A Perfect Night

Here are some pictures that we took on Thursday night. Mark and I went out to dinner for our first date since Will and Erin were born.  After dinner we  headed to the hospital for the 8:00/9:00 Care Times. The Care Times are the time of the day that we can change the babies diapers, wipe their eyes, and take their temperature.  The nurses draw blood and do their things during this time too.  There are Care Times every 6 hours. I wanted us to be at the evening Care Time because this is the time that we can pick up the babies while they are weighed inside of their isolet.  Their bed has a scale in it.  To get Will and Erin's weight, they are picked up, the bed is weighed, they are placed on the bed and another weight is taken.  The difference is their weight. This all happens with the tops on their beds. We have not had a chance to be there while the top is off of their beds.  I happened to be there the night before to discover that we can hold the babies.  Mark hadn't picked up Will or Erin yet, so I really wanted him to have the experience.

When we arrived at the hospital, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that they would be getting their PICC Lines. These are very tiny IV lines that are put in their arms. They have PICC lines because their belly lines were getting to old and had to be taken out (the belly lines are only good for 7-10 days from birth). For the PICC Lines to be put in, a special doctor comes in to do it. Before she put in the lines, we were able to pick up each baby and take our first family pictures.  Mark and I were so thankful that we happened to be at the hospital while they were doing this procedure.  The lines went in fine and we got to 'hold' our babies with the tops off of their beds.  It was a perfect night that we will never forget.

One Week Update

Will and Erin are doing great considering they are Micropremies.  They both lost a little bit of weight after they were born, just like full term babies, but are now nearly back to their birth weight. Erin is feisty and moves around a lot. Many nurses have commented on how she's got an attitude or she's a diva/princess.  Will on the other hand, is very laid back and easy going.  He has opened his left eye on Monday and the right eye on Tuesday. 
I will try to be better about updating the Blog, but the days fly by and before I know it, it's either time for me to pump (AGAIN) or to sleep for a few hours before pumping.
Here' a link to the DeVos Children's Hospital. It is an amazing place and we've been very impressed with the nurses and doctors who work there.
http://www.helendevoschildrens.org/
Here are three of my favorite pictures.

My hand over Will.

Will wearing Mark's wedding ring. Will's eyes were covered because he was under the Billyruben light.

Erin holding on to Mark's finger while she was under the 'tanning' light (Billyruben light).

Good Bye

I am waiting for the doctor to come and discharge me. :-(  I am sad (and a bit weepy) at the idea of leaving my babies at the hospital. They are supposed to be coming home with us  healthy, big, and strong, on a nice warm spring day and not staying behind while we leave on this cloudy, cold and dreary day.  I know that they are in good hands and do not worry about their care here. The nursing (and doctor) staff have been AWESOME! We are so lucky to have the babies at the brand new DeVos Children's Hospital.  When I was watching the grand opening coverage for the hospital, only 10 short days ago, I NEVER imagined that I would be leaving my babies there a few days later.

William and Erin Arrive!

On January 18, 2011 at 12:54 and 1:00 respectively William Paul Hughes and Erin Eva Hughes came into the world! We are extremely excited to be parents!  Will weighed in at 2lb and 13 inches long, Erin weighed in at 1.6lb also 13 inches long.  Both are being helped by a breathing machine, and are responding great.  Julie is also doing fantastic, both babies were delivered naturally, and both babies cried when born.  I'm not sure what else to say, but I'm sure Julie will update the blog with more information soon.

Whooppss...

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I am 24 weeks and 5 days along. Much too early for these babies to join us.

New Address

Today has been quiet a day. I went in this morning to have the length of my cervix checked again and it had gone from 3.4 mm last Thursday to 1.4 mm today.  This is not good. The doctors were/are concerned and sent us to the hospital (by way of stopping at home for me to pack up some clothes). I have checked in and will be here for the long haul.  I was checked out by many doctors and Interns today and the babies are doing fine (I've heard their heartbeats three different times today). The doctors are not sure what caused the change, but I am on hospital bed rest with bathroom privileges. That's what it says on the board in my room for my 'activity.'  The doctor ended up starting me on another Magnesium drip this afternoon because I was having contractions about every 5 minutes. I wasn't always feeling these and didn't realize they were so close together. The drip worked well and I am already off of it. They have me taking to Procardia every 4 hours vs. the 6 hours that I was taking it earlier in the week.
It totally stinks being away from home and on hospital bed rest, however it does give me/us a peace of mind knowing that the babies and I will be monitored very close. We will see the doctors every day and if anything were to happen we are right here. I am not at home wondering if what I am feeling is normal or worthy of a phone call to the doctors office. 
Thank you for all of your kind words, phone calls, emails, and prayers. We really appreciate you!! I will update more tomorrow. Good night!

Taking the Plunge

It looks like I have made the jump into the world of blogging.  I made this decision now that I have been put on restricted activity/bed rest/house arrest and seem to have hours of extra time on my hands.  I've been thinking about keeping a blog as a way to stay connected with all of our family and friends that are out-of-town.  I enjoy reading the blogs of my friends and keeping up to date on their lives. 
So here's my first post.
I was put on restricted activity last Tuesday afternoon, after our routine ultrasound reviled that my cervix was short. (I know, more information than you need to know. But, that's the truth.) I wasn't allowed to work Wednesday-Friday. After a mad dash to school to prepare three days of sub plans, I settled in at home and began what I thought would be a three day rest.  On Thursday morning I woke up and with spotting and contractions. After going to the doctors and being checked everything seemed okay. I went home and started timing my contractions and they were 8 minutes apart. Another phone call to the doctor and this time they sent me to the hospital. By the time we got there the contractions were 5 minutes apart. Needless to say, Mark and I were a bit scared. The ultrasound tech checked the babies and they were/are fine.  My cervix was measuring a normal length and wasn't a concern anymore. However, the contractions were 2-3 minutes a part and that we concerning.  The doctor decided to admit me and start a Magnesium drip to stop the contractions.  The drip worked and the side effects weren't too bad, except for the part that my gross motor skills were lacking. I  never thought I would be able to walk normal again.  After close monitoring (blood draws every 3 hours), fetal monitors, and contraction sensors the doctors took me off of the Mag drip 24 hours later.  They started me on a medication called Procardia which I take every 5 hours. It has helped with stopping the contractions.  I was kept in the hospital until Sunday for some more monitoring. 
My mom came on Monday to help out and to further enable me to be able to do nothing.  I am set up on the couch and Clark is happy to keep me company.  The babies are doing fine, I am adjusting to my new lifestyle, and Mark is doing a great job of anticipating my every need/move.  I am blessed that everything is okay and that I have a strong support system.

*I will add a few pictures once I figure it out. :-)