THEY'RE HERE!!!!

Landon and Eli are here! Landon weighs 4lbs 1oz, and Eli is 3lbs 4oz. Both boys look amazing! We were all posted up in the waiting room with our ears listening for the Brahms Lullaby that's played when they're bring a baby or in our case, babies, out to the elevator. We only got a very brief look at them, but they both looked fantastic!!! Amy's doing really well... Dustin said she'll be in recovery for about an hour, but the doctors said everything went perfectly. We have video footage and many pictures, so I'll try to get something posted by the end of the day!

It's Time!

Hi, it's Kristin...I'll try to provide you with the most dramatic and exagerated play-by-play possible! It's just about 10:45am, and they just took Amy into delivery. Dustin is loaded down with cameras and video cameras...lookin' good in his paper blue scrubs! We've all cried and laughed the entire morning...it's been wonderful! Everything seems to be going well. The nurses and physicians are so fantastic! Personally, I'm so stinkin' excited about being an aunt!

Funny side note, the nurse brought in some medication for Amy to take orally to settle her stomach for the surgery. Her exact words were, "Don't take your time. Just throw it back like a shot." Amy just stared at her....blankly. Hysterical! Dustin and I also laughed to tears while trying to put on Amy's T.E.D. stockings (similar to excessively tight white pantyhose). They are supposed to prevent blood clots, but I'm pretty sure they just cut off all circulation! Lance made sure to give Dustin advice on what to do if he felt like he might pass out, i.e. paper bags with a Lance demonstration. We were all cracking up!

Anyway, I wanted to keep all of you updated, but there's really not a lot going on right now. We're all pretty emotional...especially Amy. I know Amy and Dustin are praying hard, and I know they can't even begin to express how thankful they are for all of your prayers and thoughts. Please keep them coming the rest of the day.

I'll try to post a few times today...SO EXCITED!!!!

It's Time!

Edited to Add: C-section scheduled for 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. I can't eat or drink after midnight. I don't think these people understand how much a woman pregnant with twins needs to eat. It'll be a long day!

It's been an eventful 24 hours. I went in yesterday for a non-stress test and since they didn't measure the babies last week, they decided to go ahead and do that. Unfortunately, neither one of the boys grew very much in the past two weeks, causing a little concern. Eli weighs 3 pounds, 3 ounces and Landon weighs 4 pounds, 3 ounces. Eli is just in the 3rd percentile and Landon in the 16th. On top of that, there is almost a 25% difference in their sizes, so my hopes of returning home were soon gone and I was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon. Based on yesterday's appointment, my doctor said he wanted to monitor several times daily and deliver in the next 1-2 weeks.

So we started off the morning being monitored and Eli's heartrate dropped considerably for just a minute, but enough to cause a little concern. The bloodwork they did upon admission yesterday came back abnormal, so the doctor ordered all of it to be redone again today. He just came in with the results and things aren't looking goood on my end either now. I don't understand all of the details, but basically my kidneys and liver are getting sick and letting us continue on will just hurt me and the babies.

So it looks like we'll be delivering tomorrow. Delivering healthy babies now is much better than delivering sick babies a week from now and since they aren't growing much inside of me anyway...it's not likely that any extra time will do us any good at this point. It's all a little scary and overwhelming and once again, I just ask that you keep us in your prayers tomorrow and the next few days and weeks.

As I sit here and watch these two boys jump around in my belly, it's hard to believe that tomorrow they won't be in there anymore. I am so excited to meet them, but so nervous about all of the uncertainty of the next few days.

Thank you for your prayers! I plan on putting Kristin in charge of updating tomorrow. If you know Kristin at all, you know to expect nothing less than the most dramatic and exaggerated account of the events :)

Week in Review

I can't believe how fast this past week flew by! My mom came last Thursday to stay with us for over a week and help us get the babies' room put together. Somehow, between an overnight hospital stay, three doctors appointments (which translates into three whole days spent in Lubbock), and several other interruptions, she managed to sew (and re-sew in some cases) a ridiculous quantity of baby room items: 12 bumper pads, 2 bed skirts, 4 crib sheets, 2 quilts, curtains for 2 windows, 2 diaper stackers, and 3 basket liners. The quantity itself is impressive, but the quality is even more so! I just love how everything turned out and it was so much fun having her here. I think our first day spent laughing contributed to the pre-term contractions that landed me in the hospital :)

Here is mom's work area (our dining room):

Dustin has been quite busy himself painting, cleaning, and assembling furniture. To really appreciate the end product, you just have to see how we have lived for the past several weeks:

Our Living Room

And that's just the living room. Baby stuff has taken over the basement and two front rooms as well. Needless to say, we are very excited about having it all in it's place!

Here are a few pictures of the semi-finished product. We still need to hang things on the wall, get one more mattress, find a rug, etc...

One finished crib - all we need now is a baby...or two.

I love these baskets. Mom made the liners for them.

Picture with mom right before she left. And sweet D'Laney came to see me today and made it in the picture.

View from the door

So, we're off to a good start and I have my living room back, so I feel much better about things around here. Feel free to leave raving compliments about the polka dots on the walls - Dustin spent a ridiculous amount of time painting them and I think we should show him some love for that.

A huge thank you to my mom for doing all of this for us! I loved every minute we got to spend together!

On the agenda for this week is spending a lot of time in my new recliner and two doctor's appointments. We're trying to keep these babies in for about 4 more weeks.

Have a great week!

Love,

The Grigsbys

I'm Home!

They got the contractions under control in just a couple of hours and monitored me through the night. This morning, I had another ultrasound to see if the contractions had effected my cervix and to measure the boys. The doctor said my cervix looked "WONDERFUL" - I've never seen someone get so excited about a cervix before and I have certainly never received so many compliments on that part of my body. Too much information....I know, but the little things are really exciting at this point.

The really great news is that Rosa, my favorite nurse, was there to do my ultrasound and knowing how concerned I was about growth, measured the babies for me. It has only been 9 days since they last measured and keeping in mind that Eli only grew 2 ounces the two weeks prior, I was hoping for even just a little growth as reassurance that he was okay. We have prayed so fervently for little Eli the past 9 days and God certainly answered our prayers. Eli gained 10 ounces in just the past 9 days. He went from the 5th percentile to the 11th percentile and instead of a 24% difference between the two babies, there is now only 15% difference. Landon also grew really well. They now weigh 2 lbs, 15 ounces and 3 lbs, 7 ounces. I am just so relieved and thankful!

Since everything looked so wonderful, they released me this afternoon and I'm home now just taking it easy.

It seems like there is something different to worry about after each appointment. We've had scares with TTTS, preterm labor, Eli not growing, size differences, etc... With each new challenge, we pray fervently and specifically that God would help our babies to grow and be healthy and he has answered our prayers every single time. Tomorrow will be 31 weeks and if you would have told me 15 weeks ago that we would make it this far and be so healthy, I might not have believed you, but by the grace of God, we are still going strong. We are very blessed and I thank you for the prayers and support you have given us thus far. I am SO excited and anxious to meet these boys!

I go back Monday and Thursday of next week for non-stress tests and a biophysical profile to make sure the babies are staying stable.

Thanks for checking in on us! I am so thankful to be home.

Appointment Today

The babies looked great at the appointment today! They did not measure Eli again because it has only been 8 days and ultrasound measurements are less accurate if you do not wait a full two weeks in between them. They had told me they would measure today, but...sometimes everyone is not on the same page in that office - kind of frustrating at times. They did, however, do a biophysical profile and heart-beats, fluid, cord blood flow, and activity all looked great. We even saw the babies practicing their breathing. It is just amazing to see their little chests move up and down. The nurse who did my ultrasound said that just by looking at the babies, she couldn't tell a big size difference. I even had to tell her which baby was the little one, so that is a great sign. Eli must be growing some! I just can't wait for them to be measured again just for a little peace of mind.

After the ultrasound, they monitored my contractions for a little while and after just about 20 minutes, I had already had about ten big contractions, which did not make my doctor very happy. So...even though the babies are great, I landed myself in the hospital for the weekend while they try to get these under control. I've been on medication to control them for about three weeks now and it doesn't seem to be working very well, so we're going to try other things. They finally settled down this afternoon, so hopefully we can keep them away for a few more weeks.

So if you need me, I'll be at Covenant Hospital Lakeside for a few days, but hopefully back home on Monday. I keep telling myself this is mind over matter, but for some reason, I just can't will these contractions away. I really hate things I can't control :)

The good news is that the babies are great! I'm just really glad that I'm in the hospital because of contractions instead of a problem with the babies.

Y'all have a good weekend. I'm going to rest and get plenty of HGTV.

Pray for Eli!

We got a lot of good news at the doctor yesterday. I am doing great and they aren't worried about preterm labor at all right now. I am still on the medication to control contractions, but my body has gotten used to it and I no longer have any side effects from it. Landon weighs in at 2 lb. 15 oz. so he is doing great! They both have strong heart beats and good fluid, the dopplar measurements are all normal, and they are both VERY active, so those are certainly things to be thankful for.

However, we are a little concerned about Eli. He only gained 2 ounces in the past two weeks and he is now in the 5th percentile, so we ask that you please keep this little guy in your prayers that he keeps growing and stays healthy. He weighs only 2 lb. 5 oz. and we are back up to a 24% discordance or difference between the two babies. The doctors and nurses were all pretty concerned, but said to wait and see how he is this next week before we make any decisions. We didn't actually discuss what will happen if he still hasn't grown, but I know he can't stay inside of me if he isn't getting enough nourishment. It's very scary to think of delivering these boys next week!

They have me coming in twice a week now and my doctor threatened parking me in the hospital for the remainder, but I bought myself at least one more week at home. I pray that Eli grows and I can stay home for a few more weeks.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love,
The Grigsbys