Clean as a whistle

The babies got their first tub bath tonight!  Overall, they did great.  Anaya fussed a little at first and Audie fussed a lot when it was over, but they seemed to not mind the actual bathing part.  In fact, Audie felt relaxed enough to morph into a fountain ;-)  Don't worry, we changed the water.  Here are some pics from bathtime:

Anaya:

Audie:

A friend (shout out, Karen!) requested I post similar pics of Adam and the babies to compare, so here you go (In this order: Adam, Anaya, Audie)!  What do you think?

   

Personally, I think they are each their own.  Anaya has close to the same face shape as Adam and Audie has those forehead wrinkles more often, but no one matches that bottom lip of Adam's (I swear we didn't see that lip until he was six months old!) and neither one makes the faces Adam made as a baby.  They are all one-of-a-kind.  It will be exciting to see how this first year unfolds and how these new babies change.  Already, Audie's face is filled-out and his hair is lightening, as are Anaya's eyes.

I realized that I forgot to include a realization I had had in the story of Anaya's & Audie's birthday.  Despite delivering in an Army hospital and a Navy hospital (no luxuries here!), I have been pretty lucky.  I delivered Adam with a view of the Rocky Mountains and I delivered Anaya and Audie with a view of the East China Sea.  Seriously, how many people do you know who can say that?  (By the way, that's pretty much a rhetorical question - please don't post how many people you know who can say that.  I like feeling special.)  That's how we roll.

 

Two-Two-Four-Five

The babies are two weeks old!  We took them in for their two-week appointment today and, of course, it was nothing short of blog-worthy. 

We arrived 15 minutes early, as requested and I filled out the necessary "brand-new patient" paperwork.  My nurse case-manager stopped by to meet the babies and as we're sitting there chatting with her, I see this preschooler running around the waiting room, coughing all over the place.  I had seen him come in with his Mom, who was talking to the receptionist, and I had seen his Mom try to get him to wear a mask.  He threw a mild fit and she gave up and then let him run around the room.  Coughing.  Next, I overheard her tell the receptionist that the child had pneumonia.  Quickly, I had Mom grab the extra blankets out of the diaper bag and cover up the babies.  My frustration with this doesn't actually lie with the Mom (although I would have put up a little more of a fight on the mask), but with the clinic.  Why is it not standard procedure to have well-baby appointments at a certain time of day and sick-baby appointments at a different time of day?  When I take Adam in because he's sick, I always feel scared for the people that are there with their perfectly healthy babies.  I make Adam sit beside me, as far away from anyone else as possible, and I always wish they would separate appointments.  Doesn't that make sense?  Just sayin'...

I had begun feeding Anaya because she was hungry (two week growth spurt means it would just be easier if I went topless for a few days - someone's always eating).  She ate for about ten minutes, then decided to check out the new scenery.  Make a note:  that's one feeding.  Nearly on-time, a nurse took us back to get the babies' vitals.  So we had to strip them down to weigh and measure them, then wrap them in a blanket in only their diaper and wait for the doctor.  When we went to undress Audie, we found he had a dirty diaper.  Dirty Diaper Count:  One.  A few minutes after the nurse left us, he returned to let us know they were running a little behind.  "How behind?" my Mom asked.  "An hour?  Thirty minutes?"  The nurse replied, "15-20 minutes, maybe.  Not more than half an hour.  I'll keep you posted."  Well, now Audie was hungry so I started feeding him.  Feeding Count: Two.  Meanwhile, Anaya decided it would feel nice to fill up her diaper, so Mom took care of that.  Dirty Diaper Count:  Two.  Audie finishes eating and a few minutes later...dirty.  Dirty Diaper Count:  Three.  And Anaya wants to eat again.  Feeding Count:  Three.  Then poop.  Diapers:  Four.  OVER AN HOUR LATER he came back, apologizing and telling us the doctor had been called out by the Wing Commander (read: very high up military person, for you civilians) and we now had to move to a different room and see a different doctor (why that doctor couldn't just come around the corner to the room we were already in is a mystery to me).  So, we gather up both babies, both carseats, the diaper bag and their clothes and move to the other room, where a Doctor promptly meets us, apologizing profusely.  Doctor Count:  2.  She examines Anaya (back at birth weight - 6 lbs. 11 oz.) and she's doing great, of course.  Next is Audie (passed his sister! - 6 lbs. 13 oz.) and his diaper is dirty...again.  Diapers:  Five.  But, he's doing great as well.  Obviously they're both eating and pooping enough, but they do have to get hip ultrasounds because breech babies sometimes have hip problems, I guess.

In short, two hours after we arrived, and two doctors, four feedings and five dirty diapers later, we learned that the babies are perfect and normal.  Great use of time, no?  They're lucky my babies are happy babies.

It's been one week...

One week and a day ago, we finally got a picture of Adam loving on my oversized belly:

One week ago today, Anaya Mae Dayton and William Audie Michael Dayton blessed us with their presence.  Here's the story of their birthday:


I had desperately hoped these babies would arrive on Monday evening/night.  My OB was on Labor and Delivery that night and I really wanted him to be the one to deliver the babies.  It didn't happen, despite all my prayers for my water to break.  Contractions were there all night, but not close enough to classify as labor.  Damn.  Well, thank God for unanswered prayers...


Tuesday morning, I had my regularly scheduled non-stress test.  Mom accompanied me to the appointment.  The first thing they do every week is an ultrasound to determine where the hearts are, so they can place the monitors there, and to measure fluid.  Well, to my surprise, "Baby A" had flipped again and was now breech.  In my head I said, "Well, that changes everything."  "Baby B" was transverse, but it's presentation really didn't matter - only "A's".  The next thing the ultrasound showed was plenty of fluid, meaning it looked as though these babies weren't going anywhere any time soon, despite the contractions.  So they monitored the babies for about 45 minutes and the babies were active and healthy, as usual.  But, just like when you take your car to the mechanic for that wierd "ticking noise," there were no contractions.  Then, the nurse left the room to get my Doctor, who was coming off his 24-hour shift.  No sooner than she passed out the doorway, a major contraction came.  She returned a few minutes later and I told her I had a contraction.  She looked at the printout and said, "Oh, yeah.  A big one. (duh) And here comes another."  So I had two back-to-back.  In walks my doctor and the nurse talks about the test, but doesn't mention that the babies have flipped.  He tells me it's probably time to go ahead and schedule a date to induce.  I tell him I've been contracting a lot the past few days and, oh, by the way, "Baby A" is breech now.  He says, "Well, at this point, that changes..." I finish his sentence.  He does an exam and finds that I am 5cm dilated and my cervix is fully thinned.  He tells me we need to do a c-section today, ASAP, because if my water breaks and the babies are breech, then a cord could come out and that could be fatal for the baby.  And it's just a matter of time before my water breaks.  He knows how I had felt about a c-section and how badly I wanted to deliver vaginally so we have a little heart to heart.  I decide that it is what it is.  There was no other option and the first priority was always to get the babies here safe and healthy.  It is what it is.  Thank you, God, for not answering my prayers Monday night.  So the delivery is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (because I had an English Muffin and a cup of coffee for breakfast, we had to wait 8 hours) and my Doctor went home to take a nap.  I planned to go pick Adam up at preschool and take him and Mom home while I got a hold of Alan and then we would come back.  I was naive.  I arranged for someone to pick Adam up and I spent the day looking like this and looking at that:

Naturally, Alan had been randomly selected to complete a polygraph on this day.  How long could it possibly take?  Well, as it turns out, it can take at least 2 hours.  We don't really know how long it would take to complete because I called his Commander and pulled some strings to have him yanked out of that after an hour and a half of not being able to get a hold of him.  STRESS.  Thank God Mom made me eat that English Muffin or Alan may have missed the delivery.  You know my Mom...

So at about 3:30 they wheeled me off to the OR and Alan and my Mom waited in the recovery room.  They prepped me, then let Alan come in.  Thankfully, I don't have a husband who is a whimp - he got to watch the whole delivery over the curtain.  He actually witnessed the first breaths.  Amazing.  At 3:57, I heard the words "It's a girl!"  Weighing in at 6 lbs. 11 oz, 20.75 inches, we would like to introduce Anaya Mae:

 

Four minutes after that my doctor said, "It looks like Mom was right! (I had told him as we walked over to L&D that I thought "Baby A" was a girl and "Baby B" was a boy) It's a boy!"  Introducing William Audie Michael (we'll call him Audie), at 6 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 inches:

The babies were healthy and are doing great.  We were discharged from the hospital on Thursday.  Here are some other special moments from the day:

In four minutes, we became a family of five.

Clearly, we caught Adam in the middle of his favorite TV program...

We're doing well - learning and adjusting.  It's a work-in-progress, as I'm quite sure it will be for the next 20 years.  We're so glad my Mom made it in time and got to be here for that and we're forever grateful to her for putting her life on hold to come and support us.  Now, we're on to diapers and bottles and laundry!  And losing that 56 pounds...

           

A True Day-to-Day...

So, in true Dayton fashion, here's what I woke up to Saturday morning (I was lucky enough to sleep in a little bit):

The Monster making some random clanking noise in the bathroom (turned out to be playing with the door hook thingy) and the distinct smell of acetone.  Hmmm...better see what that's about.  I walk into the bathroom and, thankfully, Alan is in there too and he's the one using the nail polish remover - not Adam.  Anyway, he explains that while he was attempting to repair an Evil Emperor Zurg toy with super glue, the glue suddenly shot a huge glob out of the tube and barely missed Adam's face/head in its trajectory.  Additionally, it got all over Alan's hands.  And now his wedding ring is glued to his finger.  I simply smiled, turned, and went to pour a cup of coffee.  How could I complain?

Engrish 101

Well, since I'm still pregnant with twins...

This post will require very little commentary.  These are things I've actually seen here.  This will, I'm sure, be part one of a series because the fun never ends.  The other day we were driving and we saw a "Digiral Photo Lab," but passed it too quickly to snap a picture.

You do have to be coutious around those dump track entrances...

Yes, lets cycling!

This next group is on clothing - a guaranteed laugh when we walk into a clothing store 

"Learn From History Past Mistakes Been Violated"

Really?

I'm not sure I want to be walking around in a shirt that says "Bushy Blonde"...

"When do you think that it wants the clothes...This clothes for the athletic"

Right.  Got it.

True, you never know...

Papa love me, too.

First, why is "G.E.T" written like an abbreviation?  Second, what is this even supposed to be?  Because "Winners Get High" isn't exactly the motto I want Adam running around in...

Finally, a restaurant we went to the other night, called Arin Krin - It's a favorite among local Americans.  The front of the building is painted with crazy garlic pictures, along with these catchy phrases:

And the grand finare:

Gotta love it.