landon and lauren birthday video.wmv

2 months old - What We've Learned

2 months ago Chad and I became parents to two of the cutest nuggets I know and while we know some things about babies, we both have definitely learned a lot. For instance, knowing the difference between their cries, how to get them to go back to sleep at night, how they like to be rocked, changed, swaddles, bathed… geez.. the list goes on. However, there are a lot of things that we are still learning about. Check back with me in another month and I’m sure I’ll have a few more things to add to this list.

Sleep Deprivation- This $*#! Is for Real

 

 I mean I knew it would be bad, mainly because everyone kept telling me how bad it was going to be, but WOW! I.Want.Sleep…. probably more than anything in world. More than a new wardrobe, a new car, a new house, a million dollars.. you name it, I’d definitely choose sleep over whatever you were offering. There is definitely a reason why this is a form of torture.. gotta hand it to you CIA, but throw in a screaming baby (or two) and a “to do” list a mile long and then maybe you can get your criminals to talk. Thankfully the twins are on a schedule where they both wake up close to the same time at night and I’m getting 3-4 hour chunks, which is pretty amazing to me now.

Medical (Never ending) Questions

My poor mom, a nurse of 30+ years and a NICU nurse at one time and my sister, a PA in Des Moines deserve a raise. It’s a good thing they are family and don’t charge me for every phone call that begins with, “hey, I have a question.. is it normal…” if they could, I’m sure they would be able to retire. Questions like, How long is too long to go without pooping?, Is a rectal temp of 99.6 and an oral temp of 100.0 anything to worry about?, “How much Tylenol do I give them – the new measuring system says to consult your doctor?.. seriously, these little people don’t come with an instruction manual. I don’t know how people do it without a Brooke Herman or a Cindy Sproul.

Inflicting Pain = Tears (mostly mine)

While I’m not a ooey gooey type, I still don’t enjoy seeing people or animals in pain. I won’t watch movies where people are being tortured or are being hurt, and I run from the room or change the channel when the ASPCA commercials come on, but the #1 suckie thing that I have to do daily is inflict pain on my sweet daughter Lauren.  Previously on a really long blogpost, I rattled off something about Hirschbrongs disease and Lauren’s constricted bowel/intestine. She is still having difficulty going #2 so her doctor has told me I need to do digital stimulation on her DAILY.  So once a day, I have to put a glove on and stick my pinky finger (he told me to use my ring finger.. NO) in her bottom and help her stretch that muscle out so she can poop. You have never seen such giant tears from a baby. It sucks!! My mom and sis are quick to remind me that this is all part of being a mom and it’s easier to do it now, opposed to when she’s 4… touché.. but I still hate it.

Post Baby Workout – Show me the sports bras

 I wasn’t home more than a couple days and it was one of those freakish January days where it was 50 degrees and all I wanted to do was go for a run outside.  I didn’t go, it had only been 8 days after my c-section, but I have been looking forward to working out since the doctors pulled those sweet babies from my stomach. Call me crazy, but it’s my “me” time. A few days ago, I finally had the time to squeeze in a workout. One was asleep and Chad was holding the other, so I took my shoes and took off. There weren’t enough sports-bras in the world to prepare me for that mile and half jog. It was difficult, but sooTrolleyrun on April 29^th (4 mile race) and Color Run in June. Not to mention two good friends’ weddings that I am standing up in this fall.

Sugar & Gas Drops- two of the best inventions on earth

When Lauren was in the NICU and at Children’s Mercy, they gave her a little sugar on her pacifier to soothe her when they were sticking her with needles or poking her. When they sent us home, they said to continue to use it when she was really fussy and now I. Have.Created.A.Monster…. well a sugar monster at least. We’ve since switched over to pedialite, per her pediatricians recommendation, but the “sweeties” as I call it does wonders. Shots, having a finger in your bottom, the sweeties can take care of it all. It is also the reason for all of Lauren’s smiles and coo’s.. She loves a little sugar. I’ll probably regret this when I see the dental bill, but I figure a few cc’s isn’t going to hurt, especially if it makes my baby feel better when I have to hurt her.

Landon also needs a little comfort from time to time, but not in the form of sugar… this boy has GAS… the kind of gas that would make his Papa Tim proud. You can hear this little man farting from the other room with his door closed. While I don’t mind the gas, I do mind that it wakes him up. A few gas drops and this guy is a new man; still somewhat stinky, but without an upset tummy. 

and now.. a few pictures of the sugar queen and the gas god :)

 

This is usually how our group photos go..

March Madness with Dad.. yes please!

snuggle time

Lauren's version of camouflage

You can also look at all of their newborn pictures on  www.MEphotographypics.com, click clients, then Lauren & Landon Newborn - password is lang

Gas, Poops and Farts... Oh My!

It’s been a crazy 3 weeks! Hard to believe that less than a month ago Lauren and Landon were still just my and Chad’s little secrets (well their names were at least). I can’t believe how quickly things change. Everyone can give you advice and tell you about how parenthood will change you, but I really think it’s something you have to experience for yourself to really “get it”. For instance, living your life 3 hours at a time. Before the nuggets, my day consisted of two time periods; before lunch and after lunch (I really enjoy food). Now I schedule my day in 2 ½ hour increments (by the way, you can’t get as much done in 2 ½ hours as you would think). Another example is that I get excited about burps, color of poop and just overall gas. Don’t get me wrong, I always thought farts were funny, but now they are a celebration (I’ll elaborate on this in a bit). The sleep factor is also interesting. I got borderline tired of hearing while pregnant, “oh boy twins, you better sleep now, because you never will again,” or something close to this, but what they don’t tell you is that even though you are tired and may or may not have got a shower that day, you really don’t care. I just love to sit and look at them. Sure it would be nice to get 6 hours of sleep all at one time, but I’ll take it in 2-3 hour stretches right now and I know it won’t last forever (I may change my tune when I have to go back to work, but I digress).

Some of you might have heard about our little hiccup upon bringing Lauren home on Thursday, January 19, but if you haven’t I must warn you that this story is a bit long (no judgement Nicole on the one long giant paragraph). Feel free to scroll to the bottom just to look at the pictures J

After Lauren came home, she continued to eat and seemed to be doing well, but at our doctor appointment on Monday, her pediatrician made mention of her distended hard tummy. He said if she didn’t poop by the end of the day that I would need to take her in to the ER because she might have colitis or something blocking her intestines. I didn’t worry too much about it, because Lauren promptly pooped when we got home and seemed to be fine. She ate at 3, 6 and at her 9 pm feeding she seemed very lethargic and her tummy was tight and very distended. We decided better to be safe than sorry and took her to Children’s Mercy ER, or what I will refer to as the worst hospital care I have ever received. Upon checking in, they told us it would be a several hour wait (Seriously with a preemie that has a distended tummy?), finally at 2 a.m. (4 hours after we checked in) we saw a doctor. They had us do a flat plate X-ray (holding her while she screamed her head off) that showed her stomach/intestines completely full of air bubbles. Around 3, the doctor told us they would need to admit her and start an IV. This news brought me to full on breakdown mode (the lack of sleep might have also been a factor). Thankfully my mother stayed with her while they did her IV, while I sobbed out in the hallway and Chad attempted to console me. Finally around 6 a.m. (yes you read that correctly- it took us almost 8 hours to get seen in the ER and admitted upstairs) they moved her to a room and we were going to discuss further testing. We ended up doing a barium enema, where they shoot a dye into her intestine and take pictures. Again, I held her and attempted to comfort her as she screamed her head off while they did this procedure. The results from the radiology report showed some constriction in her intestine and near her rectum which could be consistent with Hirschbrungs Disease. Hirschbrung’s Disease is where part of your intestine doesn’t have nerve ending and therefore it is like a dead portion of your intestine. Hirschbrungs can only be fixed by surgery where they would have to cut out the dead portion of the intestine and reattach it to a working part. Anyways, long story short, I really didn’t feel like Lauren was getting adequate care at CMH. The doctors went hours without checking on her, they disconnected her IV and told me not to feed her and there wasn’t a lot of communication about what we were going to do. This brings us to the portion of the retelling where I lost my mind. I thought I went a little crazy when I was pregnant and not sleeping.. that doesn’t even hold a candle to this crazy train episode. I “very sternly” talked to the doctors through sobs and told them I was 5 minutes away from signing her out AMA (against medical advice) and taking her to North Kansas City. After my mild, “bitch out” session, amazingly there was a surgical team in our room in a matter of minutes. They advised me to have a biopsy done of Lauren’s bowels to rule out Hirschbrungs or see if surgery was needed. Again, my mom stayed with Lauren (seriously, she’s an angel) while Chad, my dad and I waited outside. The next day, the results of her biopsy were negative but it still showed that she has some constriction in her bowels/rectum which is more than likely a result of her being a preemie. They gave us simethincone (gas-x) drops and told us to come back if she has anymore issues (uh, when hell freezes over.. I’m never going back there). Thus the excitement of burps, gas and color of poop. Thankfully, Lauren hasn’t had anymore issues and hopefully we are done with the hospital for awhile.

We had their newborn pictures taken this week and they are both looking pretty perfect. ME Photography out of Liberty does an amazing job!!

Officially a Party of 4: Night One

After spending 2 weeks in the NICU and tipping the scales at a whopping 4 lbs 13 oz, Miss Lauren Lang finally got to come home yesterday. It was a huge sense of relief for both Chad and I. Not just because we no longer have to pack up everything but the kitchen sink to go to the NICU for 6+ hours a day, but because our precious family is finally together. You have no idea how hard it was for me to leave this sweet nugget each day and go home... even though the rational side of my brain knew that she was in excellent hands (absolutely love the NICU nurses at North Kansas City), I had to try really hard not to cry each day as we left.. here's why.

The homecoming wasn't real eventful. Landon slept, Lauren held my hand the entire way in the car as I snapped picture after picture of her face and upon our arrival, Joey sniffed both kids and promptly went back to the bedroom to pout.

First time being held without wires! Yay!

There is only 50 pictures of this...

Very Happy Parents :)

Seriously Mom, enough with the pictures

Landon is an excellent car rider

Lauren, Dad and Landon doing a little snuggling after eating

Our first night together went pretty well. I'm sure for writing that last sentence, I'll be eating my words tonight. Both kids slept in their own cribs, woke up for their scheduled feedings and didn't put up much of a fight going back to sleep. I didn't stare at the video monitor too excessively long and managed to get at least 5 hours of sleep (not all at one time, but still).. something that I consider a huge success.

Chad and I are definitely feeling very blessed. Two beautiful, healthy, & adorable (yes, I'm biased) children.. and parenting is everything I hoped it would be and possibly a little more.

Officially a Party of 4



One last belly picture

Ready or not, they're here! I still really can't fathom that almost 9 months ago Chad and I (and the big guy upstairs) created these two tiny miracles. I'm not even really sure you can put the feeling into words... it's amazing. Even after all the baby strollers, car-seats,  assembly of relatively technical baby storage contraptions, trips to the doctor, and even checking into the hospital, none of it seemed real until I witnessed 2 human beings being lifted out of my stomach (just like I pictured the stork would do).

But here they are: Landon Michael 5 lbs. 10 oz. and Lauren Alivia 4 lbs. 6 oz., born at 12:39 and 12:40 on Friday, January 6, 2012. I'm sure like post parents I am and will continue to be oblivious to any imperfections that these two sweet nuggets have. I'm not really the sentimental, gooey type, but I don't think I could love two little people anymore.

Landon, Chad and I got to come home on Tuesday, January 10 and big sis (she's the older one) is still working on gaining some weight in the NICU. They aren't really giving her an expected discharge date. Weighing in at just a little above 4 lbs. 1 oz. (they weigh them in grams) she's in charge of her own weight gain. They added a NG tube this week and are tube feeding her some of her feedings to minimize the number of calories spent. She also had to go back into her isolette (warmer) to minimize the number of calories she is spending to keep herself warm. So now it's a waiting game. Chad and I try to split time between the NICU and being home with Landon. It's a difficult balance because basically wherever I am, I feel guilty about leaving the other one. Hopefully we won't have to split time much longer.

Thank you to everyone who has called or stopped by to check on us. We really appreciate your support. Hopefully sometime late next week, Ms. Lauren will turn the corner and we can officially be a Party of 4 together at home.

First time holding Lauren

A little brother/sister bonding time

Landon getting ready to go home

1/12/12 Lauren chillin in her isolette (she's on a warm beach somewhere)

Landon all snuggled in

Hats! Still need some time to grow into these :)

Going off the Rails on A Crazy Train

During my first post, I commented that I'm living proof that God has a sense of humor and now as I sit here (uncomfortably) 36 weeks pregnant with these two meatloaves that are taking over my uterus, I'm completely sure that God is a having a little fun at my expense.

Those of you who know me & choose to put up with me know that I can be a bit smug or maybe even a smartass. I choose to accept that I come by this flaw honestly (sorry mom) and have been smugly thinking to myself (up until week 32) that this 'whole twin pregnancy' thing isn't bad at all. Insert God's sense of humor and I think you'll see where I'm going with this.

My sanity has been tested. I don't mean to complain, because compared to what some of my friends are going through, this is nothing. However, after several nights of not sleeping (even with Dr prescribed ambian), constant pain and contractions, puppps syndrome (aka a very itchy rash that is common during twin pregnancies-google it... it’s gross) and back pain I officially lost it on NYE. Poor Chad! I'm not exactly sure what "crazy" feels like, but I think crying (hysterically) while itching myself until  I bled and yelling at Chad while he attempted  to console me might qualify me for the crazytrain. Yikes!

The female body is rather amazing, or so my doctor told me when she told me to 'suck it up' after I called to complain to her that I was dying. I guess it has to be, otherwise squeezing a 9+lb meatball out (with a larger than average head) would probably make you not want to have children ever again. I still remember and am somewhat traumatized by my sister's adamancy of her telling me she was "never doing this again" after birthing this chunky meatloaf (cutest kid ever below). Here's to hoping my experience is a little better, or that the chemicals my brain produces makes me forget the unpleasant stuff quickly.

And... for your viewing pleasure.. here is a Christmas picture of me to make you feel better about yourself!

The Sh#% They Should Have Told You

I’ve always had a dream to teach a college class for education majors called, The Sh#% That You Really Need to Know: A Teacher’s Guide to Surviving Your First Year. Instead of learning about the pedagogy and theories behind education and how students learn, it would be a crash course on planning actual lessons, deciding what is important in the curriculum and just general overall survival skills for your first year. Now, to make a long story short (if you know me at all, you know I like to ramble about other things before I get to my actual point), I feel like someone should had offered this class for expectant parents. The email/smart phone updates are helpful, and the online videos/T.V. shows do offer  a snapshot into the whole parenthood experience, but there are so many things that no one tells you about until they are staring you in the face.

1.      Kankles (dictionary definition- the swelling that takes place in ones ankles so that their calves and ankles look as though they are the same shape up and down) – holy pitting edema batman. Even wearing the loosest socks, I have indentations, not to mention my toes that resemble sausages. I know everyone talks about swelling, but until you see “fat” rolls on your own feet, I’m not sure you are prepared for it. 

2.      Carpal Tunnel – This is not the “slight stiffness” my doctor referred to. This is full on rigor mortis, except I’m still breathing.  I have finally resorted to sleeping with wrists splints on to alleviate “the claw” when I wake up.  The constant numbness is also not appreciated. See picture… not cute.



 

Okay, maybe the sleeping kitty is a little much, but
that is definitely what my hands feel like in the morning.



3.      Frumpy-ness – I don’t know if this is an actual medical condition, but the maternity photos of cute people in their skinny jeans and their non-swollen faces isn’t a reality for me. I don’t understand how people don’t live in sweatpants 24/7. *may have something to do with having twins.. but I seriously doubt it.



Cute



Not Cute





4.      Swelling/Edema – (see water retention) – I can’t talk about this in as much detail as I would if you gave me a bottle of red wine… but everything swells!! Seriously, they don’t tell you about this…

     
       All ranting asides, things for the Lang Nuggets are going well. Chad and I have been blessed with such supportive families, co-workers and friends that have all contributed to helping us be prepared for our new nuggets.  The private baby planner I hired *Brooke Herman- organizer extraordinaire* has helped organize all of those wonderful gifts and has my nursery ready for business. Most importantly, the nuggets are still cooking and growing. At my 33 week Perinatologist appointment, the doctor said that things are looking great. Everyone has plenty of amniotic fluid and they are both continuing to pass their weekly tests (suck, swallow, practice breathing, and body movement) and besides a few trips to labor & delivery to stop contractions things are going quite well. Although, I have to admit, I could have shed some tears walking out of the perinatal office today... I’m overjoyed and thankful to the big guy upstairs that the twinkies are doing so well, but I’m ready for these nuggets to move out. Guess we will continue the wait and see game for at least another week or two.