2wks, 1day

Yesterday I spent over five hours in the hospital with Bracha. Now that she's out of the incubator someone has to be there every evening to give her a bath, which she really enjoys. After her first bath on Monday she was too pooped to eat but after yesterday's bath she was wide awake and guzzled down her bottle rather quickly. She's up a lot in weight, only 70gr short of the 2 kilo goal. Once she reaches that, and eats all her meals orally, she can come home! It's looking like it might not happen this week, though she could very easily hit the target weight...but eating is still difficult. But I hope to have her home before next week is out.

Eliana's stump fell off yesterday so today she also got her first real bath (rather than just the sponge baths she's been getting). She is very much not like her sister; Eliana hated the bath! But after getting dried, dressed, and fed, she was very cozy and nodded off in her crib (rather than insisting on being held till she's fast asleep before we an put her down, which is how she usually is).

Eliana's well-baby visit on Monday went well, she's gained weight well. Yesterday she had her first doctor's appointment. I found a pediatrician very close by and we went to check her out and I liked her a lot. I'm really glad we found someone nice and competent and only three blocks away. I'll take Bracha to her after she gets released so they can meet and get to know each other.

I got the girls registered for health insurance and had all of us put together in the system to be recognized as a family. In order to get the maximum coverage for the girls I had to increase my own coverage so now the four of us have the highest level of health insurance we can get. The girls will get free dental till they're twelve! (the general health insurance is free as is, the government pays till age 18, then if/when they do army/national service, the government continues to pay. After that it is covered national insurance payments deducted from your pay check. The only thing we need to actually pay is the cost of the added insurance coverage which includes extra benefits, and that comes out to relatively very little per month...Israeli health care rocks!)

As for pictures, feast your eyes on these beauties:


Eliana

Bracha

1wk, 5days

Bracha is making wonderful progress. She's gained 170gr above her birth weight and last night she hit a huge milestone: they moved her out of the incubator! She's now in a bassinet and in the next day or two we'll be able to give her her first bath. She's eating very nicely though is sometimes just too tired to do so, so she still has her feeding tube in. We try to be there to give her at least two meals a day, and most of the nurses are very good about feeding her, at least part of her meals. I'm having some difficulty building up my milk supply but I pump as often as I can and have managed to provide at least a meal a day of breast milk for her.

Meanwhile Eliana is growing very well. We were supposed to have our first well-baby visit today but it's just too nasty to go outside, so we're postponing it for tomorrow...which works nicely since Shawn had to work this morning so he can come with us tomorrow. The clinic is only a couple of blocks away but it'll be my biggest outing yet (not counting drives back and forth to my parents and the hospital, of course). It'll be nice to get some fresh air.

But today we're having a quiet girls day at home. She's been alternating between eating and sleeping, though lately she's been having longer periods of being awake and aware, where she just stares at everything around her. But we were at my parents this weekend and she had a lot of visitors so I think she's a little pooped out today. I've been wearing her and she is very content sleeping against my chest. When she lets me I put her down to sleep and catch a nap myself, but she's really into being held today so I don't know how much more napping we'll get.

I'm still in awe that I get paid to be a full-time mommy. I can see it getting boring and driving me insane over time, but for now it's really, really nice. I love spending time with my girls and I love having my schedule revolve around them (seriously! They're so good about it, too...Eliana slept almost five hours strait last night!!)

8 days

Eliana and I are home from the hospital. Yes, that's right...if some how you have no yet heard, our daughters have names. Eliana Sarah (aka Baby A...Eliana means "God answered") and Bracha Rivka (aka Baby B...Bracha means "blessing"). They're both wonderful and beautiful. Unfortunately, Bracha had to stay at the hospital. She's in the NICU, in what they call their "intermediate ward," meaning she's not really in intensive care, she just needs extra attention. Basically, she needs to grow. She's still around 350gr shy of 2 kilo, the weight she needs to reach to be released. They estimate it'll take 2-3 weeks. It's gut-wrenching, leaving her behind, but all the grandparents (yup, all of them...my in-laws arrived from Canada on Monday evening) have pitched in and family members are taking shifts sitting, holding, feeding, and singing to Bracha. Shawn and I are taking turns going to the hospital and staying home with Eliana.

Who, by the way, is a great kid. She never cries without a reason, and when she does cry it's very easy to decipher: she's either hungry, cold, or, most often, just wants to be held. That's where my trusty Baby Ktan comes in handy! Both hands free yet she thinks I'm cradling her.

Anyhow, more updates to come. Meanwhile you can see pictures on Shawn's Facebook page.

2 days

Two days ago I gave birth to the two most beautiful little girls in the whole world. Born at 16:30 and 16:31 via c-section, our twin daughters are perfect and thank God healthy. Baby B is small so she is being kept in the NICU till she reaches 2 kilo, but she's breathing and eating and everything. I am so in love.

37wks

Seriously, how is one supposed to sleep the night before they may or may not be having major abdominal surgery to welcome two new lives into this world?

37wks

Uncertainty still prevails. Tomorrow morning we are to report to the hospital, at which time they'll take a look at the situation and try to decide if the birth can wait another two days. The reason for that is due to my cold, which has stubbornly decided to stick around. We met with my OB yesterday who would really prefer me healthy for the birth. So I'm afraid we might have another day like last Wednesday on our hands, with the whole day spent at the hospital just to be sent back home in the end. Either that or it'll be due day. The not knowing is driving me nuts.

Meanwhile Shawn and I are both very nervous. It'd be one thing if we could just continue life as normal, sitting around and waiting till the day my water breaks or whatnot. But all of this rushing back and forth to the hospital, full of questions and uncertainty, is today the day? That's taking its toll. It makes us think more about the inevitable. I have no idea if/how I'll sleep tonight. Will I be a mommy by tomorrow night? Will I be back home in bed, waiting for Thursday?

36wks, 2days

Okay, slight change in plans: babies are coming Tuesday, not Monday. One of the doctors I've been seeing is leaning towards having me to a c-section. I turned down a planned operation and opted instead to try for a vaginal birth since they're in position. They'll monitor me and the babies and if there are any signs of distress we'll switch to a c-section, but despite whatever complications there have been, both babies have proven themselves to be quite the troopers and I see no reason to jump for an operation...it's not like those are easy or risk-free, either. Anyhow, in case we need one, c-sections aren't done on Monday so we have an extra day (which thankfully gives me an extra day to get over this nasty cold).