oh what a dear...

Can I just say...Carrie is the best night nurse on the 3rd floor of the women's & children's building! She gave the boys their first bath after they were born. I loved her for taking the babes for a few hours each night and bringing them back for feedings encouraging us to catch a few hours of sleep...She took great care of Patrick too...she brought him towels, sheets etc for his stay on the blow up bed ... he sure was a trooper camping out with me during my stay. We really wanted to bring her home with us!

meet Jen.. one of our favorite nurses at Fairfax Hospital!

oh, how we LOVED Jen! She was such a sweet nurse...we spent much of her time in our room laughing histerically...she loved on the boys as if they were her favorites during our entire 4 day stay! Although, she did make fun of me daily (in a kind way) because I had requested a stomach binder immediately after my c-section. I guess it isn't typical for a new mom to be MOST concerned about her waist line! Well, leave it to me to want to get slim and trim right off of the operating table! So, I had myself fitted to one in the recovery room...Thank goodness for Dr. Nies who ordered one for me! Jen would help me keep it as tight as it would go day & night! I wore that thing day & night until it unraveled! It was disgusting... now I stick to/and have confidence in the invention of Spanks & the hitting the gym several times a week! Someday just someday I might return to at least a resemblance of what I used to look like. I know, I'll keep dreaming!

two of our biggest heroes...ever!

During our hospital stay at Fairfax Hospital the boys got to meet their "maker" (literally..HA)! We are so incredibly lucky to have worked with The Muasher Center... over the years they have become a very important part of our family. The climate in the office is not that of a typical doctor's office... patients receive a special/one of a kind patient centered medical care. We would have NEVER gone anywhere else. After several rounds of IVF & losing our twin boys in 2007 their team never gave up hope that we would get pregnant again... so their visit to meet the boys was a very special moment for us! I don't really think that they realize how important they are to us and will be to the boys. Colleen was fabulous throughout the entire IVF process...she became a great friend, later spending a lot of time checking in on me throughout my months AND months of bed rest. The entire staff from the receptionist to the embryologists became a huge part of our support system through all of the daily visits, blood work, results, insurance battles, treatments & emotional ups & downs - their friendship and thoughtfulness made the journey a safe and comfortable one. I wish there was a way to ultimately repay them...that I think would be impossible.

in the recovery room...

oh henry

daddy holding sullivan

our little sugars are really here!

Henry 5 lbs 4oz Sullivan 5lbs 14oz

This picture was taken right after they were born & after all of their vitals had been checked. I was still on the operating table attempting to watch all of the happenings on the other side of the room. At delivery the boys didn't have names...we still used "baby a & baby b" - we were still trying to make our decision...wanting them to have JUST the perfect names! I love how big their diapers look compared to their teeny tiny bodies.

meeting our little men for the first time...

This was the most amazing moment...meeting our little guys for the first time after such a long, long, wait. Little did they know how many people were awaiting their arrival waiting to love on them.

a day in the life of bed rest...

I always laughed while on the monitors and that frequently got me in trouble. They made me eat fyi... they said it would make the babies move more during the stress test.

Patrick trying to escape - somehow I don't blame him!

My job was to just sit there covered in ultrasound goo.... at least it was heated.

My nurse Christine checking on baby A and baby B! I was always nervous for the report! I was actually nervous for 37 weeks & 1 day. leave it to me...

Well incase any of you were wondering what an outing looked like for me now you may have a good idea. Each week I would visit Fairfax Hospital for a non-stress test, weight check, ultrasound and doctor visit. These are a few pictures from a typical appointment. Patrick missed maybe two appointments the entire pregnancy... what a great guy considering I had often two appointments per week!