6 week checkup

The boys are doing great and are apparently growing at exactly the same rate. Each one is 22" long and weighs in at 8.14 lbs exactly. I think they like to think of themselves as identical twins. They recieved their second HepB vaccination booster at their visit as well. In an effort to avoid hearing/seeing the boys cry hysterically like they did last time (which made me cry well after they had stopped), I opted to leave the room only to find out that this time they hardly uttered a sound! I'm sure some veteran moms think I'm wimpy but I have "new mom" status which pretty much gives me a free pass for stuff like that.

Augie

Liam

Not sure.

Evidence of a Twins Conspiracy

Pssst...hey, I have an idea....
Let's stay up all night instead of going to sleep!

August and Liam's awesome Dad

Hiccups

Bathtime

Liam Cakes

Augie Pie

Stoic Burritos

Little Creatures

Typical behavior of the boys these days--at nearly three weeks of age.

Plain White T's

Best Buddies

Eyes and Noses and Sleep and Wakefulness

The boys both have congestion. Cortnie has been using a mild saline solution to loosen up the gunk. She drops two or three drops into the nostril and lets it sit for a bit and then suctions it out with a rubber suction syringe. (Gross and fun!)

Their tear ducts in their left eyes are clogged as well. We take a cotton ball with warm water and wipe away the crusty discharge periodically.

Gentle as we go.

They sleep a lot during the day. When I feed them they tend to want to fall asleep on me, so I try to roust them about a bit, give them firm burp sessions and rub their back and heads and say, "Hey, baby, hey, baby," like nurse Aurora taught me to do in the hospital.

After a feeding I'll take my charge out for a walk around the back yard path to look at the vitex blooms and to listen to the babbling water of our ground fountain. The cats follow us around the path. But if it's completely light out, they keep their eyes closed the entire time because it's too bright for their eyes still.

PS: I'm dreaming about music lessons for these boys.

Twins Born, Gary's Perspective

Location: Mercy Southwest Hospital, Bakersfield, California

Birth Date: May 20, 2009

August Henry :::

Time: 7:06 AM

Weight: 6' 11 oz.

Length: 18"

Liam Richard :::

Time: 7:08 AM

Weight: 6' 11 oz.

Length: 18 1/4"

The boys were born by c section in the surgery room. Cortnie was awake, with a large sheet blocking her and my view from the procedure.

Dr. Upadhyaya lifted August out first. He had been head down near the pelvis for awhile and ready to go. I saw him so beautiful and cried. Then he was off to the warming bed to get inspected.

A few minutes later the doctor managed to pull Liam out by the feet! She showed him to me, and I cried some more, relieved that they were both clear. I told Cortnie what I had seen. She looked tired and happy.

I went over to the warming table, and the nurses asked me if I wanted to cut the cords of the boys. I said yes. The cord was an opaque transluscent white and cut like fresh chicken would cut--firm, fleshy.

There were my boys.

I followed the warming table to the nursery. Each boy had a separate warming bed at opposite sides of the small space, and so I went back and forth to each, crying and saying their names. I just started calling August August and Liam Liam because the names just seemed natural for each one.

I touched them and spoke to them and sang to them and cried.

The grandparents were behind the glass, taking pictures and smiling and emotional. I held the boys up, one at a time to the glass for they grandparents to see.

I thought about Cortnie in recovery and when she would get to see the boys.

Finally, after they were thoroughly checked, I followed them down the hall to the room where Cortnie was at, and the nurses placed both babies on her breast. She looked so worn out, so tired, and so happy and in tears with happiness and disbelief.

There was my family on the bed.

We took them home, their first car ride, their heads lolling in the seats which were too big for them because we were just learning. We stopped and I tucked towels around them to keep their heads propped.

And then we were home, and our lives were never the same again. What double joy and luck this is. What a beautiful family this is.

Through a Rough Patch

This is just an update for those of you who are unaware of the scare we had the week after August and Liam were born.

After what seemed to be a fairly quick road to recovery, Cortnie experienced major hemorrhaging that forced us to make an eleven o'clock at night trip to the Mercy Southwest E.R. A fairly serious situation had developed, with the threat of hysterectomy looming due to the seemingly unstoppable bleeding. However, through great effort, the doctors were finally able to stanch the bleeding via a D and C procedure without that harsh worst-case scenario happening.

The great nurses in the Maternal Care unit took care of Cortnie during her recovery from the procedure. We knew them all already and were thankful for their nurturing care.

Cortnie was determined to get back home and made great efforts to recover so that we could leave the next afternoon. She is currently recuperating at home and doing well.

Aren't these two boys worth it? ...

Thanks to all the friends and family that helped get us through this scary time--the emergency midnight baby sitting and delicious home-cooked meals have all been greatly appreciated!