the blur

Life as we know it has changed. We are living the blur...

To fill you in, our girls did come home on Thursday, October 20th! We took them the next day to the pediatrician to find out they weighed 4.6 and 4.7lbs. A week later, we took them for another weight check and found out they weighed 4.10 and 4.14lbs!

Naomi and Isabella are six weeks old now. Right now, our life is focused on doing everything possible so that these girls continue to thrive and stay healthy. This will be a different season than what we are used to including a lot of sleepless nights, tiredness, mostly staying at home, but that being said we feel very blessed.  Our nights and days consist of three hour increments (4 if we are lucky) where the girls sleep 2 hours or so and then are awake and eating and getting clean diapers the other part of the hour. They still sleep a lot which is normal for baby's born so early (remember they weren't due until November 17th), but over the last week we've noticed that they've become more alert and awake to the world around them. Josiah is settling in well to the role of big brother.  He has been gentle and kind to the girls and if you know how much he likes to sing and dance you won't be surprised to know that he loves entertaining the girls. They aren't quite into it yet since they are kinda oblivious to the world around them in general, but we know they will love it as they get older =)

It's hard to believe that just three years ago this time we were preparing for Josiah's arrival and now we are a crazy family of 5! We really couldn't do it without all the prayers and support of our family and friends. Thank you for all the emails, meals, help with Josiah and everything else whether big or small that has helped us survive the last few months. I know we still haven't seen many of you in a while and lots of people still haven't met Naomi and Isabella in person yet, but we know that will happen over the coming months. Thanks for your patience with us.  Here are some more pictures of the girls with names. Enjoy!

Isabella on the left, Naomi on the right. Right after they first came home.

Naomi Hope

Isabella Grace

Isabella on the left, Naomi on the right. Snuggling on their pillow.

one step closer

It's been a while since we have done an update about our girls. The girls are 35 weeks old today and both have grown to weigh over 4 lbs. And we have some exciting news... as long as they continue to gain weight over the next two days, Isabella and Naomi will come home on Thursday! We are hopeful and excited to finally be together as a family of five :)

The girls got their pictures taken today and we would invite you to take a look:
www.bellababyphotography.com Click on "View my photos:Login" and type our password in 0927walkertwins
*We think they are the cutest twins around!*

little bits

 

This is how they started almost two weeks ago...

 And look at them now...

Naomi & Isabella

Time has flown by fast as these girls continue to grow. Yesterday they were moved to a smaller room which means they are getting closer to the time they will be discharged. Our spirits continue to be encouraged as we enjoy the daily sweet moments. We've been able to bathe both girls, change their diapers, feed them and spend lots of time just snuggling. We continue to ask you to pray for the girls health and continual progress toward coming home.

Until they come home we have plenty to do!

• Liz to recover from 7 weeks of bedrest and a C-section
• Our family needs to rest as much as possible
• Prepare the girl's nursery
• Educate ourselves on how to prepare for life with preemie twins

We appreciate all the meals, driving help, help with Josiah, prayers, phone calls, texts, flowers, and baby items for the girls.

Giving Naomi her first bath

Isabella sleeping

 

 

Help with Meals

We have greatly appreciated having meals provided so that we can focus on the babies and just being a family. We have added more meals to our weekly schedule especially as we are going back and forth to the hospital. We would appreciate any types of dinner including carry out or frozen dinners as meals. As I am pumping for our two little ones, my appetite has increased to eating for two and I really enjoy hearty, filling meals. If you have any questions, please contact my friend Sarah Ovaska (all her information is on the site). Thank you!

Meal site:
http://www.takethemameal.com/meals.php?t=HHYV3959

a place called home

54 days. I feel as if I should get 54 tatooed onto my hand or wear the number 54 as a jersey number now :) I am finally home from what seemed like a never ending hospital stay and I am so glad. Sitting here in our comfy leather chair seems surreal and almost dream like. But I can't wait to wake up in my own house with my family instead of a hospital room!

Today we were happy to find the girls had their IVs removed! The girls now only have an NG tube (a tube going to their stomach) which they fill with my breast milk and a heart rate monitor. It's amazing to walk into the NICU and find they have less invasive instruments each time. They are continuing to try bottle feeding so they can begin to learn how to suck and swallow.

Here are some photos of girls "unplugged", enjoy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/LizNWalker/Girls32Weeks

The girls first photo op!

Isabella Grace right from the delivery room

Naomi Hope after her bath and visiting mom in the NICU

Josiah on his way to visit his sisters for the first time!

The girls and mom are doing really good. Naomi and Isabella are both breathing on their own which is great with only a little oxygen support. We got to hold them both for a few minutes and the nurses said they are doing great for their first day.  Josiah got to meet them and he was very excited and even sang them a song. He is going to be a great big brother. As of right now we anticipate the girls being here at least 3 weeks and possibly more and Liz should be coming home sometime this weekend. We have felt so blessed by all love and support - thank you all for being a part of our journey which is now just moving into a different stage.

They are here!

We just wanted to let you know that Naomi Hope Walker and Isabella Grace Walker have arrived! Naomi was born at 6:41 and was 3 pounds 9 oz. Isabella was born at 6:42 and was 3 pounds 15 oz. The babies are doing well from the few moments we spent with them and we will have more information after their assessment. We will post some pictures soon - thanks so much for the prayer and support!

light at the end of the tunnel

Hi everyone,

We wanted to send out an update of what's going on. Over the weekend, my contractions began to increase looking more like a regular labor pattern, but fortunately they were able to calm them down. In the morning, I hope to go to the Perinatologist to check on the girls’ weight and development. Now that we have officially reached 32 weeks, the doctors have agreed that the end is in sight. Pray for us as we begin some of the final preparations for the girls’ arrival. Pray for us as we deal with the mental and emotional reality that the girls will be coming soon. Pray for the Labor and Delivery staff, the NICU staff and everyone who will be involved in the delivery process.

Thank you for your continued support and we will let you know any news via the blog. We are excited to be able to meet and introduce our girls to the world! Love you all!

weigh in

It's official. We made it... to 32 weeks! I have to admit I wasn't sure that we would see this day but thankfully we have. This was the last major milestone my doctors wanted me to reach over six weeks ago.

Tuesday's doctor's appointment felt similiar to a boxing or a UFC weigh in (if you don't know what that is just ask my husband, haha!) I was nervous about how much the girls would weigh, how everything looked and if they would pass their biophysical profiles. Biophysical profiles are tests done on each baby to see how they handle stress similiar to what would happen during labor and gives the doctor an assesment on how they are doing. So you want to hear the stats?

Baby A or "Angel":

• She weighed in at 3.5 lbs 
• She's growing in the 30 percentile which is consistent with her growth so far
• She's still breech (feet down and head up)
• Her biophysical profile score was an 8/8! 

Check out her newest photo

So cute even if her hand is covering her other eye!

Baby B or "BB":

• She weighed in at 4.0lbs
• She's growing at almost the 50th percentile which is also consistent with her growth so far
• She's transverse (laying across my stomach)
• Her biophysical profile score was an 8/8! 

Her newest photo

So amazing they were able to catch her opening one eye!

We are very grateful to God the girls are doing so well right now. Some of the questions everyone keeps asking is what happens now? What is the next goal the doctors want us to reach? When will the girls come? And we just don't know the answers to these questions. My contractions have increased in frequency and strength so they could be here soon. But no one truly knows... so pray for us to have patience as we continue to wait. Pray for me especially as these "practice rounds" can really make me feel exhausted and each time cause me to wonder if I am finally going into true labor. We are all getting weary and I am so ready to be at home and off bedrest but know that each day helps increase the girls chances of doing better outside the womb. Keep praying for them to grow stronger and for them to continue to pass their tests with flying colors.

Thank you to everyone who has come to visit me and brighten my day! I love having the visits to catch up and learn what's happening outside these four walls. Thanks to those who continue to help provide us with delicious meals and lift that off our shoulders each week. Thank you for all the phone calls, emails, texts, cards, etc... I try to respond to them all and know that I appreciate them all. We feel so privileged to tell my nurses that I have such an amazing family and friends who care for us each week.They see your generosity and love and keep telling me that it's an amazing support that not many have in my same position. We love you guys and hope you're still ready to hang with us for a little while longer. Ciao!

31 weeks & drumsticks

This week has been a rougher week. Besides the fact that I am starting to feel really BIG (my stomach is over 37 cm), my contractions have started to increase.  I am not having enough contractions to put me into labor but they are making me feel uncomfortable & a little uneasy that true labor could be any day. Next Thursday we will reach 32 weeks, the last major milestone my doctors have wanted me to reach. Most days I feel as if I am in a time warp where the days seem to travel slowly yet when I look at the calendar I realize time has gone by fast. I can’t believe we are close to the end of September and I am still pregnant! The antepartum nurses are so excited and count down each day until next Thursday.

Happy thoughts:

·      My room has been filled with gorgeous flowers that cheer up the room
·      Many visitors have dropped by to encourage me and bring me yummy treats like smoothies, chips, magazines, gifts for the girls
·      Here are two cute videos of Josiah showing off his drummer skillz:

·  A snapshot of my belly at 31 weeks

Prayer Requests:

·      Josiah – He is still having some hard moments at home in regards to obedience and just feeling insecure. Please pray that everyone with him will continue to have patience considering all the changes he's going through.

·      Andrew and Mom- Pray for them both to have strength at the home front as they bear the burden of keeping everything rolling. Pray for them both to get rest when they need it and time off to relax.

·      Tuesday's doctor’s appointment- Pray for the girls to be at a healthy weight and the tests will reveal they are staying healthy. Pray that my contractions have not caused me to dilate any more.  

·      Liz- I am growing more uncomfortable physically each day and still long to be out of the hospital. Pray that I can deal with the physical discomforts & have a good attitude each day that I am still undelivered. Pray that I will not be fearful or anxious about not knowing when I will go into labor. The unknown date for labor is starting to wear on my mind. 

a rainy day update

Baby A - This sweet face will be worth it all in the end

Hello again from one pregnant mama and her two girls! Today has been what I would call the perfect rainy day. I got to sleep in, enjoyed listening to the raindrops, listened to some Theolonius Monk & John Coltrane, and all has been quiet so far with this almost 30 week pregnant body! It's still amazing to me that I have been "pregnant and holding" for five weeks now. The time has flown by yet seemed to go by so slowly all at the same time. 

Our news:

• We will reach 30 weeks on Thursday which is another pivotal milestone!
• Both babies are still breech and their fluids levels look excellent.
• I am still having contractions but so far active labor has not started back up again.
• Visitors are welcome again. Let me know when you would like to stop by and we will try to work out the timing. The only time I may not have visitors is if I go into a consistent contraction pattern or I am feeling like I need to rest.

How can you pray? So glad that you asked ;) 

• Pray for Josiah- He's been more difficult the last two days and it seems this journey is starting to wear on him more now with the reality that I am not at home. Pray the Lord can help Josiah to process/deal with what he can't truly understand or verbalize. Pray for him to have an obedient and joyful heart.
• Pray for me- It's starting to become more physically challenging to be on bedrest. I feel more aches and pains as we continue to grow and I long to be able to get out of the bed. Pray my attitude stays encouraged and to try to have the perspective of taking it one day at at time. 
• Pray for our family- We are starting to prepare for the babies to be able to come home. This can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task with all the day to day stress. Pray for us to feel not as on edge as no one knows if today will be the day I go into labor. Keep Andrew, Josiah, and my mom in prayer as they are continuing to live the "new normal" at home without me.

Thanks so much for staying with us on this journey! Love to all of you xoxo

time to rest

hi everyone,

i wanted to give you a quick update on the last 24 hours. last night when liz went on the monitors (usually every 4 hours) she was having regular contractions which was not part of the plan. they immediately put her on an IV as lack of fluids can be a cause of pre-term labor. they also started her on another medicine that she will be on for a total of 72 hours. thankfully this medicine does not have any noticeable side effects like the prior medicines. the contractions have slowed back down and liz is really focusing on resting and keeping plenty hydrated. we would request that there be no visitors until Friday of this week. please feel free to text and email and we appreciate all the love and support that we have felt during these times. i know that Liz isn't enjoying bed rest and the hospital stay, but she is really determined to all she can to keep the girls in her belly as long as possible. we thank God for his continual grace and mercy on our family and will do our best to keep you all posted.

andrew, liz, josiah and the girls

blown away but not by a hurricane...

It's been an eventful week: a hurricane, an earthquake, power outages, rain and wind. But for us this week is significant for a different reason. We have reached our first significant milestone in this pregnancy of 28 weeks! YEAH! The babies heart rates and monitoring are doing great. My contractions have been at a minimum and I am on no medication for that right now.

Another wonderful answer to prayer was that I passed my blood glucose testing! We were relieved to find out that I didn't have gestational diabetes on top of everything else. Maybe it was my fabulous choice for my "Last Supper" (I figured if I was going to go on a diet for the next two months, I might as well go out eating well):


Ok, so not the healthiest choice but it was so yummy to have a pineapple burger, fries and cherry limeade courtesy of Carytown Burger for my last supper :)

Andrew and Josiah are both on the mend health wise so thank you for praying for them. I have a little bit of a stuffy nose and congestion but overall feeling fine.

Please pray for my stomach as it's still having some issues and is still adjusting as I get further into the 3rd trimester. Also pray that I will not get bored or restless as it's still important for me to stay on complete bed rest at this point.

I wanted to end by saying I have been blown away by all the wonderful cards, texts, emails, flowers, movies, books, visitors, and food. My nurses tell me that I have had the most visitors they've seen for a patient on this floor! I don't think words can express how encouraging it is to have someone stop by even if it's only for a few minutes. My days go by so much faster and I feel more "normal" seeing people frequently. Thanks for sending love whether you are near or far to me and my family. We are truly blessed beyond what we deserve.

I will leave you with a couple photos of me and the belly. We are growing! Love you all xoxo

greetings from the bedside!

Liz and Andrew are happy to report that they were able to have a fun family time watching Cars with Josiah for first time. He enjoyed having snacks in bed with mom. Please pray for wisdom for Andrew and Liz as they continue to help Josiah adapt to this new phase of life with Mommy in the hospital.

Liz says she “really appreciates all the visitors that have come by... it helps the day go so much faster when I know a friend is coming.” If you want to check with Liz before you come, just send her a text message.

The belly is now measuring 34cms. It has grown 3 inches in 2 weeks. Mama sure is doing her job!

Liz and the babies went to the perinatologist today and here are some stats:

babies are measuring now 2.1 and 2.3 pounds

heart rates look great

moving quite a bit

baby A "Angel" is transverse

baby B "BB" is breach

not able to get a picture of them today as they were both hiding their faces with their hands

Liz will have a blood glucose test early tomorrow morning (beginning at 5am!). Please pray both for the results of this test and Liz’s comfort during this long morning.

Please also pray for Andrew who has been feeling under the weather during the last few days. Dad needs restful nights and healthy days to carry on with all the details of home, work, and hospital visits.

settling in to a new routine

from Liz today….

So an update on me... I have been moved to antepartum room 325 which is a step down unit from L&D. This is where I will be staying for the remainder of my stay. My doctor gave me the best room on the floor with a nice window (even the nurses have told me :) The nurses have been so great so far and I am starting to move my stuff in. The girls and I are still being monitored but everything has been great so far (no significant contractions). I am hoping to start getting into a regular routine over the next few days. I appreciate all the phone calls, texts, emails, movies, books, and visits so far. Today is a mile marker for the pregnancy as I have made it to 27 weeks. The first goal they have for me is to still be pregnant at 28 weeks so this is encouraging.

Sarah Ovaska will be coordinating meals for the Walkers using TakeThemAMeal.com

Here is a link to the meal schedule:

http://www.TakeThemAMeal.com/meals.php?t=HHYV3959

Feel free to email this link to individuals who might want to sign-up for your meal schedule. Be sure to include those from out of town, who might want to send a meal instead (learn more).

Another way others can access your meal schedule is:Visit: http://www.TakeThemAMeal.com

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