Ready or not, here they come! (Birth Story)

We arrived at the hospital at 7:10am on Sunday, October 25th!  We were scheduled to be induced and we had officially made it to 37 weeks and 5 days... the longest that they would allow for us to stay pregnant, for the safety of the babies and myself.  My parents were already there in the waiting room; that's right, they had actually beat us to the hospital! :)  Our room was ready and awaiting our arrival! I immediately changed into the flattering hospital gown and bright yellow slip resistant socks (I changed my socks closer to my delivery thanks to my little sister that gifted me with much more pleasant looking ones at the hospital) :) 

When we arrived we were already 4 cm dilated but I was not in any discomfort that signified active labor so we had no idea how fast the Pitocin would take affect on my body or the pain level I would be at.  We had the Pitocin flowing by 8:30am and my epidural was in by 9:45.  I had a GREAT anesthesiologist!  I was told all I would feel was 'some pressure, a pinch and a cold sensation' and that is exactly what I felt.  Don't get me wrong... I was so very nervous and just the thought of the epidural had my stomach in knots, chills running down my spine and tears forming in my eyes but I'm positive that was just me being struck with the reality that these sweet babies were, indeed, on their way!!! :)  Although we had no issues with the actual epidural, we quickly realized that adjustments were needed to the amount of medicine I was being given.  I normally have a great pain tolerance so when my pain was at a 6-7 with the epidural already in, Mike knew to call our anesthesiologist.  I quickly went from small, random contractions to very strong, rhythmic contractions.  My family was fantastic!  They kept me hydrated and as pampered as possible!  And as expected, my sisters kept the laughs coming :) 

At noon, my doctor came in to check to see how far along I was and it came to a complete surprise that we were already at 7-8 centimeters dilated!  We were progressing quickly and wonderfully!  The girls were good and it wouldn't be long before it was time to head to the O.R.!  We did have a couple of issues along the way that included a latex allergy of mine that we had to KEEP reminding our labor nurse of and even after all of the reminders, she STILL administered a latex catheter in me only to realize it 5 minutes later.  This required her to pull out the latex one and insert a non-latex one.  :( OUCH!   Also, at one point my blood pressure got very low and we had issue with our nurse tending to it before I found myself dizzy and nauseous.  Mike was so great to going and grabbing doctors and nurses whenever he or I had any bit of a concern.  He was amazing and so calm... at least in front of me! LOL!  I can only imagine what was running through his head and heart in the hours leading up to the sweet baby girls! :)  

By 2:15pm my doctor and labor nurse checked me and, with surprise in their eyes, said that we were a full 10 centimeters dilated!  I was in absolute disbelief!  I was amazed in my body and what God allowed for it to do!  I was also proud of the girls for being so strong and perfectly calm in the hours leading up to being 10 centimeters dilated! :)  We immediately did a couple of 'practice pushes' with our labor nurse to see if we were, in fact, ready to push and we sure were ready! :) 

Since we were adamant on having these sweet girls vaginally, my doctor scheduled to deliver us in an OR just in case we had issues with Baby B and needed to get her out quickly.  If need be, my doctor could immediately do an emergency c-section in the room we were already in. 

We were already planning on taking pictures of the delivery but our anesthesiologist did us one better and snagged the camera from us and played the role of photographer so Mike could be in the photos also!  I did not realize how amazing that really was until I looked back through the pictures and was able to see that not only was he able to capture the wonderful memory of Mike standing by my side, holding my head, motivating the heck of out me and the cutting of the cords but he was also captured different 'angles' of the delivery that I know Mike and I would not have thought to capture!  I am forever grateful! :)  Do not let the smiling face above fool you... I was so full of nerves, anxiety and fear!  If you look, I practically have my nails digging in Mike as I'm clinging to finger! LOL!  

As soon as we entered the OR everything moved very, very quickly.  There was a total of 15 or more people in the room at any given moment.  This including my doctor, assisting doctor, RN's for me and then the NICU nurses for the girls.  I'm sure it was a combination of nerves and medicine but I was shaking uncontrollably and this wasn't bettered by the fact that the only part of my body that could be covered was my chest.  So one of the RN's laid 3 heated blankets over my chest while they prepped me further.  

Puuuuuuuuuuuuuush!!!  Sweet Baby A, soon to be Mikayla, is ready and waiting for a little help by way of a contraction and some pushing.  I remember going through the motions as the nurses and my doctor were encouraging me to 'PUSH' but the entire experience was surreal!  It was almost like an out of body experience!  I remember feeling some pain and a lot of pressure.  Two contractions later, I remember Mike looking over my knee and with tears in his eyes whispering, "she's almost here".  With one more contraction and three more pushes, our sweet baby girl was here!  I remember feeling a slight tug and a release and she was out.  I felt like a silence fell in the room, which I'm positive was all in my head, and then I heard it... it began as a whimper and lifted to her first cry.  Along with her first cry was my cry!  It was the most beautiful and angelic sound I had ever heard.  Mike was given the opportunity to cut the cord and then she was taken to the side to get her vitals checked and all cleaned up! 

Mikayla Mae Gonzales

Born at 2:53pm

5 lbs 14 oz

19-1/2 inches long

I was gifted with a short break in-between the girls that Mike took as an opportunity to whisper sweet nothings and words of thanks, to me, for our first sweet little girl.  Baby B's, soon to be Audrey's, sac was ruptured and all we needed was the next contraction.  I still had monitors on me to monitor sweet Baby B and one of the nurses had placed her hand directly under my ribs, on my stomach, and applied a great deal of pressure to help restrict the space.  This was done because there was concern that now that Baby A was out, Baby B would take advantage of the space and move upward or, even worse, flip!  She was still head down and then... nothing.  NOTHING.  For some unforeseen reason  my contractions stopped.  I saw the immediate concern in my doctor's voice and the worry in his eye that I read as the very real possibility of having to have a c-section to safely get Baby B out if we didn't push her out very soon.  I looked at my doctor and told him, "we're NOT doing a c-section".  In response he said, "okay then let's see you push" and that's just what I did.  I "dead pushed" over and over; fighting against my very own body that was not doing anything to help.  Mike was encouraging me and was doing his best to talk me through it as he saw that I was battling my own body.  With the assistance of two different sized suction caps, three separate attempts to affix them onto her little head, my doctor's arm wrist deep in me trying to grip her head and additional oxygen being given to me because her oxygen levels were getting low... we were making progress!  I remember feeling almost a 'pop' like feeling which was her head coming out and then she came right out with another push!  She did not immediately cry but her expression said it all!  She was my 'furrowed brow' beauty!!!  Before being pulled to the side like her sister, Mike cut the cord and gave me kisses of thanks and gratitude!  

Audrey Grace Gonzales

Born at 3:12 pm

5 lbs 6 oz

19-1/4 inches long

From that point on... my heart no longer resided in me, but rather, in these two little girls that were made perfectly by the grace of God.

BUMP... ("Catch Up Blog Series")

My sweet husband thought this picture was just brilliant!  :)  This was two days before we were scheduled to be induced.  We had finished with our final appointment and were leaving one of our last lunch dates as a family of 2! :)  I had begun to heavily spot after my appointment (specifically from finding out how much we were dilated) and had 100 things running through my mind!  This comedic relief is exactly what we needed :)  Oh... we were 3+ centimeters dilated! WOW!  I was still just as determined to hold these babies in until Sunday, two days later, which would put the babies at 37 weeks and 5 days; and would also ensure that my doctor would deliver us at our chosen hospital!

My Family Baby Shower ("Catch Up Blog Series") :)

Polkadots... Flowers... and Pink, OH MY! :) 

Blessed beyond blessed!  I cannot begin to put into words how grateful, loved and wonderfully joyful my family has made Mike and I feel!  We were completely overwhelmed, in the best way possible, by the outpour of love and gracious hearts of our closest family and friends!  

The shower was thrown by one of my sisters, my parents and my mother-in-law!  

My day started with my "little" making me 'oh so pretty' by doing my hair and my makeup.  

Mike and I showed up a bit early to get a sneak peak of everything before guests began arriving and before we shuffled all of the boys out to enjoy the afternoon having some guy time rather than holding them hostage at the prettiest and pinkest baby shower! :) Haha! Upon arrival to the restaurant where my sister and parents had selected to have the shower, I was immediately brought to tears by all of the very obvious hard work that had been put into the making of decorations during the weeks prior to the shower and then all of the time and effort  in readying the room that day!  The attention to detail and the amount of sweet, meaningful touches is what sticks with me still. :) 

Another really precious detail was in the dessert!  They chose to do an array of beautifully decorated and deliciously wonderful cupcakes!  I loved this detail because I prefer cupcakes to cake any day :) and because we actually had wedding cupcakes rather than a typical wedding cake when we got married!  

Gifts Gifts Gifts!  Oh how blessed Mike, the girls and I are!  We received some great necessities and a lot of wonderfully pink and precious clothing and accessories!  

Seeing double!  The amount of matching outfits we received was wonderful and I can't wait to see our twinkles in them!!!  

My aunt gifted the girls with these PRECIOUS Snow White outfits that she purchased from the Disney store!  They are beyond precious and I can already see our dark-haired beauties in them! :) 

Books Books and Books!  Oh how I love children's books!!! :) 

These turtles are especially cute and precious!  My mom gifted us with these because she knows Mike's love for the Ninja Turtles and this was a perfect gift that I could live with for the girls! :) Haha! 

 My mom spent hours upon hours making these little girls an abundance of headbands!  They are incredibly detailed and have matching flowers/adornments on them!  I cannot wait to see their sweet little heads rocking these great headbands! :) 

Haha!  "Grandpa" even got in on the fun! :) 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

My sweet sisters and my momma!  I do not deserve the love and attention that they give to myself and these girls.  It makes my heart smile at the thought of my girls in their arms :) 

Be Still My Heart

Oh how I love this man of mine...

We are down to our final days of being a family of two and I am trying to sneak as many kisses and enjoy as much quiet, down time with the hubs before our angel babies arrive! 

36 Weeks... Beautiful Miracles

36 Weeks

What an amazing blessing!!!

How Big Are the Babes? - Oh my goodness!  We are excited and still in disbelief at their size!  Ms. Mikayla is 5 lbs 11 ounces and Ms. Audrey is 5 lbs 8 ounces!!! :) We have been praying for these sweet girls to be at least 5 lbs at birth for our entire pregnancy, though we realize that this is just an estimated weight, we are elated and find comfort in knowing that they are so very healthy.  

Total Weight Gain - 14-15 lbs

Stretch Marks - Shhhhhh.... NO; none as of now!  I'm scared to even say that out loud! :) I continue to lather this big belly with my Avon lotion, Bio Oil, Mustela Lotion, Baby Oil Gel and Bath & Body Works body butter :)  Seriously, every time I'm in the bathroom or walking through our bathroom, I slap one of these products on my belly :)

Belly Button... In or Out - Out.  My belly button 'turkey timer' says that these babies are finished baking! :)

Maternity Clothing - Yes!  I live for leggings these days!  I am officially on bed rest so I am able to wear work-out clothes and t-shirts during the day.  I still throw in my pre-pregnancy shirts, skirts and dresses into my wardrobe but my jeans and leggings are maternity!  

Sleep - With the exception of waking up every 1 1/2 -2 hours to go to the restroom, I sleep pretty well.  I like random afternoon naps... those are the best and I'm very aware that afternoon naps will be nonexistent once the girls get here so I definitely enjoy them now! :)

Best Moments this Past Week - (1) Finding out how big Mikayla and Audrey are | (2) Meal prep and baby prepping with my momma :) | (3) Hitting the 9 month mark (36 weeks) when even our doctors weren't sure if we'd make it to 34 weeks! | (4) Actually booking our delivery date ( OCTOBER 25th)... if they don't decide to come sooner :)

Movement - YES yes YES yes YES yes!  These girls are doing cartwheels, body rolls, kicking each other, all the while kicking me, every day!  They are very active all of the time :)

Cravings - No cravings... I do still LOVE ice cold water and I've actually been wanting to munch on just ice too! :) 

What I Miss - (1) I miss being able to get ready in 10 minutes easily!  Now I can't just "throw on" anything due to the fact that this belly doesn't fit into just anything :) | (2) I miss being able to physically move as quickly too!  I can't even get up from a seated position in one clean swoop! LOL :) | (3) Since it is officially Fall, I am definitely missing a common guilty pleasure of mine around this time of year at Starbucks... Pumpkin Spice Latte! Those seriously taste like "Fall in a cup"!!!  

Medical Updates - These baby girls are doing wonderfully!  As mentioned our girls are pushing 6 lbs! :)  This is wonderful news and a true blessing!  We have prayed for them to be at LEAST 5 lbs to minimize the chance of them needing to go to the NICU and to ensure their health/development.  We can see that both of our sweet girls have beautiful long eyelashes, long hair and plump little lips! :) We have been monitoring their hearts for about 4 weeks now because twins are at a higher risk of congenital heart disease, which was something we were not familiar with, but their little hearts are wonderfully strong.  Both girls are head down... WOOHOO!!!  Baby A is much lower and stretched out but we're still very glad that their heads are both down.  

How is Daddy? - He is absolutely amazing!  He has definitely been my rock!  I am continuously checking on him and trying to get a feel for his stress, worry and anxiety level but he's always cool as a cucumber!!!  I'm pretty sure he is the epitome of a duck right now! :) Haha!  You know... calm and relaxed on the surface but moving and hustling like crazy under the water. :)  He has built and personalized so many different things for the nursery!  I cannot wait to share all that he has done.  He constantly checks on me and wants to do things for me... If only I wasn't so stubborn! :)  I am at the point where I do not have the choice or option to do some things on my own (I.e.: lifting heavy groceries, carrying dirty clothes baskets to the laundry room, reach the bottom of the washing machine to pull out clothes to put in the dryer, vacuum, even driving is uncomfortable at this point) so I'm left with no other option but to ask hubs for help or assistance! O_o LOL! He is ALWAYS touching my tummy and I absolutely love that!  The girls seem to love it to... I swear as soon as his hand is on my tummy they start moving and kicking! :)  It melts my heart :) xoxoxo Thanks to God for a spouse and best friend like him!