Say Thanks!

Wold Xmas Tree 2008

Wold Xmas Tree 2008
Originally uploaded by anjanettew

It's that time of year.... Now that we have an artificial tree we can start the festivities the day after Thanksgiving. I wouldn't get that excited about it but Gretchen is so into it now that she makes it fun.

We have invested a lot of money in LED lights so Steve thought he would take some pictures of this year's tree. He has a much better eye for photography than I do....

it started out with a kiss...

it started out with a kiss...
Originally uploaded by jpghouse

This cracked me up....

Back To Reality

I have been back to work for a month now. I was home 16 weeks total due to bed rest, maternity leave, etc. I am happy to be back but of course I miss the babies and Gretchen. I don't know if I could be a stay at home Mom. I like working....

However, because of my new hectic schedule, time is going by like a blur. When Gretchen was a baby it was rough the first four months. We used to say that there would be long moments while time was flying by. The same holds true with the twins. I can barely keep everything together. I feel like every single minute of my day has to count for something. I worry so much more now about everything. I think the worry brought back my psoraisis. Bleah..... The bright side is that the babies are starting to smile a lot more which just cheers me up.

Thanksgiving cheers me up too so I've got that going for me which is nice.

Twins Birthday

Due to complication, we gave birth to the boys today. We welcome Evan Daniel (3lb 14oz 17in) and Sean Thomas (4lb 6oz 17in) to our family. They will both need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks while they mature enough to go home. Both Mom and the babies are doing ok... (I am too)

Here are some pictures

Steve

Bored

Weekends in the hospital are boring. Steve and Gretchen came Sunday morning but once they were gone, there wasn't much to do. I read three Us magazines, two Entertainment Weeklys, One Parents magazine and an InStyle. I also watched several New Detectives, a show I banned when I was pregnant with Gretchen. I used to love this show since it's about forensic science that helps solve crimes. I am fascinated by that kind of stuff. However I watched one when I was pregnant with Gretchen that showed the actual body of a deceased baby and I could not watch it again. So I guess I was desperate for entertainment since I watched three or four episodes back to back. I am still shocked and horrified over the crimes people commit. Yikes! Of course I feel asleep watching yesterday and luckily did not have any weird dreams.....

Today is better - there are work emails to read, the TV programming is different and the Internet is all abuzz about Dark Knight (which I have no idea when I will get to see it). If all goes well, I will be discharged on Wednesday! Joy! I still have to be on bed rest but at least I will be at home where Gretchen, Steve and the cats can entertain me!

Grateful and Calm finally

So I am finally dealing better with my maternity confinement. They moved me to a permanent room with a DVD player so I have caught up on all of my Netflix videos. Steve and Gretchen came to visit me today for a long time. It was really nice to have them here. Gretchen fell asleep in my lap and then I fell asleep too (whoops). My doctor is talking about perhaps letting me go home if there is no spotting for seven consecutive days. So far there hasn't been and it's day 3. I have got my fingers crossed! I appreciate all of the emails and offers to help. It's comforting to hear from you all and we appreciate your good wishes and prayers!

I should have seen it coming

My doctor is concerned that my symptoms for placenta previa are not clearing up so as a precaution he has me at Lake Forest Hospital for bed rest. I have watched enough birth/delivery/baby shows to know that bed rest in the hospital for placenta previa is not uncommon but the cases they show are always so dire. I checked into the hospital last night and have not had a restful experience. I have been bawling like a baby most of the time I am here. I am not dealing well with confinement. I miss Steve and Gretchen so much. I know it's for the best but emotionally it is not a great comfort. The doctor is saying minimum I would be here is two weeks and six weeks max. I am not liking those numbers but what can I do. I am desperately trying to man up here and act like a 36 yr old who understands the meaning of short term but it is so easy for your mind to get the better of you when you sit by yourself in a hospital room. And did I mention how much I miss Gretchen.

Oh well, I know in the future I will look back at these weeks and laugh about what a nut job I was crying in the hospital since it was just X amount of weeks in my life.

I will post to my blog occasionally because what else do I have to do? Thank goodness for the computer or may go out of my mind!

Be careful what you ask for....

Well, still on bed rest - doctor's visit went fine but my symptoms have not cleared up yet so I don't think I will be off of bed rest soon. My doctor is allowing me to work from home four hours a day so that is good. I was working anyway out of obligation and fear of losing touch. Now I have to work. Which is good.... it keeps me from watching shows like "Special Delivery" about high risk pregnancies and deliveries...

How hard is it to do nothing?

Well, the day I feared would come has come. I am 28 weeks into my pregnancy with twin boys. I was fearing that I would have pre-eclampsia like I did with Gretchen. Well, instead I have something different. This week I had a class of bleeding that turned out to be placenta previa. While I have a marginal/mild case, there is not a lot I can do but take it easy on bed rest. If the bleeding stops, I can get off the couch and go about my life but with a slower pace perhaps. The doctor thought it could also be just a broken blood vessel but either way the only thing that will move the placenta or heal the blood vessel is if I stay put on bed rest.

Anyway, it is a blessing because preterm bleeding is often a sign of labor and I have not had any signs of labor. My doctor is thrilled about this since he would like me to carry to term. I recognize it's a good thing but it will be a long eight weeks if I can't get out of bed! Those of you who already know, we thank you for your offers of help and may have to take you up on it if this bed rest persists. Other than that, keep us in your prayers. The good news is the babies are doing well and we just have to be patient (and listen to the doctor). I see the doctor on Tuesdays and then again on Saturdays until either I am off of bed rest or until I give birth. At every appointment they will monitor the babies and check if I have
contractions or any other signs of labor. I had some steriod shots this weekend in the very remote case I have to deliver before 34 weeks (the steriods help lung development of the babies). Rest assured - my doctor is pretty good and is keeping a close eye on my situation.

I promise to keep everyone up to date! I am doing well so don't worry about us! Thanks for your prayers!

I'm done

With graduate school... Yesterday I spent 3.5 hours in Chicago construction traffic to get my cap and gown for this weekend's commencement. I am so happy to be finished. It hasn't sunk in yet but I think once I do the whole degree march across the stage I will get some closure!

Sip and See

I haven't posted much about my pregnancy but I am carrying twins due Sept 20th. I don't think it's good etiquette to have a shower (and I wouldn't want to sit through another one anyway) but this idea of a Sip and See seems great! I could have a little champagne or a mimosa while people come over to see my babies. Great Idea!

Steve's Broken Foot

Well, sure enough, the Saturday before our Disney trip, Steve broke his foot. It wasn't his fault but it did impact our vacation a little. He was a real trooper! Instead of renting a scooter, he walked the entire place for three days. Yikes!
Here are some pictures on Flicker of his spiral fracture. I going to scan his x-ray too since that's kind of interesting.....

www.flickr.com More of anjanettew's stuff tagged with foot

I feel old because

I find myself starting sentences with "when I was young...". The news of the third graders who plotted to kill their teacher really bugs me. As the mother of a young child, I find myself more and more thinking how we got to this point? What are we doing or not doing as a society that produces children like this! I'm sure we have ourselves to blame and I'm sure it is a bunch of small things that collectively change a society but really, what is wrong with us? This morning I heard a story on the news about food additives affecting children's IQ. I always suspected that all of the processed refined foods available to us are not good but yikes! Between stories like these, the amount of violence on TV during children's viewing hours, the lack of church/community in our society, the disconnection that video games and the internet provide and the declining health of all of us, it makes me mental. I like to get all worked up about these issues but I know all I can really do is pay attention to my child, feed her healthy foods, discipline her when she needs it and pray for her future.

Battlestar Galatica

The last season starts April 4th! I can't wait!!!

Bad Friday, Good Easter

Well, I am finally done with my two class quarter where Steve commented that I was not nearly as nuts as before when taking two classes at once (he's so charming isn't he?). I finished last Wednesday, went to a conference on Thursday (easy work day in my opinion) and then off on Good Friday. Of course, it snowed 10 inches in my town!!!! Argh.... Gretchen and I baked a cake and played in the snow so it wasn't all bad. I have reached my limit this year on snowfall. I really, really cannot take it anymore. The bright side is that for the first time in 11 weeks, I didn't have to do school work Fri, Sat and Sun! I discovered that there really is nothing on TV those days but that's okay. It'll do.... One more class this spring and I graduate June 14th. Joy!

Sick of Winter

I know, everyone is sick of it.... I never thought I had seasonal disorder but I was sooooo happy to see the sun this weekend despite the frigid temperatures. The whole family is sick with Gretchen on the road to recovery, me in the middle - no more sore throat and cough but constant runny nose and Steve the worst with the symptoms I had last week. We got a lot done this weekend but it has just wiped us out. I think the weather makes it worse somehow.... I guess I'm restless..... I am so busy these days that I can't afford to be lazy but with this cold, I am so tired! Sigh.....

Graduation Day

Well, it looks like I will finish my masters in June. In order to do this, I took two classes this quarter. Next quarter (that finishes in June) I will take my last class. I am very motivated to finish but every time I have taken two classes in one quarter, I have been a basket case. Steve actually asked me not to take two at once! But he made an exception since I'm so close.

On one hand, it seems that if I didn't have all these hours of lecture to watch and reading to do, I would have all this free time. However I was school free all of December and I can't tell you what I did with that time.... (Christmas shopping?)

On the other hand, I always thrive on pressure like this - I have done some of my best school work under the gun. Though I don't really enjoy it....

Enough whining for the day..... I have lectures to watch!

Stupid I know

There is no reason to get excited about TV right now with Jon Stewart bombing without writers and no more Heroes coming out.... But I am so excited about Battlestar Galactica's fourth season. If you're a fan, you have to watch this.