Newsflash: Walters Tosses Unprecedented Complete Game Shut Out

Pitched my first "complete game shut out" the other night! Translation: When one of us is able to successfully get up in then middle of the night and feed, change, and get both babies back to sleep without "making a call to the bullpen" by going to wake the other one of us up for help. I know, technically it should be considered pitching a couple innings of scoreless relief, whereas going the distance 'til the morning would truly be a complete game shut out or no hitter even, depending on how flawless it goes. But given where we currently are in this lofty goal to get them to sleep 12 hours by 12 weeks (thanks to some other self-righteous, highly-unrealistic book she reads that makes you feel inadequate if you don't hit the mark), stepping in to face the double-team alone and just going the distance of getting both fed and back to sleep seems like a major victory in itself...especially since life in general with twins seems like a constant series of daily battles won (or lost). And if and when I ever decide to take an entire night of feedings to myself, and IF I pull it off, that can be deemed pitching a complete game no hitter.

Anyway, back to my one shining moment...It was magical, I didn't see it coming, and I definitely did not set out trying to be heroic - after all, my mother-in-law was already spending the night upstairs and ready to help at the first sign of trouble. But at some point something majestic unfolded and I somehow fell "into the superdad zone". Everything came together and suddenly made complete sense, it was like the nature of the baby-feeding universe took over and I became one with it. While yes, some luck played a part and some pieces of the puzzle fell into place at the right time, I had to successfully orchestrate the effort and put all the pieces in place (or back in place as was the case at times - i.e. pacifiers, bottles, entire bodies that had fallen out of position in the bouncy seats).

What is that cheesy motivational saying about how "success is when preparation meets opportunity"? Well I guess I can kind-of identify with it now, although I still don't like the quote. Being able to "get 'em up and sit 'em down" was more about doing my scouting report and putting all the right parts in the right places to start making plays when the time came. Yes, there was a lot of "read and react" in my performance (i.e. which baby do you pick up to feed first), but none of it could have gone as smooth had I not done various advance preparations like having both bottles warmed and ready, burp clothes and bibs already hanging on the arms of the chair, and bouncy seats with pacifiers in them at either bedside as a just-in-case to name only a few.

But this is not to say it was without suspense, I had to work my way out of several jams - some of which seemed like with bases loaded no outs and the crowd, particularly the manager (Catherine) and relief pitcher (mother-in-law) on the edge of their seats (or top of the dugout steps) ready to bail me out. It was by no means a two-up, two-down (get it?) situation the whole way through, the opposition definitely made some noise and took their best swings at times. I did have to go to delivering out of the "stretch" a few times by feeding one while leaning over and consoling the other.

Several times the "manager" came out to the mound, looking to take me out in favor of rested relief (a.k.a. my mother-in-law laying down upstairs). At one point, in a very unorthodox move in baseball terms, the relief pitcher even came down out of the bullpen to check on me expecting to get the nod, but I was able to hold her off and send her back to the bullpen. And then in second unorthodox move, she decided not to walk all the way back to the "bullpen" but rather take a seat on the bench right next to the field (i.e. laying on the living room sofa downstairs in ready position to chip in or to just stay there until the next feeding). But despite all of this commotion and building pressure I was able to finish the job and get them both fed and back to sleep...and even better, at a good enough pace (< 1 hr) to allow me to go back to sleep before the next one (not always the case, sometimes it's hardly worth falling back asleep for 45 min hour before you got to start prepping for the next one).

So after this performance I was allowed to retire for the rest of the night uninterrupted...But the morning after it was all the talk in the local media, Catherine and her mom kept asking me exactly what I did and when and how I did it. But as I likened this to being "in the zone", I couldn't really describe it all to her much - it was just a blur of bottles, burps, paci's, and poots. Back to that saying about success being when preparation meets opportunity, well this was some hybrid of that where the perfect storm of timing, preparation and luck came together to calm the stormy seas of midnight feedings at the Walters house - at least for now.

Like any big breakout performance, the manager will now come to expect this out of me every time going forward. Wait, damn, what have I done to myself?...Maybe I should have taken the relief when offered, saved a little of myself for later in the season, and hit the showers early. Oh well, we'll see what I have left when I get the next call in the rotation...


(NOTE: I hope everyone is having a great holidays...I had intended to get a more comprehensive "what have we be doing, how are the twins" blog up by Christmas, but as you can see that didn't happen. So I figured I'd at least put this one from the other night out there for now and promise to have something else by New Year's - careful what you wish for though, I got a lot of material to report on since the last one)

More Thankful Than Ever...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, hope your travels to be around family and friends have been safe and rather uneventful - especially those that have had the pleasure of a full-body rub down by airport security, but who knows, maybe you enjoyed it. 

Anyway, as for the twins, the biggest issue they've both had is constipation, which has made for some interesting noises at times (out of both ends) and resulted in some adventures in anal stimulation.  That's right, after both of them went 72 hours without a poop (in her case 96 hrs), we decided to take matters into our own hands to provide them some relief.  Can't say this is all that surprising given that they are still on the high-calorie formula with a higher consistency that I imagine just packs up (and backs up) their system.  At first we took others' suggestions to add some Mylicon to their bottles, but turns out that is more for gas - which isn't really the problem, they both can be quite the little noisemakers when it comes to that.  What they need, but apparently doesn't exist (or at least isn't recommended for babies) is some good 'ole fashioned Ex-Lax to get things on the move.

But since that isn't an option, rectal stimulation was the next best alternative...The first attempt with the thermometer didn't "produce any results", so then I had the idea to step it up and try the turkey baster-like bulb intended for use in their nose (needless to say, we now have a designated one for the nose and then one for the rectum).  Well this had the magical touch, especially with it already squeezed down before insertion which added an element of suction to the matter.  So I'm proud to say that this procedure worked like a charm to "open the flood gates", especially hers.  

Ok, on a day when eating is the focal point, I'll leave the talk on this subject at that.  But I will soon be posting some highlights videos to show the struggles they have trying to pass this diet of heavy formula.  I could try to describe the moans, grunts, gyrations and even giggles after they squeeze out some gas providing some temporary relief, but I wouldn't do it justice so I'll have to let the videos tell the full story (stay tuned). 

In the meantime, I'll offer up a story from this past summer about a rather harrowing middle-of-the-night incident and the massive ordeal that ensued afterwards...so as you fill up on turkey, watch some football and relax among family (I know, easier said than done in some cases), fill free to read this over and give thanks that this didn't (and hopefully never does) happen to you.   In order not to take up so much room on this blog, I've given this story it's own blog site, click here to read. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all, obviously this one certainly lends new meaning to what being truly thankful is to us.  Rather surreal and remarkable that given where we were last year at this time that this year's Thanksgiving dream has become a reality.  So extra blessings of thanksgiving will be offered up by us today, and not just for the two little ones, but all of those around us who helped us get to this point.

Here are a few of our favorite recent photos, more can be found on the photo site.

Logan returning the favor by getting a lick in...

Our street this time of year, very pleasant to admire, but not to rake up...

Cheers,

Trey, Catherine, Logan, Cate, and Baxter

Settling In...kinda, sorta

Sorry, for the delay since the last update…needless to say, it’s been a little crazy since coming home and getting settled.  Well I shouldn’t say settled as I don’t think we’ll ever be that, but we are settling into somewhat of a routine.  But that’s not to say we’ve figured things out, we're still trying to come up with the winning game plan as to how to tackle the feedings.  We can easily (well I shouldn't say easily) run a man-to-man defense for the feedings, but when we try to go on the offensive (i.e. trying to take on the double-team by feeding them solo) it all falls completely apart - like when teams think they got the game under control and go into a prevent defense way too early, then feel the momentum beginning to shift, but can't switch back to the normal defense that was working before it's too late. 

As a result, we can't trade off on the middle of the night feedings or take turns alternating from night to night...unless we get the night nurse, which basically allows us to get a full night's sleep, (or at least Catherine does because she'll go to bed shortly after they get there, whereas I still can’t force myself to go to bed before midnight).  However, we're really trying not to get addicted to the drug that is the night nurse (for various reason$).  Although I will confess that the other night, or was it the morning (it all runs together, I think it was around 4:00 AM, which makes me wonder, is 4:00 AM considered night or morning?) we looked at one another, each of us holding a fussy baby that refused to eat, and without saying a word we both knew it was time to order up another ‘fix’ and schedule the night nurse for another night or ten.  

Another difficult aspect about feeding two versus one is that it takes twice as long.  So until we get more efficient, it seems like as soon as we get done with one feeding it is time to turn around and feed them again.  Literally, right now the full feeding process, which includes mixing formula/preparing bottles, waking them up, changing them, actually feeding them, burping them, usually changing them again (because apparently feeding gets their systems moving and they go while eating) and then getting them to settle back down, takes an average of an hour and a half…and they’re supposed to eat every three hours, so you do the math as to how much time we have in between each session (then consider that this happens eight times a day, or in our case sixteen!). 

So much for stockpiling supplies taken from the hospital carts…We’ve blown through all of the formula and are quickly depleting the diaper inventory.  We mostly have Cate to thank for this, not only does she eat (or drink really) more than he does, but she is already for notorious for waiting until she has a fresh diaper to really “relieve” herself.  Seriously, she seldom will maximize a diaper by doing both acts in one; she usually waits until we’ve changed a wet diaper before totally soiling another one.  We’re almost to the point we need to back off from going with an “all-you-can-eat” feeding strategy with her.  The higher calorie formula is thicker and must clog up their digestive systems a bit, thus causing some major gas issues.  They both do this, but she will strain and strain (I’m talking moaning, grunting, red-faced, and sometimes put both feet in the air) to get something out down there, but usually all it results in is a rather audible flatulation.  However, it is kinda funny in that as soon as she relieves herself, she’ll let out this satisfied sigh/giggle.

Otherwise, she is staying true to form as her low maintenance self, and he's starting to find his way a little bit more...helped by him realizing it hurts to haul off and hit yourself in the face, and it knocks your pacifier out, go figure!  Besides, he's got his sister to do that for him...

I’ll do my best to try and get an update on here every week…but be sure to check the photo/video website for pictures:  www.mixeddoublesmatch.shutterfly.com 

Home Sweet Home

Got an extremely pleasant and totally unexpected wake-up call this morning from Catherine after the doctor had been by her room to say that no longer the standard response as to when they'd dismiss her was "maybe tomorrow", but rather it was "definitely today".  Hallelujah! 

"Free at last", she exclaimed..Just when we thought the earliest we would be coming home was Wednesday, they tell us this morning we can check out around noon today.  Apparently at one point a nurse that hadn't checked the days' records to see she was leaving came to take her blood pressure but Catherine quickly corrected her and refused to allow it since the discharge orders were already processed and didn't want to allow them to do anything that could jeopardize it.

Driving home today with them in the car I started to ponder how many times I had driven that route the last month.  I really wish I knew (or maybe I don't), but I would guesstimate it to be 50.  Regardless, I know for sure that today it took the longest it ever has as I went at least 5-10 mph below the speed limit compared to 5-10 mph over, came to complete stops, and slowly crept over speed humps.  

So after 28 days momma has finally returned home to a lonely, confused dog, a relatively clean house, and a relieved, as-ready-as-he's-ever-gonna-get husband.  Ahhh the comforts of home... feather-bed mattress for her, HDTV for me, and playing DVR 'catch up' for the both of us.  I really was starting to have HDTV withdrawal, and my channel surfing reflexes never got used to not having a DVR at my disposal... constantly I found myself reaching for the 'pause' or 'rewind' button on the hospital remote with nothing of the sorts to be found.

The nursery, having been ready since Catherine got admitted, has been eagerly awaiting its inhabitants.  One positive aspect about being in the hospital so long is that it gave us more time to "stock up" on diapers, formula, and baby wipes by raiding their crib carts.  Furthermore, with having twins there are two carts to swipe the surplus supplies from...I almost think the nursery nurses know this is common practice and in our case they sympathize with the fact we're still there and thus overstock our carts even more so.

The big wild card about coming home was how Baxter was going to react to his new little brother and sister.  While I had brought home some of their blankets for Baxter to sniff out to get used to their scent, we still were unsure about how he would react not only to their arrival, but also Catherine's return.  Baxter has been known to hold a grudge on us if we're gone from him too long and although I had taken him to visit Catherine a couple times at a courtyard at the hospital, those visits didn't go over so well so we had no idea what his reception to them would be.

Turns out he was great, not only did Baxter greet both of them with a big lick across the face (which his mother didn't necessary approve of, but I thought why stop him from showing some positive affection we'd hoped for), but he also seemed to enjoy laying on the nursery floor while we were in there tending to them.  Then again, he usually responds this way when we return from a vacation by just laying contently on the couch, relieved to have all of us back in one place and a return to a normal way of life.  So we remain cautiously optimistic about how he'll relate to them going forward...He hasn't always been the best with kids, or at least not kids on bikes or playing with balls since he thinks it is his birth right to take possession of any ball he ever lays eyes on.

Although, there was one minor sign of Baxter's rebellion to them today when I had to go run out for some errands and leave Catherine alone with all three of them for the first time.  My errands run took much longer than expected as had to go to three different pharmacies in rush hour traffic to get her medication...So after about an hour she calls to check on my status and how much longer I thought I would be.  Basically, it was the first of what will surely be many calls to the essence of, "Where the h*ll are you? I got my hands full here and need some help asap!"  Apparently she was in the middle of calming down El Nino (that's what I'm calling the storm that is Logan right now), while at the same time hooked up to the breast pump machine when in walks Baxter with a Q-tip hanging out of his mouth.  One of his signature rebellious acts done mostly to clamor for attention is eating out of trash cans, particularly bathroom trash cans.  So when Baxter came strolling into the nursery with the Q-tip in his mouth there wasn't much Catherine could do...But it shouldn't be a big deal though, Baxter has eaten much worse out of a bathroom trash can (yes, those) and under the circumstances this was nothing worth worrying about at the time.  We just hope he doesn't escalate this to other, more major acts of tyranny to get our attention.  Stay tuned, sure to be continued...

Here are a few shots from our momentous day (more photos can be found on the shutterfly site here)...

Still here...(heard that before?)

Back to playing the waiting game, this time not on babies but rather Catherine's blood pressure to go down enough for them to let us leave.  They don't really seem worried, but because of that, which in some ways makes matters worse, each night they come in and tell us "maybe tomorrow" - or even sometimes "probably tomorrow".  Despite our contention that getting her back in her own home, amongst the lovely "nest" she designed, and laying in her own bed would be the best relaxer, they still want to keep her here 'til it lowers to a range of "comfortability"...And yes, I've asked if I couldn't just measure it at home and report it three or four times a day like it seems that's all they're still doing here.  (Other than watching and feeding the twins whenever we ask, which I'm already starting to really appreciate so I don't want to sound too negative about being here). Yes, I will say that having the nursery there to drop off them off to on occassion or, sometimes even more convenient, call and have them come pick the twins up is quite a luxury we are quickly learning to take full advantage of (particuarly the middle-of-the-night- feedings). 

Logan and Cate are great though...Their existence pretty much consists of eating, sleeping, and pooping - sometimes all three simultaneously.  I know, you say how could they do all three at the same time, particularly sleeping and eating?  But literally each one is known to fall asleep in mid-stride while taking down a bottle...then we have to jostle them in various ways (blow on them, tickle them, take off more of their clothes, etc) to wake them up to continue - which is also remarkable how they will come out of a deep sleep and go right back into full gurgling rhythm.  

So we don't load this blog up full of pictures (and to let you take a better look at them, since plenty have been asking), here is a link to a ShutterFly share site we created to see more pictures and occasional videos...

http://mixeddoublesmatch.shutterfly.com/

Over and out for now, hopefully the next post will come from back at base camp (aka center court, aka our house).

-TW

The Match is On...

Sorry, hadn't had a chance to get to this (or much else for that matter) since they were born...Obviously our hands (and hearts) have been rather full.  From what I hear though, there isn't a shortage of  information on them elsewhere in cyberspace thanks to some text/email happy grandparents.

I'm short on the time, energy, and brain power to try and poetically string these together, but here are some highlights from the first 48 hours...

• Logan had his first "water spout" as we're calling it and would have claimed his first victim had my mom not ducked out of the way just in time.
• Speaking of projectile surprises, Cate then one-upped her brother by blowing out a green grenade on one of the nurses while she was trying to change her in our room.  Not only that, but this was after she  already pooped on her once in the changing process.  The second blast literally splattered against the plexi-glass crib wall 8-10 inches away, full of sound and fury!  Looked as if artist Sydney Pollack was now incorporating purée'd collard greens into his wall art collection.
• Contrary to gender stereotypes and taking after his morther I guess, HE is actually the more high-maintenance of the two.  Logan will always let you know rather emphatically when his diaper is the least bit dirty, whereas Cate will contently sit in it for hours if left unchecked (which if she doesn't mind, then I don't mind and it's one less diaper I have to change).  Case and point, last night I got blamed for trying to avoid changing her diaper when it was discovered after I gave her up how dirty she was, but I really had no idea...seriously, she didnt make a sound and I didn't pick up a scent.  Going into this I had always teased Catherine that I would either plead ignorance on a diaper being dirty and/or hold off on reporting anything until the diaper was more 'dirty' than just wet (also meant to reduce the amount of diapers we blow through), but really this was neither of those diabolical plots.  Thankfully, later on I did get let off the hook when the same thing happened to Catherine after giving her up.
• They both are feeding ok, sometimes better than others...we did have to make the call to mix in some formula during a 3am reckoning the other night, just as much for our sake as theirs.
• Logan has his "nip/tuck" procedure in this morning...Having mixed emotions about this one, while I'm definitely in agreement to have this done, I'm having flashback to the feeling I had Baxter's jewels got chopped off.
• There is a chance of us being dischaged today (they're kinda leaving it up to us), but there is a lot to get done (and a lot to pack up) before that happens, so I say why rush it.  Plus, with me bouncing back and forth to the hospital for the last three weeks, let's just say I need a little more time to get the house back in order for Catherine's triumphant return.  Furthermore, with the round the clock nursing attention (for mom and twins), in-room meal service, and endless stream of baby supplies (diapers, formula, clean laundry, etc), we'd be wise to take full advantage of this and to stay until they kick us out.

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the first couple days...look forward to having them back in our nest, so we included a picture of the nursery that awaits, or "centre court" as I'm calling it given the title of our blog.

Thanks for all the well wishes, sorry we haven't been able to get back to many of you but your messages have been received and greatly appreciated.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words...

Stubborn Little Rugrats Already

Woke up this morning with full intentions of having these babies naturally (and by that I mean with meds but not by c-section), but after 12 hours of labor with little progress it's looking like c-section is going to be the course of action...Even more to her credit, she decided to stay the course after hearing the woman in the next room screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night as she went through labor without medication (which would have been plenty of reason for me to call an audible, but I would have already been lined up in the c-section formation so to speak).

After 12 hours of labor, two epidurals, one water broken, numerous and frequent contractions, and them being right at the doorstep, the babies still just don't have enough room to come through the door. So we're giving it another hour or so before we hit the crossroads of c-section decision.

The good news (not that any of it is bad really) is that the babies have done really well all day and momma has been a real trooper despite dealing with all the complications, frustrations and cords and cables hooked up to her. It's just a little disappointing, but we always knew this was a possibility, or I'd even say probability. Catherine (and I) wanted to give it the best shot to do it normally first - which she really has done. After all, and this is what we kept reminding ourselves of when she got admitted a few weeks ago, it's not like they were going to come easy, given what it took to get them here. But either way, the end results should be the same - two healthy babies and mother.


So please send good thoughts as the next 3-4 hours will be rather important and at the same time rather remarkable...be in touch soon, perhaps w/ photos!

-TW

Game On!

Well earlier tonight we got moved out of Advanced Base Camp (special maternity area) to the Hillary Step (labor-delivery area) as I call it to continue the Everest references.   To most people this where the summit takes place, but in our case it is the "on deck circle" since she'll be moved to an operating room for the actually delivery in case of immediate c-section.

As much as I complained about the comforts, or lack thereof, of our last room, I miss it already.  This one has a smaller, less comfortable bed for her, no refrigerator, and no longer even an imposter bed for me - just a club chair that supposedly reclines.  I keep fooling around with it thinking that it will recline more, but all it does is come apart in places leaving major crevasses and uneven cushions (if I can really call them that since they're certainly not "cushiony").  Not sure how I'm going to sleep on this thing, but hopefully we'll only be here one night.

Ironically this clip from America's Funniest Home Video's came on the TV just as we got in here (link)...Other than passing out during delivery, this embodies my biggest fear with fatherhood, or should I say the thing I look least forward to - and for us it is x2 with twins coming!

Not that I'm thinking going into it that there is a strong chance of me passing out - although I do have a weak stomach for needles and definitely any blood.  But that was one of the main things I was looking to gain out of the birthing class, just enough knowledge/warning to keep from passing out when the first one is born...or at least enough so that if I did pass out, I could wake up in time and make it through the second child being born.  So much more from that classes to expound upon, but for another time.

We'll do our best to keep everyone updated tomorrow, but doubt I'll get around to any blog posting...But perhaps, as tonight I'm going to sleep with dreams for tomorrow night of sitting back in a post-delivery room enjoying the sunset from our sky-line view while administering a baby his/her bottle as I administer to myself a celebratory bottle of something else.  Should this pipe-dream actually come to fruition, it truly will be my quintessential happy place...baby in one arm, beer in another, and jogging the days thoughts on the iPad in my lap. 

But enough about me, tomorrow's all about what's best for the babies and babies' Momma...Catherine has been incredible thus far (and I don't just mean over the last two weeks while here), and I have no doubt will be even more remarkable tomorrow as she brings these two highly-anticipated, tirelessly-pursued treasures into the world.  Much sincere thanks to all for your prayers and support in the past, present, and future.  While at times over the past three-four years we seriously doubted if this day would ever come, well here it is, and we really couldn't have gotten to this point without the love and support of so many around us.

Baby A and Baby B look forward to meeting all of you, and also ready for the world to come to know them by their proper names!

Coach, cheerleader, publicist, and Sherpa-

Trey

Come Monday...

(Quick update to this post: induction scheduled for tomorrow!)

Well this might happen sooner rather than later now, Nov. 1st as the induction/delivery date is now on the table and probably the leading contender. In addition to her various levels being elevated, Catherine's uncomfortableness is at an all-time high and patience with being here any longer at an all-time low (mine too). So where I researched the significance of Nov. 3rd, 4th and 5th, I now had Nov. 1st to look up...Above the trivial findings below, it turns out that Nov. 1st is All Saint's Day which carries some good meaning. I had always known of All Saints Day, but couldn't have told you where it fell on the calendar.

As for other significant events or people that share the same birthdays, here are the notable ones:

1604, 1608, & 1611 - Shakespeare apparently liked to debut plays on the first of November as Othello, The Tempest, and MacBeth all opened this day at the Globe Theater in London.

1938 - Thoroughbred race horse Seabiscuit's legendary defeat of War Admiral in the horse race billed as the "match of the century".

1941 - One of Ansel Adams' most iconic photos of the moonrise over a little Mexican village called Hernandez (click here to view it).

1968 - The Motion Picture Association of American institutes the rating system originally starting with G, M, R and X.

1982 - Honda becomes the first Asian auto-manufacturer to build it's car in the US with the Accord being built at a plant on Ohio.

Nov. 1st Birthdays: Gary Player, Larry Flynt, Lyle Lovett, Rick Allen (the one-armed drummer from Def Leopard), Jenny McCarthy. (I'd say there definitely plenty of room for a couple more on this lackluster list.)


When they first mentioned Nov 1st as a possible delivery date we couldn't help but think ahead to how that will play out with the kids having their birthday the day after Halloween. Initially we weren't too keen on the idea with the thinking that we didn't want their birthdays to always be overshadowed or dominated by Halloween.  Having all of us geared up for Halloween one day only to get ramped up again the next day for their birthday seems exhaustive (for them and us)...or, as I characterized it, it would be tough because we'd, yes me included, would be coming off of such a sugar crash from all the candy we just scored. I know how these thoughts might sound rather shallow and over-obsessive, but when you've been sitting around in the same hospital room all day for the last two weeks this is where our minds wanders to.

However, I will say that the notion of it turning their birthday at midnight on Halloween is a scary thought for down the road (i.e. College Frat parties or Widespread Panic concerts - yes, they'll probably still be playing then, maybe I'll go with them). I know, I'm sounding like a dad already - I can't believe it either, the notion of having my birthday at the stroke of midnight on Halloween would otherwise sound really cool.

Eventually we came to the realization that whether it is Nov 1st or 4th the birthdays will always be close and most likely connected to Halloween. So why not embrace it? Halloween has always been one of our favorite holidays, Catherine loves the 'treat' of going all out with costumes and I live the 'trick' side of scaring the bejesus out of people. So why not (especially with having twins) always be the ones to throw a big Halloween mega-monster birthday bash?!? To help convince us even more, the Modern Family episode that came on during all this deliberation depicts the same topic as the parents played pranks on their kids and created a haunted house for neighborhood kids to walk through when they came for their candy.

On a less practical but more philosophical note, with the fact that none of this really went according to plan from the moment we decided to have a family, it would be nice to have some say in when it actually happens. But on top of the realization that we'll have to embrace Halloween either way, it later occurred to us that ever since we first found out we were having twins, and definitely since we got checked into the hospital, getting to November (36 weeks) alone was always considered a blessing - regardless if it was the first of the month or not. After all, remember, I had always put the over/under on the birthdate at Halloween with a majority of people taking the under side of the bet, so to make the over (again regardless by how much), is an accomplishment in itself.

So with excitement, trepidation, and anticipation, we're preparing ourselves for 'game day' tomorrow...on my end this entails getting various necessities from the house, making a "delivery" playlist on iTunes, and reminding the nurses about our request for a sky-line view room. On her end, it's just a matter of getting in the right mindset, especially since right now the game plan is to delivery them normally with the option to call an audible at the line of scrimmage to a c-section if needed.

We'll try to keep everyone updated as things transpire over the next 24 hours, thanks for all well wishes and kind thoughts...perhaps by this time tomorrow our "mixed doubles match" will be underway!

One last family photo while it's just the two of us...

No News is Good News...For Now

Today marks Catherine's two week anniversary of being here (pardon us for no hoopla surrounding it - more bitter than sweet) and until recently there still was no end in sight.  However, once Monday comes we'll be at the 36 week threshold and her doctor told her today to start thinking about which day next week she'd prefer for it to happen.  So that not only gives us something to occupy our thoughts for the next few days, but also a little peace of mind that something is finally going to happen - especially for someone like Catherine who likes to precisely plan her way through life and always follow a course of action.  As for me, I kind of like the spontaneity of it all.  With us already knowing the sex of each, it would be fun to keep the element of surpise as to when they'll come.  But as I've come to learn through all of this (and will continue to practice heavily going forward) just go along with whatever makes Momma happy.  

But we are both ready to get the show on the road...With each doctor visit we try to coerce them into setting a delivery date.  Much like I imagine the twins will do to us someday, we try to play one doctor off another...for example, when the high-risk neonatal doctors say they will defer to our OB/GYN as to when to induce, we'll turn around and tell the OB/GYN that "our high-risk doctor said it is OK to go ahead and deliver if it's OK with you"...and vice-versa.  Hasn't really worked, but I do think they get the not-so-subtle hint that we are ready to get on with this thing.

While Catherine focuses on laboring and delivering two babies, my big focus will shift to working the nurses on how to book one of the rooms with a sky-line view in the post-delivery area...I mean, the fact that we've already been here two weeks and we're having two kids should count for something when it comes to a little VIP treatment, right?  Not to mention the fact that because it is twins we don't get to deliver in a normal delivery room with TV and stereo, we have to remain in a sterile operating room since the possibility of a c-section always looms.

Between her boredom at the hospital and my inability to focus on much else at work, we have done some digging on any significant “On this day” type stuff among Nov. 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th.  A majority of stuff that came back was presidential elections, but a few random historical events we found were:  Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb, Susan B. Anthony votes for the first time, the establishment of the National Security Administration, and the Iran hostage crisis.  And then some of the celebrity birthdays they might share are:   

Nov. 3^rd:  Rosanne Barr, Tyler Hansbrough, and Elizabeth Smart

Nov. 4^th:  Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid), Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, and Matthew McConaughey

Nov. 5^th:  Roy Rogers, Art Garfunkel, Bryan Adams, Tatum O’Neal, Johnny Damon

Jerry Stackhouse, Kevin Jonas, and Ryan Adams - how weird, both Bryan Adams and Ryan Adams have the same birthday!

I’ve give you a hint as to which date I prefer - the one without a Tarhole basketball alum birthday, but for other reasons too. 

Ok, signing off for now…look forward to seeing you sooner or later

Here to stay, playing the waiting game...

Sorry for the lapse since the last report – just nothing to report really.  But no news is good news actually…she’s doing fine and the babies are growing and remain rather active.   The good and the bad of all this it is that they’ll let her go on this track for another week or so…While we’re at 35 weeks and all should be fine if they came now, the longer they stay where they are the better.  The various doctors come in and basically tell her, “Just keeping sitting right there, keep doing what you’re doing (although that seems like absolutely nothing to her), and see how long we can wait this thing out...".

The longer we’ve been here, I’ll say that the place has become a little more like home, the room a little cozier, the rubber pillows a little softer, and now we’re on a first name basis with most of the nurses, particularly the room service lady (like we were with both the hotel and clinic staff out in Colorado).  One thing that helps is that from our stays out in Colorado, I feel we got pretty good at setting up camp and learning how to live out of a glorified hotel room.

As for me (not that you asked, and I don’t blame you), I keep bouncing back and forth from the house to the hospital, with her Mom and I taking turns spending the night…I guess this is good training for how to function on little sleep.  Funny thing is, she sleeps great every night…The nurse gives her an Ambien at around 10pm each night and she’s usually knocked within 30 minutes.  They really ought to offer one to the person staying the room with her on that thing they call a sleeper sofa - it slants one way, is loaded with pencil thin rubber pillows, and has a mattress covered in sweat-inducing pleather. 

We appreciate the visitation by many of you as boredom is her biggest frustration in being here…but at the same time, rest in a quiet room helps keep things in check as well. 

Over and out from base camp...keep you posted in case any news breaks, but hopefully not for another week.

Extended Stay

So it looks like I'll be here for a few more days if not more depending on decisions made Monday or Tuesday by the doctors. It was hard to hear at first since I had in my head I was going home today, but I now understand that this is where I need to be and safest for all three of us! And who can complain about getting waited on hand and foot!!

The weekend just consists of monitoring me and the babies. Everything looks great with the babies which puts us at so much ease for now! Good movement, heart rates, oxygen flow, etc. If I can just continue to get my blood pressure down (which it has been for the past 24 hours) and also other proteins.

Thanks so much to all of you have been in touch and sorry if I haven't been as responsive. Just trying to filter the constant nurse visits with some sleep if possible. Your prayers and thoughts are so much appreciated!

Be back in touch if we hear anything further.

Love-
Catherine

Latest Report...

All's well at the Walters' camp, which still remains at just the two of us btw - want to get that out of the way first.  Catherine stayed over at the hospital last night and probably will tonight (best case scenario) since some tests take a full 24 hours.  I stayed at base camp (our house) last night and will tonight so I can be rested up for a big, last work weekend at the track.  She's staying the in the specialty maternity area (a.k.a. the 'Hilary Step' as I'm calling it) in Room 868 if anyone wants to stop by.  Once I get through this weekend I'll be ascending to full-time Sherpa duties. 

For those not aware of how this all went down, we went in for a regular visit to our OB/GYN yesterday (which, to keep the Everest analogy going, I'm calling the Khumbu Ice Fall or Lhotse Face) and due to various pre-term labor symptoms indicative of preeclampsia her doctor admitted her to the hospital immediately for round the clock monitoring. It caught us a little off-guard initially because it was basically, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to the virtual holding tank for very-expectant mothers.  All looks good though, both babies (and mother) are very healthy and should they have to deliver them they should be fine...but they obviously want to keep them in there as long as possible, and are taking whatever measures to do so - which could mean up to a two week stay here depending on how tests look. 

We should know more timing and outlook by around 5pm today...so we'll try to keep everyone posted.

Signing off from base camp for now…

Sherpa Trey

 

Here we go...

Ready or not here we go! Some of my friends have convinced me a blog is a great way to share with others what's going on in our lives and somewhat reluctantly I decided to try it! I'm definitely not going to be the best at this but I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.

Today has been my first full day at home from work with this pregnancy and I'm already bored! Hence the reason for getting this blog going. Doctors have told me to take it easy from this day forward since I gained an astonishing 9 lbs. in 5 days! A bit much I would say. Everything looks good though while they were worried about preeclampsia but I think the swelling is just taking a toll on my body and will do so thus forward. It's not the most comfortable being 33 weeks pregnant but measuring about 43 weeks, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! We are so excited to welcome these children into our lives in the next few weeks. My goal is a November birth date but Trey is taking the under on that!

I'm attaching a few photos of a most gracious shower some of my friends put on for the twins a couple of weeks ago. The day was just perfect and amazing to share with those I love. I am so appreciative for all the prayers and support that have come our way. It all just hit me at the shower that this is really happening!