Early arrival!

Last week I decided to take Sofia down to Waukesha so we could visit Tim during his first week of work. I arrived in Waukesha around lunch time and then Sofia, my mom and I all hopped in the car to drive up to Port Washington. Tim and I put an offer in on a house there and I wanted to show it to her. We had a great time checking out the town and I am so excited about the prospect of raising my family in this adorable town. We went home and had a great dinner with my parents, Lindsey & Carlos, Tim, and Marie & Calvin (my parents' old German exchange student and her boyfriend visiting from Germany) and we started to settle in for the night. All night I was feeling exhausted and I should have gone to bed but I wanted to hang out with everyone. Tim and I finally went to bed around 11pm and I woke up around 1:30am for what I assumed was the first of my normal five trips to the bathroom each night. However, when I stood up I realized that this wasn't just a bathroom break, my water had broken. I woke Tim but he was simply confused about the entire situation. I asked him to find me some clean clothes and meet me in the bathroom. I tried to assess whether or not my water had actually broken and called my doctor in Madison. Ten minutes later Tim met me in the bathroom with my purse, I don't know if I've ever kept clean clothing in my purse but Tim said it was all he could find. The poor guy was exhausted. My doctor decided I better come in and get checked out, I told him we were in Waukesha and I could hear his voice change a little but he thought we still had time to arrive safely in Madison. I did have a hospital bag packed, but it was in Baraboo with the rest of our stuff. I also left my glasses in Baraboo and I couldn't put my contacts in because the solution I use requires the contacts to be in the solution for at least 6 hours before you wear them again. So picture if you will my exhausted, confused husband and a completely blind me, sitting on a pile of towels, having contractions and trying to drive to the hospital in Madison at 2:00 in the morning. We were quite a sight and I thank God we didn't run into any deer or police. We had never approached the hospital from Waukesha so we weren't exactly sure which way we were going and Tim kept asking me to call the local police so we could drive faster on the interstate. My parents followed us about 30 minutes behind and Tim's Dad started driving to meet us at the hospital from Baraboo.

We made it safely to the hospital and the doctor confirmed that my water had broken, I was in labor and the babies would be delivered within the hour! I am still surprised at how calm I was able to stay throughout the entire situation. I was 35 weeks and 3 days and I fully expected to make it to my planned cesarean which was scheduled for July 27th. The delivery was so strange compared to my delivery with Sofia. My spinal didn't have a complete block so I was able to move my legs throughout the surgery, not a pleasant feeling at all. Baby A (Everett James) was born first at 4:53am (19.25 inches and 5lbs 7oz) and Baby B (Sullivan Jeffrey) at 4:54am (18 inches 5lbs 11oz). Everett came out and cried fairly quickly and was fine, Sully had some breathing issues and unfortunately had to spend 48 hours in the NICU. He was off all breathing assistance within about 12 hours. The hospital was great because they let us visit him whenever we wanted and even broke some rules by letting us bring Everett up to visit his brother so we could all be together as a family. Sully is a strong little guy and was determined to be with his brother and for us to all go home together. Sofia was able to meet her brothers a few hours after they were born. She is so sweet to them, she blew a kiss when she first saw Everett and pointed out his nose and played with his hands. Tim and I feel so blessed to now have THREE healthy, beautiful children.

Photo taken by Anya Wait Photography

16 days....

In 16 days or less Tim and I will become parents to two more children! I have really enjoyed getting to know these sweet little boys over the past 9 months and I'm ready to meet them and hold them. Although I appreciate every extra day they get to develop, my body is aching and I honestly don't know how the skin on my stomach can stretch anymore than it already has. Thankfully, this has been an awesome pregnancy. I've felt pretty good overall and I've been able to stay active. Tim and I were just out kayaking a few nights ago. Everywhere I go people are amazed by my belly, I make jaws drop. People are so kind as well, most people say I'm all belly which I believe because the boys are taking every bit of nutrition they need. The boys passed another BPP test in their ultrasound today and next week I have my pre-op appointment. Unless I go into labor, the boys will be delivered July 27th via cesarean since Baby A is breech.

Today was the first day "official" eight hour day for Tim. He has been one busy guy. He and his Dad have been working on cribs for the past few weeks. Sofia is definitely not a girly girl. Anytime the guys are working on the cribs she wants to be right there with them, she likes watching but also wants to use the tools herself. The boys' cribs are being made by two pretty incredible guys and should be gorgeous, the wood is stunning. It's cherry wood and some pieces have an incredible pattern in their grain. I can't wait to see the finished product. I love handmade things and Tim's Dad made a comment last night that these could be the cribs that Sofia puts her babies in. All I could do was smile and think about how incredibly blessed Tim and I are. Here are some pictures of the guys from the weekend. For Father's Day I bought Tim a groupon for a flight lesson and one hour flight.  Tim was able to take one passenger with him and who better than his father? Tim has talked about wanting to fly since the day I met him, he actually considered being a pilot during his K-12 years. I was so happy to give him this gift, he has worked so hard for our family over the past four years and especially over the past two months. I'm lucky to have him as my husband and I can't imagine a better person to be the father of my children.

He was so excited!

Checking the fuel before taking off.

Tim and his father

As I'm sure you gathered from my last post these times are very stressful but thankfully I married an incredible guy and we've managed to really lean on each other and grow closer throughout everything. We are also so happy we moved home to Wisconsin, it feels great to be home and we couldn't get through these tough times without our family. Hopefully we will know where we are living within the next few weeks. We didn't think we would be able to buy a house this year because we need to come up with a down payment. We are trying to make it work though by selling a car and a few other things to come up with a down payment. The toughest thing has been finding someone willing to deal with the student loans from optometry school.  I won't bore anyone with the details but I'm amazed at how much harder it is to get a loan after Tim finished his doctorate and I finished my Master's. It would probably be easier if I were working but that just isn't an option right now. If things don't work out and we need to rent for another year Tim and I will just try to make the best of the situation.

I'll close tonight with some pictures from the last two weeks. You'd never know I was 35 weeks pregnant with twins, Tim and I don't ever seem to slow down :)

The awesome cloth diaper cake my friend Kelly made me for our shower.

Our little artist, she spend a lot of time coloring, drawing, and doing chalk art outside.

It's a rough life for a baby. This lucky girl goes to the lake at least 3 or 4 times a week. Whenever we arrive and take her out of her car seat she RUNS full speed to the water. 

Tim helping Sofia with a rock sorting project. Maybe she'll be as handy as her  Dad and Granddad.

Out swimming with Tim, Carlos, and Lindsey.

My giant belly taking a rest with Sofia.

Sofia crawling inside the kitchen island.

Prayers please

WARNING: This post may come off as me complaining but I just need to write to vent out some of my fear and worries for the coming weeks. If you are a person of faith, I would appreciate prayers for the well being of our new babies, Sofia's transition, my health and recovery, Tim's new job and hopefully we can find a nice, safe place to live.

My husband Tim officially accepted an optometry job with a practice north of Milwaukee. The offices are in Fox Point, Mequon, and Fredonia. We are very excited but now we're trying to figure out what to do about the twins and where to live, etc. We thought it was stressful selling our house and moving two weeks before Sofia was born. Tim had to take round 1 of National Boards two weeks after she was born and we were sharing one car. Looking back, that situation seems easy compared with what we are faced with now.

Tim put in a few hours on July 1st so he could have his official start date as July 1st since we have to wait 3 months for health insurance. So now we are going to have to pay the extremely high COBRA rate to have insurance until Tim is eligible. We are having a very difficult time finding a rental that we can afford along with our school loan payments. The area will Tim will be practicing is very nice but extremely expensive for renting or buying. Tim starts a full time schedule July 11th and the doctors are expecting the twins to be delivered sometime around July 29th. We will be having a scheduled cesarean because of Baby A's position.  I don't want to switch doctors and hospitals again so I plan to stay in Baraboo with Tim's parents and Sofia. Tim will be living with my parents in Waukesha and unfortunately he will have a very long drive to work and won't be with Sofia and I for a while. I'm definitely sad that I'll have to go to the rest of my appointments by myself and I know how much Sofia and I will miss Tim and vice versa. I'm really trying not to say much about it because I know how much this situation is killing Tim. It would've been really nice to just wait to work until a month after the twins are born but without me working that's impossible, optometry school was very expensive.

The practice said they can give Tim three or four days off when the twins are born, I'm really hoping he can make it to the delivery and at least spend a day or two with me in the hospital. Then will begin the toughest part of the journey. We haven't been able to find a house to rent that's available anytime soon so after the twins are born Tim will return to Waukesha to work and I'll go back to Baraboo with three kids. My parent's house is too small for 4 more people to move in. It breaks my heart that Tim will miss the first few weeks with our children. I loved having one whole week of just Tim, Sofia and I when she was born. Tim was always such a huge help during the night too so I'm a bit nervous about handling night time feedings by myself with two newborns. I know I can change them but I'm wondering how I will get myself situated to nurse them together. I'm also nervous about caring for the twins plus Sofia during the day while I try to recover from my surgery.

To my sweet Sofia...

Sweet girl,
I just wanted to write you a short letter to mark this special day. Your Dad is the newest doctor at a private practice that has three locations along the "North Shore". I am so proud of him and I know you are too. He worked so hard for the past four years and even during college to get to this point. Today was your Dad's first day of work. I have to tell you how hard it was for him to leave your sweet face today, we have had so much fun playing together as a family the past month.

I've been very lucky to have you all to myself for a few days while your Dad was interviewing or taking care of business related to his job and I must say that I feel like the luckiest Mom alive to spend the entire day with you. You like to wake up early but you realize how tired I am being so pregnant with your brothers and you are quite content to snuggle for a little while and sing or just sweetly talk to me. You are one affectionate little girl. Not only do you sing and talk sweetly, you snuggled your brothers in my belly this morning, gave me lots of kisses (the traditional kind) as well as eskimo and butterfly kisses. I don't know where you learned how to give butterfly kisses but you certainly melted my heart. I know you are ready to get moving when you jump on me and laugh hysterically.

You don't eat breakfast right away, you like to walk around the house and inspect things, you sure notice a lot because you talk a mile a minute about what you see. Around 7 or 7:30 I make breakfast for the two of us. Your favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs, you also like waffles and pancakes. Lately you have been very interested in finishing my cereal, your Dad's or even your Grandma's cereal when she has a later start time at work. On the days more people are around you love to walk around and wake everyone up with a big smile and hug.

After breakfast we usually read some stories in our pajamas or your Dad, Granddad or Grandma Rainey take you on a run or walk. You love being outside, whether it's swinging, playing with rocks, helping hang up diapers or just running around you are definitely very happy to be outside. I would expect nothing less since your Dad and I love the outdoors so much. Most days we take you to the library for Puppy Club or Baby Garden, two different reading programs you are in. You LOVE the library, you've had a strong love for books since you first used them for tummy time.

Today we turned on your Spanish music CD with children's songs. We sang almost every song twice and danced and danced and danced :) . You even acted out some of the actions for the different songs. You are so sweet, not only do you laugh, sing and dance but you always clap at the end of the song. I swear you said "Bravo" at the end of one song too. You are just a little knowledge sponge lately, you surprise me with all of the new words you say and things you know how to do.

Your Dad and I are a little nervous for all of the big changes coming our way because you are so well adjusted to our current situation, you love having family around all the time. It's also a big adjustment for your Dad from being a student to working full time. I think I get the best deal, after 5 years of teaching I'm taking a year off to be home with you and your brothers. I'm sure we'll have our days where things are a little tough, especially when your brothers both need something at the same time but I think we are headed towards a lot of amazing days as well. However, you are a strong little lady and I know you are going to be such a great big sister. And the great thing is that we will still be in the state of Wisconsin so you will be able to see your family so much more than we saw them when we lived in Tennessee.

Sofia, I could go on and on but I just wanted to make sure you know how much I love you and how much I have enjoyed getting to spend so much time with you.

You know you are giving birth in Madison, Wisconsin when.....

Last week, Tim and I took a tour of the hospital where we plan to deliver the boys. We found ourselves constantly looking at each other and smiling because so many things are different from the hospital we delivered our daughter Sofia at. We delivered our daughter Sofia at Germantown Methodist Hosptial in Memphis, Tennessee and we were lucky enough to be some of the first people to deliver in a brand new wing of the hospital. We received EXCELLENT care and were very happy with our experience, the day my daughter was born was the best day of our lives.

Touring the hospital in Madison was similar in many ways but different in others. A brand new Women's wing is opening in the beginning of August. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll make it that long, we are more likely to deliver towards the end of July. Anyways, let me highlight some of the differences we noticed....

-Diapering: The hospital does not even carry disposable diapers, they use cloth from the very beginning. They feel that they can monitor the bowel movements and wet diapers more accurately with cloth diapers.
-Rooming in: We had Sofia "room in" with us in Memphis. I just couldn't take my eyes off of her and I wanted her by my side constantly, especially for nursing. The only time she wasn't with us was when they bathed her and performed her exam and heel prick. We plan to do the same with the boys which is good because this hospital said they really want the babies to stay with their parents as much as possible, if not all the time. 
-Placenta: The hospital offers to save the placenta if you have a religious or other type of need for it. Tim and I won't be saving the placentas but nonetheless we found this interesting.
-Food: I remember Tim having to leave my hospital room to get food for himself. This hospital encourages you to order enough food for you and your spouse so you can stay together.
-Whirlpool tub: The hospital has a tub for you to labor in if you desire. As of right now it looks like I'm having a planned cesarean but I probably would have enjoyed using a tub with Sofia's birth.
-CELEBRATIONS!- Celebrating after the birth is not only ok, but highly encouraged. Our tour guide said you can bring wine, beer, champagne, whatever you desire. She did ask that people don't bring tailgating coolers to the rooms though. This comment got a good laugh out of our tour group.
-Hats- Instead of a generic hospital hat, the hospital allows you or the babies' sibling to choose hand knit hats made by volunteers in the area. I thought this was awesome!
-Support for partners: The hospital is very supportive and respectful of traditional and non traditional partners and the role they play in the birth and recovery.

We had another doctor's visit yesterday and at 33 weeks twin A is measuring 4lbs 7oz and twin B is measuring 4lbs 5oz. Twin A is still breech and at this point it is highly unlikely that he'll flip again so our doctors are planning on a cesarean. They even penciled us in! I am a bit disappointed that I will have a cesarean but I understand that a breech birth is not good for either me or the babies. Even though it was a lot of work, I thoroughly enjoyed going through the experience of labor, pushing and birth and I'll never forget when Sofia was born and put on my chest. Our eyes met immediately, Tim watched over my shoulder, and I felt the most intense love I've ever felt in my life.

As long as the boys are healthy I should be able to hold them very quickly and they will even allow Tim to have "kangaroo care" time with the boys immediately after birth. Some people think it's a silly concept but I'm a firm believer in skin to skin bonding and baby wearing.

It seems as if things are finally falling into place. Tim had another interview this week and we should hear the results by Tuesday. We are weeks away from meeting the newest members of our family and it feels really good to be home in Wisconsin. Now we just need to find a place to live and move either when I'm very pregnant (like we did with Sofia) or with two newborns and a 16 month old. All we can do is laugh at the situation and thank God that we have the help and support of family and friends.

16 Months Old!

Yesterday Sofia turned 16 months old. I fall more deeply in love with her every day. Tim and I treasure the special moment we have every night when we check on her before we go to sleep. She is usually snuggled in her crib with her bottom in the air and one hand snuggling her puppy dog stuffed animal. We are in awe of our daughter on a daily basis and usually leave her room saying "We are the luckiest people alive to have her in our lives".  She has adjusted very well to our new living circumstances and loves having family around more often. She is a very easy going girl, we can still take her anywhere and we are learning that she has a very caring and sensitive personality. She smiles all the time and is just a joy to have in our lives. She is starting to notice my baby belly more, honestly it's hard to miss. Sometimes she sweetly touches it but other days she plays the drums. Tim and I are so happy we chose to add more children to our family, Sofia loves having other people around, especially kids.

At 16 months old Sofia....
-Sleeps from 7:30pm-6 or 6:30am
-Takes one nap from 10:30-12 or so (sometimes she'll take a short cat nap in the afternoon)
-Walks easily and started running for short spurts about a week ago
-Can throw a ball and has even caught one thrown to her every now and then
-Waves and says hi and bye, blows kisses, gives kisses (she usually says beso before or after giving a kiss), says Momma, Dad/Dadda, Frodo, "Be quiet"- she learned this from her Grandma and it's hilarious when she says it, hi guys, thanks, gracias, up, dog....
-She is constantly walking around the house babbling or pointing to things and giving instructions, she even holds an iTouch to her ear and has long and animated conversation
-She loves to pack up various animals and sometimes a baby doll in her stroller and walk them around the house talking to them, then she'll stop and bend down in front of them to kiss them or give them a blanket, it's adorable
-Sofia spend a lot of time singing and dancing and acting out motions to camp songs, she LOVES music and live performances so we take her to as many shows as we can and she dances her heart out, many times when we put her down for a nap or bed time we hear her singing for a good twenty minutes before she goes to sleep

Not a great picture but it captures Sofia chatting away on an iTouch while I talk on my iPhone.  When Sofia sees a flip phone she looks at me like "I know this is not a phone mom".

The Sullivan crew visiting with each other.

Playing can wear both baby and Daddy out!

Father's Day hike 2011

Settling down...

After a few stressful weeks of moving and trying to adjust to living in someone else's house things have finally started to calm down a bit. Tim and I should know more information about where we will be living by next week. After months of being patient about the job search the past few weeks have been the toughest. We would really like to get settled into our new city before the boys come but it just doesn't look like that will be a reality. Many of the positions that Tim has been interested in are advertising for a full time doctor but when we get further into the process we discover that they really can't support a full time doctor and usually don't offer health insurance. It's frustrating for me because I want to help my family out and provide those things through a job of my own but Tim and I have decided it's crazy for me to try to be ready to work by this next school year. The official due date of the twins is August 13th and we really do not feel comfortable putting the babies in childcare at such a young age. We kept Sofia home until she was about 6 months old. So I have had to learn to relax and trust that things will work out. I plan to spend at least the fall semester home with Sofia and the boys. I am both excited and nervous about being home with 3 children under the age of 2!

Tim and I met our new doctor last week and were surprised to learn we have to go in for weekly visits from here on out. And they are limiting my travel to a 2 hour radius of Madison. Weekly visits are a bit annoying, especially since we have an hour long drive to the doctor but we will do whatever it takes to keep the boys healthy. Unfortunately, they will not be doing a growth ultrasound until the end of June. I know the boys are getting bigger though, their movements are frequent and strong. We definitely miss the ease and familiarity we had with my old doctor's practice. 

It's hard for me to play with Sofia like I could when I wasn't a giant pregnant lady :) Thankfully, Tim is home until his optometry license goes through so we've been having a lot of fun taking her swimming, hiking, and to various parks. She is growing up so fast, she talks so much and loves to run to her family members to give hugs and kisses. She is still obsessed with books, dogs, and being outside. I will write a longer update for Sofia in two weeks when she will be almost 16 months old!!