Monday, December 31, 2012

I can not come up with a title or point to this blog!

Warning: Do not get your hopes up this is not going to be an extremely informative, exciting or purposeful blog. It's more to let you know we have been busy and are not dying.

Now that you have been warned, here goes nothing! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is enjoying this New Years Eve! It has been a whirlwind for us, but we have enjoyed every moment.  We were very blessed to be able to go to Deville the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with my dad's family.  It is always a great time. I come from a very large family and we genuinely love each other.   This year we had 37 people in attendance and of that number 12 were kids. So needless to say our kids will have lots of cousins and playmates next year, if anyone can pry them from their great aunts hands! It was a great time with good food (still wishing I had some shrimp mold) and family.  The best part of the night was the fireworks.  The older boys, Chris, Brent and Shane were in charge of lighting the larger fireworks.  However they seemed to have a pattern. Step 1: Light the Firework, Step 2: Run and finally Step 3: Giggle like school girls!

I also got to see our niece and nephew in Deville.  These two are not by blood, but might as well be and trust me they know they could get away with murder! Big break this year, Adysen actually likes Uncle Chris.  It has only taken 5 years, ha ha! Adysen was able to feel Adley kick and she said "Aunt Erin, she kicked me!" On Sunday, my mom and I were able to visit with her brother's family.  Remember the incredible aunt and uncle that bought us our crib. We still can not thank them enough! The best surprise was two of my cousins and my cousin's son were there.  So excited to see them, but I missed you Rachel!

On Christmas Eve, we traveled to Minden and spent the day with my mom's family.  It is always a blast to hang out with my boys, Mimi and Nana.  Christmas Eve was different for Chris and I this year we made some grown up decisions (blah!) and bought ourselves a camera. So on Christmas Eve we did not do stockings or open gifts.  I think I am just a little Scroogey this year, it did not feel like Christmas or how I like to pretend Christmas is going to be each year. I am so excited for next year though and I think Christmas will become for me what it used to be.  Let me clarify I am not talking about presents, I am talking about the magic of Christmas.  A little kids excitement is infectious and I can not wait to watch our kids enjoy the season and learn about the true meaning of Christmas!!!

Christmas day started off with my mom's Christmas brunch. Oh how I love thee! It just makes me happy.  Then presents, then everyone settles in while Christmas lunch is prepared.  Thankfully we have pushed it to the afternoon, but even then you are still full to a point.  Then we went to Ringgold to have the Owens' family Christmas.  I love this Christmas as well because I love Chris's family they are a blast and we play white elephant.  With that family you never know what you are going to get.  Which for us is a great way to re-gift or get rid of random stuff.  Jonathan, you are welcome for your box of duck decoys and Lauren, I hope the Icee machine has made your day. 

I saw both doctor's last week. I am still coughing and have started on breathing treatments so needless to say my blood pressure was high.  So my day after Christmas surprise was a 24 hour urinalysis and a blood draw! At least I was not put in the hospital. I was told to increase breathing treatment to every 4 hours and start taking Tussinex again! I was also told I had a week to get my cough and BP under control or I would definitely be in the hospital after the first.  Sadly this also means I am saying goodbye to work for awhile.  I am probably struggling with this the most.  I love my job, my co-workers and all the kids and families, I get the pleasure of working with.  They make leaving hard but I am completely confident in Rebeccah and Jennie.  These two are literally answered prayer and make leaving a tad bit easier. 

Chris and I are exciting people this NYE.  We are watching LSU and have started cleaning house and packing for me to go to the hospital.  However, I must say if I go into the hospital this week at least I had several days home with the hubs!

Prayer Request:

1. My blood pressure decreases and my cough goes away.  I would like to do bed rest at home for a little while.

2. The Wiley's: This sweet family needs your prayers! I think they exhibit an amazing faith in God especially in the dire circumstances they are facing. We know that God is mighty and has healed Dustin once.  Now we just need another miracle.  Please pray for healing Dustin, strength and peace for Chantel and pray for their girls to be surrounded with comfort, peace and time with their dad.

3.Pray for Jax, Grey, Adley and Dex to stay put and grow! I am still hanging in there, but I need them to make it to 34 weeks.  I hit 24 weeks on Friday and so we are one milestone down. 


Thank you for your continued support and prayers!  I will try and update after I see both doctors this week.  I hope everyone has a great New Year! Chris and I are very excited to see what all this year brings!  We are looking forward to meeting our quads!!!!!

P.S. Dana, I am sure my grammar is sub par today, but it is hard to write and yell at the TV when watching LSU! HA HA!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Showers, Sonograms and Kicks, OH MY!



Okay, so I know I have not updated the blog in awhile.  I am very lazy these days and feel very pregnant.  Just how pregnant is very pregnant? Well I am already measuring at 37 weeks for a singleton pregnancy and I am only 22 weeks pregnant.  So what does that mean? Simply stated I waddle everywhere I walk. I am also sick again with a sinus infection and my cough that started before Thanksgiving is still hanging in there.  However I am still not on bed rest so I am thankful for that. So what has been going on in the lives of the supertwins and their awesome parents, well as the title says showers, sonograms and kicks, OH MY!

I had two wonderful showers this past weekend.  Our amazing Sunday School class threw an amazing shower on Saturday.  The ladies did an amazing job and we got lots of goodies from our registry.  Chris was excited we got both of our diaper pails, it's the little things that get him. It was a Christmas themed shower and if you truly know me you know how happy this made me! I love Christmas and snowmen, so I was extremely excited to see a snowman diaper cake.

The second shower was on Sunday and it was a Dr. Seuss themed shower.  This shower was again amazing.  Three of my sorority sisters (thank you Lesli, Soni and Kristi threw the shower, one drove in from Oklahoma and I am extremely grateful because I got to visit with her.  I also got to have two of my best friends (who are identical twins),  their mom (who I love like a mother) and my nephew Brayden (one of the twin's son) there for my shower.  I thought it was awesome that they bought our twin stroller as well as other goodies. My amazing sister and brother-in-law as well as my in-laws bought all three of our car seats as well as Jax's stroller. My amazing coworkers searched long and hard to find us three nap nannies.  Yes, before the comments start rolling in, I know they are being recalled. However, out of everyone I know that has one they have had none of the problems they are being recalled for.  For instance do not put a child that is too big in the nap nanny and then throw a fit when they turn it over. Sorry personal opinion, but I wanted my nap nannies! We were also blessed by diapers and goodies to help take care of our little ones.  I can not thank everyone enough!

Okay so on to sonograms! I get one every week and two every other week. The good news is that I have a rock star cervix and it is holding at 4.2.  The bad news is at this point it does matter how well I am doing I get to start my hospital stay after New Year's.  The doctors want to start giving the quads steroids to help their lung production and I need to be closely monitored for that.  However it is nice that I was able to avoid bed rest for this long.  My blood pressure was up at the last visit so I have until the 26th to get it down or I have to start bed rest a week early.  I chalk up the rise in BP to coughing and being uncomfortable. The best news that I got this past Monday was that I am cleared to travel to Deville this weekend to celebrate the Franks Christmas. My doctor made me promise Alexandria had a NICU and a helicopter.  I am super excited to see my family and enjoy the pig roast.  We are also going to meet a perspective pediatrician on Friday.  So now pictures and updates on the kids!

So this is Jaxon who has decided that he wanted to be face down today and not cooperate.  I love my kids have a mind of their own.  Jaxon weighs 13 oz and is smaller than his sisters but he is growing and they are not concerned.

Jax opening his mouth and giving us a nice profile picture.  He was very active at this sonogram and this was one of the only pictures we could get when he was not moving. 


Here is a picture of Grey stretching with her mouth open.  This is a monumental picture because I never get pictures of Grey.  She is my child and refuses to cooperate until she is good and ready.   She is the second largest and weighs 1 pound 2 ounces.

This was my first picture of Grey's face!



I made this one even larger so you could see how compact the quads are. This shot shows both Jax and Grey with their heads down!

So here is Adley! She is our biggest baby weighing 1 pound 3 oz. She is also giving Jax a run for his money on being the most active child.

Adley's profile!

Okay so this is hard to make out but let me try to explain.  Adley's head is on the right of the picture and the leg beside it is Grey! I told you they are compact.   

Dex update: I never get any pictures of Dex due to his size and positioning.  However my sweet little boy is hanging in there with a strong heart beat and is growing.  His condition is still the same and we have accepted God has a plan for Dexter.  Please don't think there are not challenges.  Chris and I both grieve for the loss of Dex and we are constantly dealing with this but trusting God! Chris says I have it harder because I feel Dexter move.  Yes it makes it harder, but it is also a sweet reminder of my son, that for the moment he is active and cannot feel any pain.

So that is sonograms of all the kids.  We had a special moment tonight! I have noticed Adley likes to pretend my stomach is the local discotheque especially after I eat.  I had my hand on my stomach and felt her kick. I have been feeling the kids kick, but Chris has never felt them. I know how much he really wanted to experience this so we tried again tonight.  Adley obliged us and kicked hard enough that he could tell! So needless to say we have one very excited daddy at our house tonight!

Okay so this blog is extremely long so let me finish with some prayer requests:
1. Our good friends the Lee's had a scare and thought their oldest child was having seizures.  It is actually a movement disorder and so they will be exploring this diagnosis further with MRI's and another neurologist.  Please keep them in your prayers and they wait for answers.
2. I would also like everyone to remember the Wiley's in your prayers.  Dustin's cancer has returned and he will begin the long road of treatment again.  Dustin and Chantel have two very sweet little girls at home. Please pray for God's will and healing for this family.
3. My friend Colleen asked me to pray for her nephew who was born way too early and is still in the NICU with a large set of complications.
4. Katie who graduated after me in OT school gave birth over 6 weeks ago to Zachary who was born at 24 weeks.  Please keep this family in your prayers and pray for Zbaby to continue to gain strength and for his parents as the manage the NICU emotional roller coaster.
5. Please pray for my blood pressure to stay under control and for me to kick this sinus infection/upper respiratory infection.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers! Everyone have a Merry Christmas! Here is our version of a Christmas card (Chris is in his Halloween costume from when he went as Will Ferrell in the cowbell skit.)