Welcome, Baby Moses!

(This is daddy's take on the events of the last two and a half days. I'm sure Mommy will provide her own take once she gets home).

Hey everyone, this is the first I've had the time and alertness to sit down and write out a longer-than-a-Facebook-status update, so thanks for bearing with us.

Katie started getting contractions Sunday night. She couldn't sleep because of her pain, I couldn't sleep because of my nervousness; we called the midwives since we were doing a home birth and didn't want the baby to come before they were here. In retrospect, we should have just headed to the hospital then because Baby was huge and, in the words of the doctor who delivered him, "[Katie] couldn't have pushed that baby out even if she had 20 years." But, without the aid of retrospect, Katie carried on with labor all through Monday and the following morning until she, the midwives, and I collectively came to the doctor's same conclusion around 11:00am on Tuesday. We headed over to Alexandria hospital, Katie received a C-section around noon, and that's when Baby came onto the scene.

They put Baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for fear that he ingested some meconium on his first gasp of air and possibly suffered some head trauma from all of the futile pushing. But, thank Jesus, everything looks good for him; he didn't take in much meconium at all and, although he does seem slightly stressed from the ordeal (as he sleeps he'll occasionally crinkle his face and shudder), his major organ systems appear to be functioning properly. All babies must stay in the NICU for a mandatory 24 hour minimum, so hopefully they'll move him out very soon. They were hinting at him staying longer just so they could be doubly sure of his progress--I'm sure their caution is sincere but I wouldn't be surprised if they were also trying to prove a point since the doctors were none too pleased that we had attempted a home birth without the presence of professional OB/GYNs.

I'll just say that I'm truly thankful that we live in a country that gives us the freedom to attempt to have a child the old fashioned way AND has an exceptional medical system available for us when the old fashioned way would have resulted in anything less than Katie and the baby being wholly OK. And I'm truly, deeply thankful that both Katie and the baby are recovering nicely and will both be back home by the weekend. Thank you for all of your prayers and support for I know for certain without God's intervention things would have turned out worse. In fact, as they were wheeling Katie into the operating room, I felt the peace of God and I knew things were going to turn out well.

Here are the stats:

Birth date: 2/17/2009 at 12:17pm
Weight: 9 lbs, 14 oz, Height: 22"" (he looks especially ginormous in comparison to some of the other babies in the NICU)
Name: Moses Franklin Wolf

When Katie was first pregnant, we told the Caleb and Joshua that there was a baby in mommy's tummy. They would sometimes refer to the baby as "Baby Moses" because they were accustomed to that phrase from one of their favorite pop-up books, "The Story of Moses." The name stuck; it also was relevant since Moses, Caleb, and Joshua were contemporaries. To boot, Moses Wolf is a very manly sounding name in my opinion and will sound especially good when prefixed by "Dr.," "Chief Justice," or "President." Franklin is the middle name of two of Moses' great grandfathers, and is incidentally the last name of the head midwife, too.

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and concerns, we're touched by them and appreciate them greatly.

Big Brothers

After measuring 3 weeks ahead at my last appointment, all suspicions and worries were put to rest yesterday when the ultrasound machine revealed that we are having another boy... just one big one! That's right, I am officially outnumbered 4 to 1 by the men in this household :) We are all very excited about the new Wolf cub who will be joining us in early February. Big brothers Caleb and Joshua like to hug and kiss my belly and proclaim their love for the baby, whom they have been known to refer to as "Baby Moses". We have also trained them to be very conscientious about being gentle with the baby in Mommy's belly, and now whenever they take a whack at each other, they will scold each other, saying, "Be careful! There's a baby in there! Don't hurt the baby!"

As novel as it would have been to have two sets of twins, the news of a singleton has ushered in a sense of peace, lifting a huge weight off of our shoulders. Finally, I will get a taste of the blissful newborn babymoon experience that I often hear other mothers speak so fondly of. I am personally looking forward to the luxury of getting more than 45 minutes of sleep at a time and feeling more like a mommy than a milk machine. Compared to the newborn twins experience, I daresay that taking care of a newborn singleton is going to seem like a vacation!

Say hello to Caleb and Joshua!

Happy Birthday Caleb and Joshua! After 10 hours of induced labor, including nearly 3 hours of pushing to no avail, the boys arrived via cesarean section at 6:51 and 6:52 pm weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 6 lbs. 3 oz and measuring 19.25 inches long. Katie was too drugged up and exhausted to remember much about their birth, but Joe was there to witness it and all 4 grandparents were present to welcome the boys into the world! Thank God for these beautiful and healthy baby boys!

Mark your calendars

This morning at the doctor we found out that the babies now have a birthday- it will be this Thursday, November 10, 2005! Joe and I will arrive at the hospital at 8 am. If the induction is successful, we will stay at the hospital through Saturday. If I end up needing a c-section, we will stay through Monday. I'm still not dilated at all, but the doctor says we shouldn't wait any longer than this week. Please join us in believing God for a safe and easy double-delivery!

Triple shower

Another fun shower, this one at our church, honoring 3 moms-to-be and 4 babies! Thank you everyone for everything! We feel truly blessed by the overwhelming generosity of our loving church family!

Big, healthy boys

Another visit to the perinatal unit at Alexandria hospital. After a lengthy session of monitoring the babies' heart rates, we had a sonogram to chart the babies' growth. Baby A now weighs 6 lbs. 6 oz. and Baby B weighs 6 lbs. 3 oz.! The doctor remarked "wow, these are BIG twins!" Each twin measures in the 40-50th percentile for a singleton baby (twins are typically much smaller than singletons by this point in gestation)! So it's no wonder my belly is so HUGE- I'm carrying 12 and a half pounds of baby inside of me! Thank God for such big healthy babies! We didn't get any pictures this time, but that's ok, we'll get to see them in person in just one week!

One week to go

The doctor is going to schedule the delivery for either Wednesday or Thursday of next week- November 9th or 10th! She'll confirm the exact date later this week. I'm still not dilated, so the boys are doing a good job staying put safe inside of me.

Busy Day

What a busy day! At our first appointment, the doctor said next Tuesday we'll schedule a day the following week (Nov. 7-11) to induce me if I haven't gone into labor yet. That is so soon! Also, I gained 4 lbs since last week, which is good! Our next stop was at work, where they were giving away flu shots this week to high-risk individuals (as a pregnant woman and and the father of infants under 6 months of age we both qualified for free shots!). Then we went and picked up mom at the Metro and dined on some yummy Korean food for lunch. It was delicious, but unfortunately I can't fit as much into my stomach as I used to... but once I have the babies, look out, Hee Been, here I come! Then we went to the hospital to see the perinatologist. They hooked up 2 ultrasound contraptions to my belly, one to monitor each baby's heart beats, as well as a device that monitored contractions. They monitored the heart beats to make sure that the babies' heart rates rise when they move, and so they gave me a button to push whenever I felt movement. Thank God the tests indicated that their hearts are working perfectly! The contractions monitor indicated that I am having contractions even though I can't feel them because my belly is always so hard from having 2 babies packed in there! Then we had a brief sonogram (didn't get any pictures or measurements this time... too bad) where they measured the amount of amniotic fluid in each sac. Each baby has double the minimum amount, so that's good. We also learned that they have moved a little bit. They are both still head-down, but their bodies are crossed over each other, so that Baby A's head is on the left and his butt in on the right, and vice versa for Baby B! Silly boys! I just feel sorry for them- they must be so squished in there! I'm sure they are as eager to come out as we are for them to come out!

Labor Day in October?

Today we went to the doctor for our weekly checkup. I lost 1 lb. since last week, despite eating everything in sight, so it seems like our babies are running out of room! The doctor said she's not worried, though, b/c I've gained a total of 43 lbs. which is a good amount. She said I could go into labor any day now, and that the babies would be fine. If I haven't gone into labor by November 11, they will induce me then. So it could happen any time during these next 3 weeks! Please be praying for me and the babies for a safe and easy delivery according to God's perfect timing!

"Hercules" and "The Genius"

Another sonogram with the perinatologist! Both babies are right on target, weighing in at just under 5 lbs. each. The doctor called Baby A "the genius" on account of his huge head measuring 2 weeks bigger than average (much like his mom's big head!) and Baby B "Hercules" on account of his big kicks (much like his dad's wolf legs!).

The shower

What a fun shower! Thank you, Dianne, Susan, and Mom for planning such a fun and lovely shower, and thank you everyone for coming from near and far to spend the afternoon together, and for the wonderful gifts for the boys! I really appreciated it, and I know the boys did, too!

Cribs in our cribs

Today we had an appointment with the doctor and everything is fine. Praise God for such a smooth pregnancy! The doctor said I'll deliver around Nov. 11. I've gained 37 lbs. so far. The cribs came in on Monday, and last night Joe set one of them up in the babies' room. The other crib is at the boys' grandparents' house, since that's where we'll be staying when we first bring them home from the hospital. Until the boys get bigger, they'll share one crib.

Eye action

Today we had an appointment for a sonogram with a perinatologist. The highlight of the visit was seeing Baby A blink his eyes several times! It was amazing!

Living Large

Today is week 29. I've gained a total of 32 lbs and the doc said my belly measures at 37 weeks. I'm basically the size of a normal full-term pregnant lady, but I still have 9 weeks to go!

Appreciation

At 28 weeks, it's hard to believe that the babies will be here in just 10 weeks! The babies now have eyelashes and can open and close their eyes, and are beginning to grow baby fat to prepare for life outside the womb. Meanwhile I'm enjoying this time to relax and work from home. I appreciate my husband for stepping up and doing even more cleaning and grocery shopping than before, my parents for cooking Joe and I some tasty meals (as always), my friends for visiting and calling, and everyone who has been so generous with their support, gifts, and prayers!

Homework

Today at 26 weeks, my belly measured 33 weeks (in singleton pregnancy terms). So far I've gained 26 lbs. The doctor said I should wind things down at work this week- earlier than I'd planned! Thankfully, we have an incredibly understanding boss who has agreed to allow me to work from home starting Monday! After 3 fond years in the corporate world, working from home will definitely be different! I can't say, however, that I'm going to miss my lovely warehouse cubicle... just the company of other people!

Lil' feet of fury

The babies had their third sonogram today. They are now above-average size for their age, and weigh a combined total of nearly 4 lbs. They are kicking up a storm these days, and in the precious few moments we have to just sit and stare at Katie's belly, we can actually see where they're kicking!

Twins class

Today we attended a twins class at the hospital. The instructor was a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurse who gave birth to twin sons of her own. If we learned anything from the class, it was that we want our pregnancy to go as full-term as possible! That means strictly obeying bedrest orders, staying well-hydrated, avoiding stressful situations, etc. We toured the NICU and saw a preemie baby who was delivered last week at just 25 weeks gestation! That would be like if I delivered our babies this Wednesday! The baby we saw was a twin girl, and she was the tiniest baby I'd ever seen. Her legs were so skinny and pinkish translucent- they looked like frog legs. It was just heart-breaking to see her twitching her little limbs under the harsh light of the incubator. So yes, God-willing I'll keep our boys inside of me for as long as possible!

24 Weeks

Did you know that at 24 weeks, with proper medical care, babies can survive outside the womb? That means that if our boys were born today, they would live! What an amazing blessing to have two tiny people growing inside of me!

Five month check-up

Our 5 month check-up was today; I've gained 20 lbs! I can feel the boys kicking all the time now, especially after eating spicy food... yum!