A Little TLC Goes A Long Way

I mentioned earlier that The E's attended daycare at Trinity Learning Center.  They started when they were 3 and left when they were 5 to start "big school". TLC has a wonderful Christian based curriculum.  They're not a babysitting service.  They make sure your child is Kindergarten ready.  Mrs. Betty & Brandy run an extremely tight ship so you can bet your child has the best care available! (Plus it has video cameras so you can watch your child during the day!! (Shameless plug: If you need childcare, contact them!!!  CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST CHILDCARE EVER

The kids even learned sign language!  By the way, I wasn't cheating.  I had a list of words they knew and was trying to read that while recording them.  Of course, Ethan had to let me know when I missed one on the list!

I have known, since birth, that Ethan was......particular? Is that the right word?  He had a very low tolerance for loud noises.  He liked things "just-so".  I even spoke to our Pediatrician about the possibility of him having some sort of OCD.  When they started TLC, I told the teachers about it.  He had a certain chair he liked.  It had HIS name on it.  There was a certain block he liked to play with.  Without knowing Ethan, I can understand you thinking that he was just a spoiled brat.  I promise you, you would have to know him.
As "school" progressed, Ethan did too.  His teachers would talk to me in the afternoons about how well he was doing.  Not that Emily wasn't, she was doing great!  Ethan was just....different.  He was moved to a more advanced table to see how he would do.  He did great!  He was learning beyond what they were giving him in class.  His teacher purchased a textbook for him to work on and he aced that too.  I can't remember if it was a K or a 1st grade book.  I went in one afternoon and his teacher said she had to show me something.  Ethan picked up a book, opened it up and was reading!  He was barely 4 years old at this point.  Since Amanda is a teacher, she picked up on Ethan being a little different right away.  She decided to do a little experiment with him.  She gave him her version of the Kindergarten exit exam.  This was prior to Kindergarten.  He aced it.
When Ethan was 5, the owners of TLC asked him to come to their Christmas play and read a poem about the Significance of the Candy Cane.

First Day of Kindergarten

NOW, back to Kindergarten.  During open house, I spoke to the teacher about Ethan's past.  I didn't want to come across as "that mom" that thinks their kid is smarter than everyone else's yada, yada, yada.  I just wanted her to know so she could let ME know her take on it.  It didn't take long.
A few weeks into the school year, I went to the school for a meeting with his teacher.  They wanted to try to do some "subject-acceleration" at first to see how he did.

For Reading and Math, Ethan would walk down the hall to a 1st grade classroom.  He was doing great there too!  In February of his Kindergarten year, his teacher gave him 3 tests.  Two were Early Skills Assessments broken into Math then Reading & Language, Grade K.

The next test was a 1st grade benchmark test, given 6 months into his Kindergarten year.

I wasn't "that mom"!  My boy was smart!  I don't know where in the world it came from but there it was, we just needed to figure out what to do with it!!!  Josh and I had a meeting with the Librarian, Principal, Counselor, 2nd Grade Teacher, 1st Grade Teacher, Kindergarten Teacher and a gifted learning lady from Central Office.  We opted for Ethan to take a test for Whole-Grade Acceleration.  The RIAS test was given.  There was a criteria list that he had to meet in order to move up a grade.  He met it.  Most of the test results were Greek to Josh and I.  We were told his I.Q. was 118, but not to put a lot of focus on the number.  We needed to look at what made up that number.  His test results showed his math and reading skills to be that of a child between the ages of 8-9,  or equivalent to 3rd-4th grade. He was in the 99.5 percentile for math and reading.  We had a decision to make.

(Below,  they are 5 years old here.  SO funny...)

I didn't realize the heavy feeling that was associated with this decision.  Mom's of multiples would understand where I'm going.  When they're born, they're forever linked together.  This would create a separation immediately.  They wouldn't graduate together.  They wouldn't go to prom together (not TOGETHER together, but at the same time).  They wouldn't go off to college together.  How would Emily feel about her brother leaving her?  I took all of this into consideration and we made the decision.  Ultimately, it wouldn't be responsible parenting if we held Ethan back from using his full potential.
Before the end of the year, the school had a talent show.  Ethan and Emily performed with Tonantzin and Charlie.  Tonantzin's mom, Yeya is absolutely wonderful with the kids!! They won 2nd or 3rd place...I don't remember!

.

Charlie Lee, Ethan, Emily, Tonantzin Galloway

Emily started 1st grade and Ethan started 2nd.  Emily did have some bad feelings in the beginning.  I understood that.  The last thing I wanted was for her not to feel good enough just because Ethan was advancing.  It's hard to convince a child of a difference when they're supposed to be treated equal.  She didn't have to share friends anymore though.  It was Emily Edwards!  Not Ethan & Emily all the time.  That helped. :)
Ethan continued on through 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Straight A's every year.  It came time for his 5th grade year of school.  The final one before middle school.  (Still, I can't believe he's going into 6th grade!!!)  Ethan has always been somewhat reserved, especially being the youngest kid in the grade every year.  He's told me every single year that he doesn't have any guy friends at school.  He has almost always hung out with his best friend, Kayla.  That's not a BAD thing, we absolutely adore Kayla!  He just didn't connect with the guys.  He doesn't do sports or Star Wars or Legos.....
He's always been worried people don't like him.  He came home one day and told me the 5th grade class had to vote on one person to be the National Peanut Festival Jr. Fire Marshall and that person would get to ride the firetruck in the parade!!!!  There weren't any nominations.  It was just a vote count.  Ethan won.  You should have seen his smile.

At the fire station, about to ride in the parade!

It gets better.....
The Academic Bowl was coming up.  This was a TOUGH competition with questions many of the parents looked completely blank on, including me!  But.....Ethan nailed it!

2014 Academic Bowl

I was visiting the school one day for something and his teacher asked if Ethan had "told me the news".  I hadn't heard anything new so I went to look for him.  When I asked him what she was talking about, he said "I got Valedictorian, Mom!!!!!!".  His friend Carrie Elaine received Salutatorian!  It was always a close race between those two.  She's definitely one to keep your eye on for great things!

Toward the end of the school year, there was a peer award called Student of the Year.  Again, the students vote for the classmate they feel best represents their class. The winner was announced during the graduation ceremony and Mrs. Maddox presented the trophy......to Ethan!!! I held it together until then.  I tried my best to keep it together but I just couldn't.  Later, several friends told me they were good until they looked at me or saw my shoulders move, knowing I was boo-hooing so then they started too.  *lol*

Right after receiving Student of the Year, he's smiling at me.

Ethan had his speech ready.  He presented it close to the end of the ceremony.  He did such an amazing job. 

I wonder what God has in store for Ethan.  I can only hope that he will continue to stay on the right path, stand on the foundation we've given him as parents and never forget what a gift he is to us, as well as so many others!

NONE of this in any way should portray the picture of us overlooking Emily and focusing on Ethan.  Emily has already been through the ringer with more that anyone ever should.  She is brave.  She is tough.  I would say that she's the only one like her, but considering there's another Emily Claire Edwards her same age and same grade at school, I have to hold back from that.  She is, however, MY Emily Edwards and although just 10 years old, I look up to her bravery and strength.  She is truly amazing.  As is Ethan.  Josh and I are beyond blessed to have been chosen to be their parents.

So, what's been going on with Emmy throughout all of this?  If it weren't for bad luck......

The Road To Pregnancy

This is a repost from Myspace in 2004.

A BRIEF HISTORY

After Josh and I were married for almost two years, we decided it was time to try for a family. I suspected it would be a difficult task, and I couldn't have been more correct! Thinking it was just me, it turned out it was both of us!! We began with a series of tests they commonly conduct with couples just starting the infertility route. Since we had been married for two years and had not become pregnant, we didn't have to wait the standard "6 months of actively trying". We immediately found out that I do not ovulate. So, we tried 3 months of Clomid which did not work. Next, we scheduled an HSG to check my tubes for blockage. Though I've read it's supposed to be "minor cramping", I came up off the table it hurt so bad!! I was unable to go through the HSG which resulted in a laparoscopy in April 2002. Dr. Beverly got rid of a minimal amount of endometriosis and noticed there was some scar tissue build up from a shunt that was placed after my brain surgery in 1997. Otherwise, my tubes looked fine and I was ready to go to the next step. The next step was to test Josh. After doing his "test", we found out that out of a minimum standard sperm count of 20 million, Josh had a mere 3 million. It turned out that Josh had a varicocele (enlarged varicose vein in testicle), which is fairly common. Josh had a Varicocelectomy with some beneficial results. His count went from 3 million to 17 million. Finally, in May 2003, we started a series of subcutaneous shots called Follistim. The purpose of the injections was to rapidly stimulate my ovaries to produce follicles. Once enough follicles were mature, an intramuscular shot would be given to actually make me ovulate. This was to be coupled with Intra Uterine Insemination, which ended up failing the first time we tried it. Though Josh's count had gone up after surgery, it had gone back down to a mere 8 million on the day of our inseminations ( I think his boys got nervous *lol*). With Josh trying to go to school and work AND the two year mark approaching, I was seriously thinking of just quitting. I didn't want to go through this for years and years and years and go broke in the process. In June of 2003, I had one of the most vivid dreams ever, but it was very simple. It was that Josh and I finally were able to become pregnant, we had twins (a boy and girl) and their name were Ethan and Emily. After thinking LOOOOONG and hard about it, we decided ONE more try. Since Josh was in clinicals, we had to wait until his semester was over. So in August 2003, we began Follistim injections again. The following is a timeline of the second IUI using Reproductive Biology Associates in Atlanta (Dr. Andrew Toledo), and it’s obvious success!!


***IN THE BEGINNING***
(I have deleted a lot of the daily numbers and estradiol levels.  You guys don't care about that stuff!)



DAY 2 AUGUST 15, 2003
Ultrasound, first shot of Follistim at 150iu, Estradiol level 52

DAY 6 AUGUST 19, 2003
Ultrasound showing 12 follicles. Follistim at 225iu. Estradiol level 37

DAY 8 AUGUST 21, 2003
Ultrasound showing 16 follicles. Follistim at 300iu. Estradiol level 69

DAY 12 AUGUST 25, 2003
Ultrasound showing 22 follicles on each side. Follistim at 225iu. Estradiol at 585. Mild right ovary pain.

DAY 15 AUGUST 28, 2003
**It’s Time** We wait for my friend Victoria to give birth to her baby, Paedon Eric. Once he's here and we know everyone is ok, we head to Atlanta at 5:00pm. HCG shot at 11:00pm.
DAY 16 AUGUST 29, 2003
Insemination done at 11:00am by Dr. Toledo. Shopped at Perimeter Mall!
DAY 17 AUGUST 30, 2003
Insemination done at 11:00am by Dr. Park. Went to Six Flags. SERIOUS ovary pain.
DAY 18 AUGUST 31, 2003
Home from Atlanta (sure didn't want to leave The Cheesecake Factory!). Now it’s the waiting game……

DAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2, 2003
Put on bedrest for hyper-stimulation of ovaries

DAY 28 SEPTEMBER 10, 2003
***POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST*** HCG=29 Progesterone=16
I wasn't supposed to find out until September 11 but I didn't want to find out on "THAT" day. Without anyone knowing, I decided to call the doc and see if I could come early. I went first thing before work on 9/10 and had my blood drawn. I called a few hours later to see if the results were ready. They were acting weird and said they would call me back. Not 2-3 minutes later, the office calls me back and they're on speakerphone. (?) I heard them say "Allyson, are you sitting down?" I started getting nervous and almost crying while they were just dragging it out. You could hear all the girls in the background giggling. Finally they said "Girlfriend, you are PREGNANT!!!" Immediate reaction was to scream! *lol* I started crying my eyes out. My boss ran in from his office (the owner of the company was in his office too!) as other people heard me scream, they came in too. I told them the test was positive and it's like everyone nearly burst into tears! (All of my co-workers as well as all of the wonderful women at Women's Medical Center had become so involved in my ordeal that they were as happy as I was!!)
Once I calmed down, I went into the WDJR studio and told Skip I needed to do something to tell my mom! He decided to call her and act like she had won a contest. She was so sick of telemarketers and thought that's who he was that she almost hung up on him!! She eventually caught on and probably was more relieved I was pregnant than having to deal with another telemarketer. *lol* Skip did a great big congrats on the air for us! The problem with that was....I hadn't told Josh!!! People were calling me and telling me they heard it on the air and then I was in a panic! JOSH! *lol* He was just about to get out of class so I ran to the store, bought some receiving blankets and a card. I put them in his truck and on the card I just put a big smiley face. When he called a few minutes later, he was just a giggling! All he could say was "ARE WE?!?!?". I started crying, he almost started crying.....it was the happiest I had ever heard him. Mom came to work and brought me cupcakes, cake, flowers. Josh came in with flowers and the biggest smile in the world!!! From there, I sent out an ePregnancy announcement and called everyone.
Though the test was positive, we had to wait for a few consecutive tests to make sure everything was going to be consistent. It turns out, we got pregnant twice! *lol* When they do IUI, they do it two days in a row to increase the chances. Well, ours took both times! So, Ethan is "technically" two days older than Emily though they'll obviously both be born on the same day.
DAY 30 SEPTEMBER 12, 2003
***SECOND POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST*** HCG=106 Progesterone=19
DAY 31 SEPTEMBER 13, 2003
Started bleeding and continued for approximately two weeks.  
(*Note: we later found out that I was pregnant with a third baby but it was so early, it didn't survive.)
DAY 32 SEPTEMBER 14, 2003
My sister, Kristi, found out she’s pregnant and due the same day!! (Ansley Brooke)

DAY 34 SEPTEMBER 16, 2003
Bryson Christopher Sowell born to Chris & Tori Sowell (9lbs 1oz)

DAY 35 SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
My brain surgery anniversary marks 7 years
HCG=352 Progesterone=21.08
DAY 38 SEPTEMBER 20, 2003
Went to Auburn to visit Frank & Dena

DAY 50 OCTOBER 2, 2003
***T W I N S ! ! *** Progesterone=22.93 Ultrasound
It was another one of those exciting days! Josh's sister, Whitney, went with me to the doctor on this day. I wasn't aware I was supposed to bring a tape with me to this ultrasound. The girls in the doctor's office found one for me. We settle in for the ultrasound and Kay starts looking around for the baby. She finds him/her and says everything looks good. I say "Ok, just one! That's fine, we can do that!". She just kind of smiles and keeps looking. Then she says, "Allyson, I want you to look right here. Now look right here." More giggles.....*lol* I find out there are two babies, not one! I told Kay we needed to go get Misty (from the lab) and Leigh Ann (my nurse). So, she attempts to open the door and the two of them fall into the room! *lol* Everyone starts laughing and smiling and looking at our two babies. It was another wonderful day.
On my way to work, I called mom and tell her we have twins. She says no, we're having one. I said no, we're having twins. She says no, we're having one. *lol* Again, she caught on and took a biiiiig deep breath. Keep in mind, my sister is pregnant too. Three babies due on the same day to my parents' two daughters. *WHEW* I called Josh and it was the same as last time. When I didn't think he could be any happier, he found out he was going to be a double daddy! He was actually at school when I called and told him. He just repeated "Twins?" and I heard a hall full of his classmates start clapping and cheering for him. Another crowd that knew what we had been through and what all this meant to us. He immediately left school, picked me up from work and we went to lunch at Grate Things. Our phones didn't stop and he called almost everyone in his phone book. *lol*
DAY 51 OCTOBER 3, 2003
Josh had his wisdom teeth removed!!! Our neighbor, Dr. Davis, is also the oral surgeon that did the surgery, so we got extra special "next door neighbor" care! Dr. Davis is a super great guy. We like him & Georgianne a lot!

DAY 62 OCTOBER 14, 2003
Mom and I met with Lisa, the Educational Nurse at Women's Medical Center, to get family background and reading material
DAY 66 OCTOBER 18, 2003
Went to Auburn to visit with Frank & Dena

**THAT’S THE END OF THE FIRST TRIMESTER!!**
The first trimester was relatively busy. You can’t truly accept a pregnancy until you’re out of the first trimester. Even then, there’s always the possibility that something could go wrong. I felt pretty positive the entire time-something told me this was just going to happen. There was no question about it. I don’t know if my dream in the summer had something to do with it or not. I didn’t doubt anything, I just accepted what it was.
Health wise, the first trimester was smoooooth. I had no morning sickness and gained only 2 pounds. There were no complaints-except for the extreme amount of exhaustion. I could barely keep my eyes open and I slept as MUCH as possible.

***THE SECOND TRIMESTER***

Always the boring one. Not much happened during these three months. On December 15, we did find out we were having a boy and a girl. Even though we were very excited, it didn’t really come as a surprise (reference back to the dream before I got pregnant). To me, it only confirmed that everything was going as planned.
At the end of the second trimester, I had gained a total of only 12 pounds. Not bad for twins, eh? At each doctor’s appointment, the ultrasounds showed perfectly healthy babies that were growing on schedule. Ethan was always stretched out from head to toe, which made it difficult for Emily to even move. She pretty much stayed in a ball the entire time!!
Since we thought I would be put on bedrest early, the girls at work decided to go ahead and have my baby shower. It was on January 24, 2004 and it was absolutely WONDERFUL!! We have everything we could need (we could always use more diapers!!).

DAY 123 DECEMBER 15, 2003 (17 WEEKS)
**Found out we’re having a boy and a girl!!**

DAY 167 JANUARY 28, 2004 (23 WEEKS)
Came home for lunch, as normal, and found that I had a blood pressure reading of 210/104. We rechecked it several times and eventually called the doctor. I had to go in immediately. That day, I was put on bedrest (at 23 weeks) and also put on Aldomet (methyldopa). Worked like a charm! I had to start a low-sodium diet so I gave mom TONS of food out of our cabinets and started all over again! DAY 174 FEBRUARY 4, 2004 (24 WEEKS)
Ultrasound showed the babies weight at 1.6lbs (Emily) and 1.9lbs (Ethan). Perfect weight for their age. Both were moving like crazy and the U/S tech had the hardest time keeping up with them! I also did my glucose test on this day and somewhat failed. My sugar was 135 so somewhat borderline. He didn’t make me suffer through the 3 hour test, but told me to stay away from sugar. HORROR!! NO MORE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM! He might as well just have taken away Wal-mart, it was the same feeling.

***THE THIRD TRIMESTER***

Ahhhhh…I'm remembering the first trimester all too well now. The second trimester brought a renewed sense of “I can still do anything”. The third trimester reminds you “No-No sister, you better calm that butt down.” On February 22, 2004 I started week 27, which is the first week of the third trimester. Exhaustion sets in again. Around weeks 25 & 26, I was sleeping 16 hours a day. I don’t need to get used to that. But lately, more people have been calling and coming by so I make sure I’m up and dressed by a decent time. Adel (my neighbor) and my mom have decided to double-team me to make sure I’m eating right and taking it easy. Adel has always been a fabulous cook and I would stay pregnant forever if it meant daily meals from her!!! *Heeheehee* Mom comes by several times a week to bring me a stack of newspapers. It’s actually pretty exciting-I look forward to those days. I just sit back, enjoy my cup of chai and read.
As far as fetal movement goes-WOW! Emily has been moving but she’s…..gentle. Ethan? Forget it. He’s all about getting the most room and making SURE I know he’s in there. Remote controls, phone, newspaper….doesn’t matter. He’s going to kick the stew out of it. Poor Punkin-no telling what he feels when he lays on my stomach. Of course, the purring probably soothes the babies.
It’s getting so much harder to move around, especially during sleep. If something falls on the floor, it’s pretty much going to stay there until 1. Josh gets home or 2. I manage to pick it up with my toes! TOTALLY unlike me! Walk….err….WADDLING has set in finally, as well as a constant pain/uncomfortableness in my upper abdomen.

DAY 200 MARCH 1, 2004 (28 WEEKS)
Appointment with Dr. Beverly. Gained 1 pound in 1 month for a total of 13 pounds. C-section scheduled for May 11, 2004 but Dr. Beverly assured us we would never make it that far! Scheduled an ultrasound for next visit. Lifted bed rest a tad but not much.
DAY 205 MARCH 6, 2004
Today, I packed my bags for the hospital. Twins are so unpredictable that we have no idea when they are coming. We thought it would be best to get as prepared as possible! (Actually, it was just a way for me to get back to Walmart, for the THIRD time this week!) heeheehee
DAY 210 MARCH 11, 2004
Whitney’s 18th birthday was this week. We all went to Mikata’s Japanese restaurant for dinner. Nean’s(mom) birthday is this Sunday (3/14) and PawPaw’s birthday is next Friday (3/19)! WOW! Grandma Ruby says it looks like my belly has dropped. We’ll see what the doctor says next Wednesday! What I DO know is that it’s getting more and more difficult to walk/breathe/move. I actually got stuck in the recliner the other day and Josh had to come pull me out. I also found out today we’re having two more baby showers! One is next Tuesday (3/23) from SAMC-Cardiology. The other is the first weekend in April and it’s given by Grandma Ruby’s work.
DAY 216 MARCH 17, 2004 (30 WEEKS)
Today’s doctor’s appointment was rather uneventful-which isn’t a bad thing. Emily’s weight is 3.9lbs and Ethan’s is 3.12lbs. I’ve gained another 3 pounds for a total of 16! Next appointment is March 29.
DAY 222 MARCH 23, 2004 (31 WEEKS)
Today was the baby shower for SAMC-CARDIOLOGY Department! It was so beautiful!! There was cake, fruit pizza, nuts, chip/dip, punch and chocolate strawberries! TONS of diapers too!!! I was so excited! We got lots of great gifts and some really cool stuffed animals! We didn’t need any clothes for Ethan but Emily got some precious dresses!! Looking forward to my last shower, coming up on April 4. (This is the day I REALLY wanted to go into labor since it will be 04-04-04!) Goofy, I know! Oh, I’m going to highlight this because I’ll never believe it and I KNOW no one else will: I OFFICIALLY DREAD GOING TO WALMART. Not because I hate it, but lugging these two babes around in my belly is getting to be a little much!! Not to mention the fact that the LAST place I ever want to go into labor is Wal-mart. *lol* Leg cramps have really set in, as well as several Braxton Hicks contractions. Josh and I go to bed every night hoping that night will be the night. He is SO ready for these babies to get here I think he’s getting a little restless!
DAY 227 MARCH 28, 2004 (32 WEEKS)
Today was the Azalea Dogwood Festival. It was such a beautiful day, Josh and I decided to ride the trail and go to the park. Since we live so close, we walked up. We sat and listened to music and watched a karate demo. It was so nice. The walking obviously threw my body for a loop because I started having some light contractions. They felt like Braxton Hicks, but they were every 5-7 minutes. After about 5 hours, Josh decided I needed to go to the hospital. Since I was only 32 weeks, they gave me an IV and drugs to stop the contractions. That was the best sleep I’ve had in a while!

DAY 242 APRIL 13, 2004 (34 WEEKS)
Ultrasound. I am measuring 45 weeks!!! I have gained 3 pounds since my last visit, for a total of 24 pounds.

At my last appointment, two weeks ago, Ethan weighed in at 3.12 pounds. He's now 5.7 pounds. Emily weighed in two weeks ago at 3.9 pounds. She's now 5.2 pounds.
Though they obviously can't breathe yet, the ultrasound showed the lungs making the breathing movements. They look for this at this time to make sure they aren't under duress. If the babies aren't attempting to make these movements now, there tends to be a problem. But our babies are just fine!
Both babies are still head down with Ethan presenting first. On the ultrasound today, Ethan had his hand laying on Emily's head, almost like he was hugging her.

Dr. Beverly was still in absolute shock. He laughs every time he comes in and sees it me sitting there, knowing I made it another 2 weeks. He tells me every time how much I amaze him, especially when he measures me. *lol* 45 weeks? Like he says "You got a lotta baby in there"......almost 11 pounds of baby actually! He still doesn't think I'll make it to 36 weeks, but my next appointment is at 36 weeks (April 29). In the meantime, he thinks I'll go into labor. But if not, he's just going to let me go and see how far I can get. If I haven't gone into labor by May 11th, he's going to induce me on the 11th.

DAY 255 APRIL 27, 2004 (36 WEEKS)

Yesterday, I was having a severe pain on my left side. I was told by the hospital that it was just round ligament pain. I thought it hurt way too much to be that though. Josh and I were kind of hoping that "this was it". We went to dinner at Red Lobster and then decided to go to Walmart and just walk. And walk. And walk. For a solid hour and a half, he made me walk. *lol* Halfway through our walk, I lost my mucus plug. Was it working?!?!?! We kept walking. Eventually though, we decided to go ahead and go home and do the "wait and see" thing. At 2:55am, I woke up and was about to roll over when BAM!.....my water broke. I knew exactly what it was, without a doubt. I woke up Josh and it was craziness from there on! See, it wasn't typical water breaking.  The bed was covered in blood. We started calling a few people on the way to the hospital. Once I arrived and was checked out, Dr. Praful Patel informed me that I had still not dilated past 2. Instead of just my water breaking, my placenta had started to separate from the uterus. If I had tried to deliver, it's possible I would have hemorraged SO the doc opted for a c-section. There were two problems with my pregnancy because of my brain surgery.  They didn't want to do it natural because the intense pressure I would have to put myself through and I had a very sensitive noggin.  The second was the concern with the shunt and if it were accidentally cut during a c-section.  Basically, I got the babies in there, now how were we gonna get them out?!?!?
At 5am, we were told they were going to go ahead with a C-section. At 6:00am, they were rolling me into the OR to get me set up for my spinal block! Josh and my best friend Dena (apparently she FLEW the two hours it takes to get from Auburn!!!) came in while they were getting me prepped. At 6:46am, Ethan was born, followed by Emily at 6:47am. I heard them both cry but then the room got really quiet. I asked Josh what was wrong and he only told me "Nothing." I KNEW something was wrong though. Come to find out, Ethan had stopped breathing. They rushed him to Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery, Alabama (2 hours away).

He was transported by ANGEL ONE-an awesome ambulance you definitely need to read about. I didn't get to hold him or touch him.  They brought him to my room in an incubator and he had an IV in his forehead. I stuck my finger through the hole and could only get the blanket.  Delivering two babies and only bringing home one broke my heart.  I thought about him in Montgomery in the NICU without any of his family and having everyone's love but his moms.  I wanted to be the first he bonded with. Thankfully, Josh's parents went to Montgomery to be with him and later in the week when I was better, Josh went up too.  After staying in Montgomery for over a week, Ethan was finally able to join Emily at home! He's doing wonderfully and growing so much each day!!

1st Birthday Celebration

Mommy & Daddy Got Into A Cake Fight

Notice.....Ethans arm, Emilys head, like in the ultrasound.

May 6, 2004 Post Op Check Up
I went in today to see Dr. Patel for my Post Op Appointment. I had gained a total of 24 pounds in the pregnancy. A little over 1 week after delivery and I had already lost 26 pounds. WOOHOO! The incision is looking good and everything is just dandy!

SIX MONTHS LATER:
Emily was apparently born to follow in her mother's medical footsteps.  Aside from being born with a birth defect (heart murmur) like me (too-muh) , she also had a broken left leg like me!  When the E's were 6 months old is when it happened.  Emily was in the doorway playing in her Johnny Jump Up.  Ethan was in his walker running around the dining room.  He headed toward Emily at full speed and the bottom of the walker ran into her leg.  She whimpered a little here and there but she was so young, we couldn't tell if something was actually wrong.  Josh took her to the ER and this is how she came back.

We had fun with them the first few Halloweens:

NOTE:
 In the summer 2007 issue of Conceive magazine, we were featured in an article.  I tried to scan it but it just didn't turn out well. If I can ever get it to look decent. Ill post.  Essentially it says the same thing Ive already written.

The Introduction

How many times do you change the very first sentence you write to someone?  Do you go with the first instinct or do you sit and think about the perfect thing to say to grab attention?  I've been sitting here thinking....."Ok, do people REALLY care what Im going to write? Do I care if they care? Who am I writing to and what am I writing about? Does it matter if I offend or should I speak my mind?".  You know, those kinds of things.  So with that being said, I shall start......

Who I am.  I am the mother of boy/girl twins and they are 10 years old.  I live in Alabama and I love the South.  I am a wife of 14 years to a man 8 years younger than I am.  (Yes, you would be correct in assuming there's a heck of a story there.)  I am a stay-at-home mom who has recently taken on the task of homeschooling.  I believe in God but I also continue to question more than I should. That doesn't mean I don't believe, it means I need to work on having more Faith.  Im 100 pounds overweight and that thought absolutely consumes me.  I love medium-rare steaks, salads, almost anything chocolate, gummies, vacationing with my family, a freshly cut yard and laying my head on my husband's chest at the end of the day.  He can tell you that it is hands down, my most favorite place in the whole wide world.  He's heard it for 15 years.

 And.......I just turned 40. 

Turning 40 wasn't so bad.  I've loved my birthday for as long as I can remember.  When I worked, I never worked on my birthday. As a teenager, my mom would always take me to "The Garland House" and have Chicken Salad with Fruit and Peanut Paradise Pie.  Good memories.  Good food too.  The Garland House closed several years ago, much to the disappointment of a LOT of people.

So, that should touch a little bit on the basics. Randomness to follow.....