The Gals' Room

Most of y'all already know that the Gal's entrance into this world was a bit hectic. I was admitted to the hospital at 27 weeks pregnant, and there I stayed till the Gal's birthday, 4 weeks later. Both of the girls had a NICU stay, Madeline for 6 weeks, and Amelia for 7.

So needless to say our nursery was never decorated.  

And because of previous losses, this was a milestone I had held off on. 

Don't want to jinx it, right? 

And all of a sudden I wasn't home to do it. There also was certainly no desire on my part to decorate after making trips to the NICU everyday. Then, just like that, you finally have these two tiny people home that need you all the time. 

Life right? It keeps you busy. 

We lived in a tiny factory loft condo, no real room to move around, let alone decorate, so we just shrugged it off, assembled our Ikea furniture and went on our merry way. 

Last Summer, spur of the moment, we decided to put our condo up for sale and build in the burbs. Moving twice (we lived in an apartment for a few months while out house was being built), and trying to fill a house 3 times the size of our condo was a daunting task and rough on our wallets. We agreed that the real decorating would happen after we purchased all of our furniture. 

Fast forward to 8 months later and finally we are making an effort to give the Gals a room that I've always pictured in my head. The one that I wanted to give them before they were born, but never had a chance.

We are going with a nature/camping theme and have already picked out some essentials. Yesterday Dave and I bought two twin mattresses, so we can move out the Gal's toddler beds as well. This weekend we will be attempting to paint. If you guys know me, you are already aware that I come from a family who LOVES to renovate things. I, on the other hand, do not. At all. So painting will surely be a labor of love.  If you follow me on twitter, I'm sure I will be cursing up a storm and asking for all the advice in the world. 

Hopefully it will all come together in the next few weeks and I will post the pictures here. 

Until then here's a sneak peek!

Welcome Back!

Ah, it's been too long! Too long!

I've really just used this space as a place to update my family about the gals, but I hope to evolve it into something more.

I liked updating my blog with news about the gals because I've always been kinda anti-Facebook. More or less because I felt that some things just aren't meant to be shared. When I spent a month in the hospital hoping that the gals would stay put just a few weeks longer, I couldn't bring myself to post anything about it. Instead, I stuck by my family, friends, and my twitter ladies (who understood what I was going through more than anyone else). These people kept me hopeful. That's all I needed.

The gals came 9 weeks early, and again, all I could post on FB was a quick pic of the gals. I'm not a fan of searching for likes, for comments, and for prayers. I wasn't ready to hear the sympathy from a person I hadn't talked to in 10 years. I just wanted my family and friends to know they were okay.

However, over the past few years FB has evolved into something more and more of my "older" family members have embraced, so I'm gradually letting my guard down and posting more pictures there.  I must admit, I love it when the Grandmas get excited about the latest gals post.

I've been thinking that this place doesn't just need to be an "update" blog. I want to branch out a bit more.

So here's what I want for this blog:

Obviously I want to talk about the gals. I'm with them all day, everyday, and they are embarking on such an amazing part of their development. These enthusiastic 2 year old could fuel any blog for centuries.

I want to talk about ME! Me?!? Isn't that selfish? But of course!! What are blogs for? I'm pretty proud of my accomplishments over the past year and half. Mostly because I put my nose to the grindstone, lost 90 pounds, and have kept it off. Yea. Pretty proud of that.

My family. All of us. What we do, where we go, and what we enjoy in our fun town of Atlanta and beyond.

And anything else interesting. Captivated yet?

There I've blogged it. That means this will all totally happen right? I won't forget about this blog again will I?

Nope...no way.

15m Checkup (that also turned into a sick visit for A)
{M - 19lbs6oz, 30 1/8in} {A - 21lbs9oz, 32 1/8in (94%👍)} Doctor was happy with all growth & development! #preemies

First Birthday Icing Blast

I have still yet to do a formal birthday post, but Dave is ahead of the game! Here's some video from the gal's first birthday.

We are 8 Months Old!

The gals are 8 months {6 months adjusted} today!

We can't believe they have been here this long, but they are doing so amazingly well, despite their early arrival.

 

We are 7 Months Old!

The gals are 7 months today (5 months adjusted)!

They are rolling and scooting all over the place, but have yet to master the crawl. They babble constantly and are perfecting their consonants. Every now and then Maddie throws out a "dada," much to the utter joy of Dave.  They are really enjoying their toys now & gnaw on them constantly. Amelia has already cut her first tooth!

These happy gals keep us on our toes, but are truly content babies. We are so lucky!

Doubles Partners (we make a racket)

This is how we roll...

And we have rollers!

Maddie figured out the back to front roll last weekend. She'd been rocking the side lay for awhile now & it was just a matter of time. She is still working on the front to back roll.

Amelia figured out the front the back roll earlier today. It was more like a graceful fall at the time, but since then she has been rolling back and forth! The girl is a champ!!

We are loving watching the girls reach new milestones!  We are supposed to go by their due date & not their birthdate for these things, but it seems like they are somewhat in the middle. Some are spot on with their due date & others they are achieving sooner. I'm hoping that this keeps up & that the girls won't need any special intervention in the future.

UPDATE: Both girls are rolling both ways...ahh time to baby proof the loft!!

Adventures with Rice Cereal

When we got the okay from our doctor to try rice cereal, I had mixed emotions, but then I realized that my babes were ready for this next step.  So I cruised down to hipster kroger, bought some cereal, totally unnecessary kids bowls, & a few more spoons to add to our already large arsenal of baby gear. I'm well aware that there isn't much nutritional value in rice cereal, but i'm excited for the girls to learn how to eat with a spoon & to get some extra calories in during the day. I had dreams of baby led weaning, but with all our feeding issues & prematurity, I'm worried that the girls might not do so well with it. I haven't ruled it out just yet - but I wanted them to give this a go. Being a preemie mom you are constantly worried about weight & if the babes are getting enough food, so for now, for us, this works.

Our first attempt was quite hilarious & absolutely adorable. I expected the food to go everywhere {which it did} but both girls actually did really well. Maddie was pretty messy, but Amelia was a hungry little gal & was all about it!

not a huge fan of the bumbo

4 Month Doctor's Visit

Our 4 month check up went really well! Maddie was almost 11 lbs & Amelia almost 12 lbs! The doctor was impressed with their gain, so we no longer have to fortify breastmilk or use preemie formula. This in itself was a huge relief.  The constant fear of a preemie mom is that their babes aren't getting enough food or gaining right. We are happy to announce that the girls even made it into the 1st & 2nd percentile on the WHO charts - beasts right?!?!

They are also right on track with their milestones. We go by adjusted age in this department so they are similar to 2 to 3 month olds.  They lift their head when they are doing tummy time. Lots of smiles & coos. They have found their hands and are starting to reach towards toys and constantly are hands to mouth. We introduced toys this month & they are madly in love with their "woobies" (blankets/stuffed animal in one!) We are very happy that they are demonstrating growth both mentally & physically consistent with other babies their adjusted age!

We also got the ok to start rice cereal & in the next few months to expand their palates with more solid food.

The girls were champs during their shots & had their first little fevers that night.  Luckily they weren't too fussy. Just really tired.

All in all it went really well! Not worth all the worrying I was doing before, but then again, that's what mom's do right?

We are 4 Months Old!

Just a few pictures today. I will do a full update after we have our doctors visit next Monday. Can't wait to see how much the girls have grown since last month!!

Three Month Weigh In

Just a quick post today. I promise though in the next few days I will get a quality update for family & friends.

We had our 3 month weigh in for the girls today & honestly we were pretty nervous. Being a preemie parent you worry about a lot of things & weight is certainly a big one.

But all our worrying was for nothing. The girls did great! In fact, the doctor said that they have superseded his expectations!

On her 2 month visit Amelia was 6 lbs 10 oz. This time she was 9 lbs 10 oz. A 3 pound weight gain!! Madeline was 6 lbs 12 oz a month ago. Today she was 9 lbs 4 oz!

The doc said he was looking for around 2 lbs from each of them, and both of them went over that!

We are so proud of our girls!! Thanks to everyone who has been cheering for them! Your support has meant so much to us!!

Learning the Ropes

I've been writing this post in my head for the past week or so, but all free time so far has been spent snuggling my girls. {I'm trying to make up for all the lost time in the NICU!}

Having both girls home is amazing & oh so tiring! Twins are no joke! Having Maddie home before Amelia was a piece of cake compared to double trouble.  But honestly, the NICU got them on a great schedule & we have been able to stick to it pretty well.

The girls are still napping a lot, as they still haven't even met their real due date {May 24}. Nighttime is pretty similar to day time. Most of the time they make it to their next scheduled feeding, but even now and then someone {mainly Maddie} will get to sneak into bed for a little snack.

Dave & I certainly have different parenting styles & we are still working out the kinks. As expected, I'm hovering over the babies constantly, checking if they are breathing, & always looking for a cuddle. I'm up at every cry, wanting to comfort the babies the best that I can. Dave obviously has profound hearing loss at night, because he can sleep through any wail, no matter what the decibel.  So I'd say we are both falling into our stereotypical roles as parents.

Amelia has been settling in really well. She still snoozes a lot, but will certainly let you know when she is hungry. She is still on the diuretic for her PDA Valve, however, at her first appointment with our Pediatrician, he couldn't even pick up her murmur with his stethoscope. We have a follow up visit with the Cardiologist at the end of the month, and hopefully it will be closed.

Maddie on the other hand has completely made herself at home. She is more alert than Amelia & loves to play, or scream, either one works just fine. This is truly my child. The girls have been having a blast sitting on their play mat together.  All the fun parts on the mat aren't even glanced at, instead they intently study each other, & then promptly bat one another in the face.

We have made a few trips out here & there. The girls are always a hit. Well, more like a novelty, because of their size. We have lots of "tiny, small, new baby" comments, which I instantly have to defend. "Well they are actually almost 2 months old, but born premature." Small & tiny comments hit hard to a preemie mom.  On the flip side, there have been several moms who have in turn shared their story about their premature infants. I chatted with a lady at Costco about her 24 weeker, who is now a healthy 11 year old.  Same with the lady at the post office, who had her twins at 27 weeks, & are now giant 15 year olds. I love these stories. Keep them coming.

We celebrated Mother's Day by stuffing our face with delicious food & I enjoyed the flowers given to me by my husband & parents.  I can't say I had a relaxing day off, maybe those come in the next few years, but at least the day was enjoyable.

So all in all we are happy to have everyone home! We are grateful for all the support from our family & friends. Thank you so much!!

Rebecca

The Tubbs Twins are Home Together!

Quick post from my phone...

After clearance from the cardiologist, Amelia got the okay for her discharge!! We are happy to say that the Tubbs are all under one roof!

Tomorrow will be the first day since Feb 23 that I have not been at the hospital. Crazy. I plan on sitting with my girls and snuggling them ALL day!

Thanks for all the well wishes & love. We have been so grateful of your support!

1 down, 1 to go!

We came home with our Madeline today.

We are thrilled, excited, nervous, & we miss little Amelia!
{Who will hopefully come home soon}

Happy Day!

Maddie is Coming Home!

There will probably be many typos & grammatical errors in this post, but I want to get everything down as fast as I can because we are scrambling to get things ready.

Over this past weekend we asked the doctor if she had a timeline for us taking home the girls. She somewhat laughed and told us that it looked like around 2 weeks. The girls were still 36 weeks, not quite full term. We were disheartened, but knew when they first arrived in the NICU, the prognosis was they would be there till their due date {May 24}.

Fast forward to yesterday. The doctor called me in the morning & started with "Looks like Madeline really wants to go home! She's doing great on her feeds & I see her going home by the end of the week!" So after letting out a big "woohoo," I was thinking by Saturday or Sunday we would have one of our girls home!

Now on most days I take the train up to the hospital. I don't have to worry about traffic & I can get in some good reading.  Just as I plopped myself down to wait for my next train at Five Points the doctor calls. I figured it was just the daily check up, but right off the bat the doctor says "Looks like Madeline can come home tomorrow!"

I cried. I was so happy.

She explained more that the nurses had fed her all her feeds off the gavage & pending a car seat test she would be able to go home tomorrow.

When I finally arrive to the hospital, little Madeline had no feeding tube in.

She's beautiful.

I fed both girls & then we get ready for the car seat test.  During this test Madeline cannot suffer from apnea or experience any oxygen desaturation.  This test is one and a half hours long!!!!!!!! So we start to buckle her in & quickly realize she doesn't fit. Not even close. Even though she is 5 pounds & that's what are seat starts at, she was so far away from the crotch strap.

Crap. We got these off our registry way back in December, so we didn't have the boxes & we weren't sure if we could return them. After a quick phone call to Babies R Us, & an explanation of our situation, they kindly agreed to let us return them for ones that would work. {Thank you BRU for amazing customer service & being so easy to work with! You just earned a customer for life!}

So note to all...if you have preemies a Graco Snugride is not for you. However a Graco Sungride 30 is! Yay!

So after a quick exchange we hustled back up to the hospital. {Ok, I lied we actually grabbed some Galla's Pizza First. Yum!}

The traffic on Peachtree-Dunwoody was hell. This is a nice reminder why I don't want to move back to Dunwoody any time soon.  I was nervous we wouldn't make it in time & would have to delay the test.  But, once we finally made it, Madeline was finishing up her bottle. Perfect timing. We got the car seat all strapped up into the mock seat & we were on our way!

Maddie didn't seem bothered by the test at all. A few cries here & there. Some straining {probably working on her nightly poop.} Some sneezing...which actually scared me because she started to dsat, but the nurse said not to worry, that didn't count. Phew.

{Princess Leia}

An hour & a 1/2 later...

SHE PASSED!

Madeline is coming home tomorrow!

Little Amelia is still working on things. She is an amazing breast feeder, but with both the breast & bottle, she gets a little over zealous & can choke or forget to breath.  Hopefully in the next few days or weeks she will get better at her breathing & eating coordination. We want her home with her big sis!

{Amelia}

We Are One Month Old!

{Madeline}  

 {Amelia}

{Caught a little smile from Maddie!}