned since they were consistent.  She did an exam around 10:30 and found that I was still only about 6-7cm dilated.  I knew that because the contractions weren't strong I wouldn't be dilating very quickly.  She said she was going to talk to doctor and left the room. I had always been a bit fearful of having a repeat c-section but now I was getting a stronger feeling of it.  I knew because it was twins I was at greater risk and since the doctor had broke my water we now had to watch the clock.  In the next 30-45 minutes my body decided to kick into gear and at the next exam I was 8cm.  The staff started prepping the operating room for the delivery of twins and the possibility of a c-section.  Around 11:30pm I transferred to a stretcher and was wheeled down to the operating room where I moved over to the delivery bed.  Once I was all prepped and they did another ultrasound on the babies Peter and Vandita were aloud in the room.  My legs were put in stirrups and once everything was in place my doctor did a quick check and found me at 10cm so he waited for a contraction and told me to start pushing.  In that first contraction I pushed three times for about 10 seconds each and baby A was born at 11:56pm on 11/1/11.  I was glad I remembered how to push, right before we got to that point I thought I may had forgotten or couldn't feel enough through the epidural to do it.  Once A was here they laid her on my belly and I got to see her as they sucked out her nose and throat before they moved her to her little bed.  Baby B was still breech and the doctor had planned to just pull her out by her feet but he could only get a hold of one. The doctor broke her water as he tried to grab her and at one point she gave him a hand but he couldn't pull her out with a foot and hand.  With the help of other doctor in the room and the nurses they performed a version and were eventually able to spin her around so she was vertex.  The entire time they were working on getting B into position I was simply praying for God to give me strength and allow me to have her VBAC and not via c-section.  Finally, the doctor said she was in position but she was still a bit up the birth canal and her head wasn't quite low enough.  He had me push through a contraction to bring her head down and I pushed with everything I had to try and get her where she needed to be. After I had pushed twice for 10 seconds my doctor asked if I wanted to rest or push one more time, I said push and when that contraction ended she looked to be in a better spot so when the next contraction came I was going to be pushing to have her be born.  After a quick rest after that contraction the next one came on and my doctor told me to push again.  Again, I pushed 3 times for 10 seconds each and baby B was born at 12:09 on 11/2/11.  They put her on my belly and I got to see her tiny little body before they swept her away to her little bed.  The doctor delivered my placentas and said I was good to get cleaned up.  I had no tearing and only a very minor abrasion from the birth so I didn't need any stitches.  The nurses called out that both babies were exactly 5 lbs 6oz (apparently it is rare for twins to weigh the same amount at birth).  A measured 18.25 inches and B measured 18.5 inches.  After things calmed down in the operating room I was moved to a recovery room and monitored for blood clots and all my vitals.  Since I had delivered twins there was a greater chance of clotting and other blood issues so I had to be checked every 15 minutes.  I stayed in the recovery room until about 2 am before my nurse started me towards my staying room.  On the way we passed the nursery and we could see the IPs through the window.  My nurse asked if I wanted to see the babies and of course I said yes.  She wheeled my whole bed into the room and then I was handed A. All I could do was stare at her.  She was so tiny and I couldn't hold back my tears of joy (though I didn't try).  Finally, I was experiencing the surrogacy I had always dreamed of.  After never seeing the triplets when they were born I couldn't shake the doubt that I wouldn't be able to see these babies either.  I knew all the circumstances were different: the agency, the IPs, the birth style, the hospital, experience, but even still there was a doubt that had been growing larger as I knew the birth was approaching.  There were times I was afraid to even have the babies because I just didn't know if it would be the last time I ever got to enjoy them.  The IPs knew about my previous surrogacy experience and I had been assured that this was not going to be the case for this pregnancy.  It wasn't that I didn't believe or trust them but having only experienced how terrible the last surrogacy was I didn't know if I could expect anything else.  But now, holding this sweet baby in my arms instead of only my belly it was if I was getting even more closure from the triplets and also getting closure for this pregnancy.  God is so good and His love me is so obvious even though at times I don't recognize how he is working in my life.  Eventually I asked about B but was told that she was in the NICU because she had a little fluid in her lungs and they wanted to evaluate her.  I handed A back to the nurse and was then taken to my room to get some sleep around 2:30am.