The Price is Right Game Night! Milina is the Winner!!!

Since I haven't been called yet for my chance to go to the Price is Right in person, my sweet, awesome, wonderful, etc sister-in-law Jill surprised me with a Price is Right game night last night! She really did a great job preparing for it. She tivo'd the game show for weeks to get the ideas for the games...ha ha I secretly made you watch without even knowing! It was GREAT! My father-in-law Doug was Bob - not Drew - sorry Drew! He said he was Bob because he had the same color hair as Bob. My mother-in-law, Susan, was the Barker Beauty. Jill was Rich and said what everything was. Then all the rest of us were contestants. The first thing to bid on was a diamond ring which Darin won because he saw the card with the price somehow. He got to play hole in one...or two. He didn't win. Sorry Darin! Then the next prize was an I-Phone for 299. Everyone else overbid and I bid 199.00 so I got to go up and do the next game. I kissed Bob on the cheek! (my dream - to kiss Bob on the cheek) Mine game was Punch a Bunch! One of my favorites because I am a Taekwondo instructor and I love to punch, plus you win even if it is only $50.00. My other one is GAS MONEY because you can win a car and money!!! On my first punch I won 500.00 and I threw it back and got 50.00. I of course threw it back too and then the next one my father-in-law said that I could take that one or he would double the amount that I get on the next one so I took the double and the one I gave up was the 10,000 one. I won 2,000 though! Yeah! To bad it wasn't real money huh! Then, there was a bike to bid on and something else. Jonathan got to go up and so did Patrick. I can't remember what Jonathan played but Patrick could either win a car, a trip or money. He had to choose #s and under that number was either the front and back of the car, the top or bottom of the plane or $$. He ended up with money! But at the end of the day I was the one with the most money so I was the first contestant for the showcase and Patrick was the other one. The first one was 3 trips to great places but I passed because I could never find a babysitter for 3 long trips nor would I want to be away from my beautiful twins that long! So Patrick bid 23,???. My showcase was a Toyota and a 2007 Shelby convertable silver mustang. I asked the audience what I should bid and then came up with 107,318. My showcase was 147,000 but Patrick's was 20,800 and was over so I WON!!! I didn't get both showcases but I did win and it wasn't rigged! Wow!!! It was so much fun and I want to thank my wonderful sister-in-law Jill for thinking it up and preparing it and Michelle and Susan for their help with the games! I HAD A BLAST!!! Thanks Jill!!! Oh, I forgot, the best part was I got to win while holding Adam in my lap and having Mia beside me! I couldn't do that if I were really on the show! I am still waiting for the call and hopefully they will call soon! I don't know when or if I should give up but I know this whole experience has been a huge thrill and I would love the chance of a life time to go but if it doesn't happen I had a blast with the family last night!!! Do have a great family or what!?!?!? I am truly blessed! :)

I Survived the Triple Threat!!

Last weekend was the annual Hotter than Hell 100 bike race in Wichita Falls, Texas. This was our (Patrick, Kati, and myself) second year to participate. The main event is a 100mi road bike ride through Wichita Falls and surrounding towns. There are however 2 lesser advertised races during the weekend, a 12ish mile mountain bike race and a trail run consisting of 13.1 (1/2 marathon) a 10K and a 5K distance. Somehow we got the wild hair to compete in the Triple Threat which combines all the races into one event. Very few do all 3 races in fact out of 14,200 participants in the Sat ride there are only around 100 people that brave all 3 races. Friday 6pm you compete in the 12ish mi mountain bike race then wake up nice and early on Sat to ride the 100mi road race and if that wasn't already enough you get up early again on Sunday and run the 1/2 marathon trail run. All your times are combined and a total time is given. Here is the breakdown of each individual race.

Mountain Bike finish time 1hr9min - Fri 6pm 12ish mile Mountain Bike race - A great mountain bike trail consisting of some tight turning flat sections and some very near vertical drops and ascents of up to 8-10ft. There was also a bridge section which was a man made elevated platform/bridge up to 6ft high 4ft wide and extending for about 100ft. There were a few stream crossings and obstacles both man-made and natural to add to the excitement. I took a nice header into a tree while trying to duck under a large limb stretching over the course. I though for sure I would be buying a new helmet because the hit left me slightly dazed for about 10-20 sec. Overall a nice course and very fun and a comfortable pace as the next morning's 100mi was in the back of my mind.

Road Race finish time, pedaling 6hr6min, total time 7hr33min total - This year the race didn't live up to it's name of Hotter N' Hell, it was more like the Milder N' Hell. The high for the day was 92deg and it was probably in the low to mid 70s when we started. A perfect day for a bike ride, even a 100mi bike ride. The only negative side was that cool temperatures brought out more riders bringing the total entrants for all distance to just over 14,200 which is 2,000 more than last year. My goal for this year was to finish in roughly the same pedaling time but less total time and stop less often. Last year I stopped at 4-5 rest stops this year I only stopped at 3 and not for nearly as long. Overall a more comfortable ride than last year partially because of the weather and mostly because I was far better prepared both for the distance and as far as hydration and nutrition are concerned. I think I could have definitely pushed harder and only stopped twice, once at 60mi and then again at 90mi but I wanted to make sure my legs still had some life for the next day.

Half Marathon Trail Run (13.1mi) total time 2hr28min - I was pleasantly surprised that when I got up Sun morning I was not really sore. I did however have a very sore Rt knee that started on Saturday around mile 20 and persisted the rest of the 100miles. I was somewhat concerned Sat night that the pain would be worse the next morning and then coupled with sore tight muscles I would be unable to run. The race was supposed to start at 7am but due to a high degree of disorganization and confusion among the race volunteers and the race director it started at 7:30 with runners still scratching their heads as to where the turn around points for the shorter distances would be. Luckily for us you just keep running and never turn around, it was basically a big loop. This was my first 1/2 marathon distance run which coupled with doing it over rough terrain, i.e. the mountain bike trail we rode Friday evening, made me a little nervous. I was pleasantly surprised in that my knee tolerated the entire run as long as I did not make a long stride. The only time I stopped was at 2 aid stations to get a quick drink of cold water and a few wedges of oranges then right back to running. I finished just a few minutes behind Kati which always makes me happy when I am close to her when finishing a run.

Totals 126miles either pedaling or running in 10hrs total work time, 4500calories, and 29,800 pedal strokes.

Milina Stoddard, You're the next contestant on the Price Is Right!!!

Hopefully, my lifelong dreams will come true! Saturday, I (Milina) went to Carpet One in Hurst to audition for The Price Is Right game show which I have been watching since I was a baby. It started off with my Granny Hensley letting me watch it with her and now I watch it with Adam and Mia every day. I record it on my dvr every day just incase I miss something and need to go back. Almost, everyone that knows me know that I watch it all the time. That was one of the things I looked forward to the most when I left the work place to work from home. For Christmas, my sister-in-law, Jill, got me a t-shirt with their logo on it. Which turned out to be a good thing because I was able to wear it to the audition.
So, Saturday morning I showed up at 10:00 and there was already a long line waiting for them to open up the doors. I was the 311th person there. We waited in line for about an hour and a half and then got to go in and audition. They have chairs set up like you're in the audience with a stage up front. Then a guy from CBS11 TV would call out #s and when they called your number you got to very enthusiasticly run up on stage and talk to a camera and tell them why you should be the next contestant on The Price Is Right. This is really big for me because I get really nervous in front of people. I'm not a public speaker - at all!!! I really couldn't tell you everything that I said but I know I said that I wanted to spin the big wheel and win both showcases! I am good at that from home. I usually bid within 250.00 at least once a month which is what you need to win both. While I was auditioning the guy didn't ask me the questions that he asked others like what game to you like the best or how will you respond if you get a phone call back. While sitting there you could tell that people really didn't watch the game show because they couldn't even name any games and didn't know much about the show. Most of them just said that they wanted money, a new car, or to go on a trip to get away from their kids for a while. (which I think is really sad) My favorite game is a new one called Gas Money where you could win a car and money! I also would have said that I love Punch Out because I am a Taekwondo instructor and I wanted to show them how to really punch for money! Anyway, I had a great time even if I am not one of the 3 that get chosen and flown to LA. One of those gets to have their named called to "come on down." I so wish that could be me. I was very happy though because Jonathan brought the twins up to watch me a little while before I got to go up. That was amazing having them their and showing them off to the ladies that were in line with me. Thank you to my wonderful hubby for bringing them up there to watch me! I had a blast and I will let you know if I get "The Call" or not. Let's cross our fingers!!! I want to hear, "Milina Stoddard, your the next contestant on The Price Is Right!!!"

Disco Triathlon Recap

Fortunately the triathlon mishaps for the day occurred only before the race not during but a big mishap it was. My front wheel flew off it's rack while driving to the race at 5:30am. Too dark to look for it but tried with no success. Thankfully Patrick was able to drive up and put his front tire on my bike as the swim start began. Milina's parents came to town Sat to visit the twins and see the race but mostly visit the twins. This is the first race the twins have come to and I was able to carry them across the finish line, this highlight of the race.

Swim -500yd (450m) 9:25min 11th place out of 44. Lake open water swim with a mass beach start. I was a little worried after seeing the number of people in my division Males 30-39, which is typically a large division. I will often hold back a few seconds to allow the main group to start to avoid any needless kicks to the head but didn't this time. I only suffered a few small kicks to the arm. This was a relatively fast swim as the water was not all that choppy and the sandy beach made exiting more comfortable than concrete boat ramps.

Transition 1 - 3:20min Average time in T1, boy was it nice to see a tire on the front of the bike. I was imaging completing the bike portion like a unicycle. It was a long run from the beach exit to the transition area though which added a little time.

Bike - 17.6mi avg 19.2mph 55:02min 22nd place out of 44. Great road condition with mostly flat smooth road. There were a few hills and some of the descent or as bad as North Texas gets. The weather was near perfect for the bike ride. After 9 or so days of triple digit temperatures I was dreading the heat during the race even with a 7am start. It was low 90's with a slight breeze.

Transition 2 - 1:04min Probably my fastest T2 ever partially because it was only a spring distance race I didn't need to bring any gels or anything like that on the run and I knew the run was mostly shaded so no extra water either.

Run - 5K 3.2mi, 27:34min with a 8:54/mi pace 27th place out of the same 44. It only took about 1 mi to break into a good pace and get my legs used to running instead of cycling. From there it was actually a nice comfortable run, mostly shaded on paved running trails. Definitely felt like I could have repeated the run portion of the race a second time without difficulty.

Final Time - 1:36:23 placing 26th out of 44 in my age group and 155th place out of 420 participants

Leaps and Bounds

Sorry for another long drought of information on the twins and their progress. They are so much fun to watch as they learn new things. So here we go
They discovered their feet a few weeks ago which aided greatly in Mia learning to roll onto her stomach from her back. Adam took a little longer than Mia to learn the rolling from back to stomach trick I say because he has about 3lbs on her it takes more oomph to get than weight shifted over enough to roll. They are really just now deciding that lying on their stomach is really not that bad and will stay there for several minutes before the crying starts. Last week they started rolling back over onto their back but have not really mastered that enough to do so at will.
They make the most interesting and funny noises which is a personal favorite of mine. Mia has mastered the girly, squeally laugh that when coupled with a big smile and sparkling eyes would brighten anybodies day. Adam has perfected the art of the raspberry and especially mimicking raspberries. If you make a raspberry noise at him he raspberry right back at you just with a little more slobber and spit bubbles involved.
They are starting to put some weight on their toes and try to stand but still need someone holding them up.
We are going to Milina's family reunion this weekend and will have lots of new pictures to add to the gallery.

It's true! They grow up way too fast!

As of last Thursday, Adam found his feet and now loves to play with them usually when he is in his swing. Friday, Mia rolled over for the first time. I was on the computer with her beside me lying on her back and the next thing I knew she was not happy and I look down and she was on her tummy crying. She has since rolled over 2 other times, once yesterday and once today. Adam isn't rolling over just yet but if you put him in his crib on his tummy he will raise his head so high that when he shifts his head he rolls over onto his back. It is really fun to watch but only on a soft surface of course! I can't believe that our little ones are getting so big already. Time flies!
The twins have been enjoying their walks around the neighborhood at night. They usually fall asleep which is great for mommy and daddy so that we can get them to bed sooner. They have been eating around 10:00 to 11:00 at night and sleeping until 5:30 in the morning! They also have been sleeping in their cribs at night!!! Mommy and Daddy are happy to finally get some quality sleep in their own bed instead of one always being upstairs with the babies.
Adam and Mia have also become quite the talkers. Adam has learned how to mimic some sounds/noises, so we take turns making noises back and forth. In the mornings they are both very happy when they wake up and spend the fisrt 10 min or so talking to us and each other.

Fueled by TWIN POWER!!

5/25/09 was the Capital of Texas Triathlon in downtown Austin. I turned in a personal best time for an Olympic distance of 3:00:39, my goals was around 3:10.00 and my previous personal best was 3:06. Considering I put in far less training than I ever had leading up to a race I am more than excited. It was a fast course though compared to other races I have participated in. Here is the breakdown for the race.
Swim -29:14min for a 1500 meter swim which is slightly less than 1mi (.97miles). the swim was in the river than goes through downtown. 68deg water temp which is wet suit legal. I contribute a faster swim time to my first time wearing a wet suit and a friendly current. The first portion of the swim was against the current for about 600M and with the current for about 900m. This was also not as violent a swim as some in the past. For those of you who have never swam with several hundred people at a time swimming truly can be a full contact sport. I have never broke the 30min mark on the swim.
Bike: 1:18:23 for a 40K bike ride, avg 19mph. Very fast bike course, it was 4 laps of a 6~mile loop up Congress by the Capital. The first 2-3miles was either gradual or not so gradual up hill then about 2-3miles of nice fast downhill. Turns were a little tricky though due to congestion from countless other cyclists all making the same turns at high rates of speed (23-24mph on some). Good bike course for spectators because you can see your friends/family several times throughout the course. Unfortunately we didn't have a cheering section so I just imagined everyone was cheering for me. Only bad thing about a fast bike course is you have a tendency to race too hard which affects the run later on. This is about 4-6min faster than my normal pace
Run: 1:04:52 for a 10K, or 6.4 miles. The run was a 2 loop course of 3.2mi per loop also through downtown. A few moderately challenging hills which always seem to come when you are the most tired. The run course was fairly exposed to the sun. There were a good number of aid stations with plenty of water to cool you off. The nice thing about a 2 lap race is by time you finish the first lap and start the second you have a list of mental landmarks throughout the course to keep you motivated and pushing at the appropriate pace. This is exactly the time I was expecting on the run as I did not prepare as much as I would have liked to. This time is about 8min slower than my previous 10K race time of 56min.

Transitions: My only complaint about the transitions was the large size of the transition area. There was a several hundred yard run into transition from the swim and then again on the way out to transition to the bike. You can not mount your bike until you leave the transition area which leaves you running in you cycling shoes on sand and pavement for far too long which greatly slowed my transition time. That being said I had a 4:22 min transition from the swim to bike (T1) and then a 3:45 min transition from the bike to the run (T2). That was a respectable T1 and about a 30sec slower than I would have liked T2 time.

For race pictures click here http://www.asiorders.com/choose_name.asp?EVENTID=46372&LAST=stoddard&DIVISION==

New Found Respect for Batman

This weekend is the Captial of Texas Triathlon, CapTexTri, in Austin. Patrick, Dallas and Myself are racing and for the first time Patrick and I will be in the same age category. The water temperature is currently 68deg, yes that is cold. I knew it would be a colder swim so I bought my first triathlon wetsuit, an Orca Equip Tri Wetsuit. I put it on for the first time and must say I feel somewhat like a superhero, Batman in particular as the wetsuit is black neoprene. It took about 15min to put on and I even attached pictures for those of you that would like to see me as my superhero persona. I wearing it as I type, sweating like a pig and wondering how I will ever get it back off. So next time you see me if I am dressed all in black annd look like a less buff version of a superhero it is becuase I couldn't take it back off.

Hello Sleep, Oh How I Have Missed You!!!

The twins had their 2month appt this morning and they are doing great. Adam weighs 12.5lb and Mia 10.5lb. They are still underweight for a 4month old which is to be expected. Adam is in the 90the percentile for the preemie scale and Mia is in the 50th percentile for the preemie scale. Basically they have gained weight and are slowly catching up to what they should weight but have a little way to go. Best news of all is they can go longer at night in between feedings. I have been averaging 5hr sleep/day and Milina around 4-5hr/day. It is amazing we are not comatose. Now we will feed them at 11:30pm and then again at 5:30pm which means one of us goes to bed at 10:30 and sleeps until 5:30 and the other goes to bed at 12:30 and sleeps to 6:30. I am not sure how my math skills are since I am still sleep deprived but that is 6-7hr sleep/day, Hallelujah!!!!!
I have also posted some new pictures of the twins. Boy they are happy little babies. Not that they don't cry but only when they are hungry or tired basically. They both have smiles that can melt your heart. They love to go on walks and get to about 4X/week. When we go on walks they look around at everything they can. Mia is especially fond of her father and seems to like male voices over female voices, her mother is the exception of course. When a guy holds her she sill stare intently at their face with this adorable little smirk like she is in a staring contest.

Baby Blessing This Weekend

The twins will be blessed in church this weekend and there is an open invitation to all those who would like to attend. It will be on Sunday May3rd at 1:30 (best to arrive about 10min early) at the following address. Our Sacrament meeting which is the main service is from 1:30-2:30 and invite all who come for the blessing to stay the hour.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
7600 N Beach St
Ft Worth, Tx

Of course all those who have noticed sudden onset of the ability to seek out truffles, a desire to bathe in mud, recent espisodes of rooting in the ground, development of cloven hoofs, or other swine flu symptoms may come at your own risk. You may however become the main dish at a Luau in honor of the twins later that day.

All Smiles and Laughs

The twins continue to grow and learn new things. Mia has become quite the photogenic little girl as you can see from the new photos. She even looks like she is trying to push Adam out of the way to hog all the limelight. Both are becoming quite the happy little babies. They entertain themselves better. Last night Mia woke up around 11:00 when I was trying to get Adam back to sleep. Instead of crying immediately like they used to she stared at the fan smiling and laughing until she smiled herself to sleep. There is nothing like their smiles and laughs to melt a heart. Both are putting on weight, Adam is around 12 1/2 and Mia around 10 1/2. Adam is catching up to ideal weight and Mia is still underweight but it is good to see her closing the gap between her and Adam. Mom has been coming over each Fri night to pull nighttime twin duty and let Milina and I sleep. We have become soooo boring that when we have a night off to do whatever we want the first thing on the list is to go to bed at 9:30 and sleep until we wake up which is usually around 7:30-8:30.

Pictures with the Easter Bunny!

Today, the twins got dressed up in their cute little Easter outfits that Lana Lowry and her daughters bought for them. Mia's dress is white with pink ribbon details, a pretty pink bow in front, and a silky diaper cover. Adam was wearing a yellow button-up shirt with blue and plaid overalls. After they got dressed we took them to Walmart to have their pictures made. This was their 3rd trip to Walmart and probably many more to come since I love to shop at Walmart. The line to wait for the pictures with the bunny was only about 1 or 2 other kids in front of ours, so not long at all. They did very well with the Easter Bunny unlike me with Santa Claus when I was younger. They even looked happy to be there. The fuzzy bunny probably felt like their really soft blankets that Aunt Audrey bought them which they love! We will scan the pictures tomorrow night and post them on here also. Tomorrow they get to find their Easter baskets at their Grandma's house. Grandma will hide a bag or basket of goodies for everyone to go find. Of course, Jonathan and I will help them find their baskets as we look for our own. They also get to see how many little peanut m&ms they can find hidden around the house. What fun huh? Thank you to everyone for keeping up with the twins! They are very precious to us and we love to share them with you. Happy Easter Everyone!!!
Yea, I have learned how to post! I am not as funny as Jonathan is though, so mine won't be as fun to read. oh well!

3 months old and all smiles

I realize that I am very slow to update the blog and will be showing Milina how so maybe there will be more consistent updates. The twins continue to grow and reach new milestones. The news we are most excited about is that Adam's feedings are now every 5 hours and Mia's are ever 2 1/2 hours. Mia was on every 4 but she would spit up so much we had to feed her more often and at least the 2 hour split kept her with Adam every other feeding. Mia does go 5hr in between the evening feedings which has been great for our sleep.
Both are starting to smile more and even starting to coo. Adam smiles and coos more than Mia does but she is finding her nice voice as well. They are also much better at entertaining themselves. They can lay under their mobiles or just look around for a little while instead of immediately crying when unattended.
We have also started taking them out more often. They have been to church 2X and have done very well. Adam is well on his way to bishopric material because he can sleep through sacrament meeting like he has been in presidency meetings all morning. We have also taken them on several walks in the neighborhood and they love to look around when it doesn't put them to sleep.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The twins will be blessed in church the first Sunday in May which is May 3rd. It will be at 1:30 at the following address. Everybody and anybody is invited.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
7600 N Beach St
FT WORTH, TEXAS

2 months old

The twins are just over two months old now and doing great. I know it has been a little while since we have updated our blog so here is the last month of news condensed. Both Adam and Mia are putting on weight, Adam more then Mia. Adam now weighs 9-91/2lbs and Mia weighs just over 8lbs. Fortunately we have been able to move from feeding every 3 hours to ever 4 hours which is wonderful. They still have their nights and days a little confused and are awake most often from 10pm to 2 or 3pm. Milina started back to work this last week and she is still trying to figure out the best arrangement. She works from home 4hr/day and will have a friend from church come over and help with one feeding during the week so she can get her work done. They are not too far behind the developmental milestones for a 2 month old according to the pediatrician. They are starting to hold their head up on their own but resemble a bobble head and are fond of head butting you in the chest. They track noises and visual cues. They have even started to smile more, and real smiles not the accidental smiling they did as infants. I am especially proud of Mia who appeared to chuckle a little while I was singing a made up song to her called Super Mia ( I make up random songs to sing to the twins). Mia has restored my faith in the fact I am as funny as I think I am despite what Milina tells me.

3 Rounds of In-Vitro $?, 1 month in the NICU $?, Twins - Priceless (or are they)

Last night I went to a college planning seminar that our financial planner put on. It was just another reminder of how much kids will cost over time. At the same time the hospital bills are starting to trickle (or rush) in. I have told Milina on several occasions that if the Twins ask us where their college/mission funds are I will explain to them how much it cost to bring them into the world and their tab is overdrawn. In that spirit I am holding a poll/guessing game.
Here is the premise. How much is the total twins cost from conception to homecoming? I will give you a brief synopsis of the everything building up to homecoming to help you make an educated guess. I am adding up total charges not our total cost. For example the doctor may bill $200 for a procedure and the insurance only pays $75 and then we only pay our $25 copy. So when you make your guess you are trying to guess the total charged amount to the insurance company, it is more fun that way plus everybody's insurance varies too much. I will be using our EOB's to add up the total charged amounts.
1) 2 full rounds of In-vitro (full round is more expensive, it is where you get the eggs to work with and then freeze if you have enough)
2) 1 frozen cycle In-vitro (less expensive because you use frozen embryos)
3) 7 months pregnancy (office visits, ultrasounds, medications, i.e.)
4) Delivery (twin delivery in a operating room, natural birth)
5) 1 month for twins in a NICU

Good Luck, I have an initial amount already but I am not finished adding up yet. I will post the final amount and the winner in a few weeks.

2wk Homecoming

The twins have been home for 2wks now and we are surviving just fine. We have had a great deal of help from church in bringing meals and helping Milina with a few feedings. And of course from elated grandmothers who you can't pry the kids away from. It is amazing how either of us can function on less than half the sleep we are accustomed to getting. We have developed our own routines to make sure the twins stay on a schedule. The twins are growing and now weigh 7lb 5oz and 6lb 2oz for Adam and Mia respectively. They are becoming more animated and interactive but still are content to mainly eat/sleep/poop. I will download more pictures probably over the weekend.

There's No Place Like Home

We have had the twins home for just over 1 full day and they are teaching us their schedule. Both are doing fine with no problems. Adam's breathing has been uneventful (a good uneventful) and Mia is holding her temperature just fine. So far the lack of sleep hasn't been too bad but we are just getting started. We are slowly getting into a schedule and once we get everything down we will alternate feedings overnight so we each do one feeding and the other sleeps. The twins still do not complain much and are easily consolable. The dogs are still adjusting and wondering what all the new smells and sounds are. We are grateful for the several families that have dropped off food as that makes one less thing to worry about. I will have the new pictures of the twins at home up in the next day or so.

Double the Joy, Half the Sleep!!!!

Milina and I will be rooming in the hospital tonight in preparation for bringing home both Adam and Mia. Yes that is right, BOTH twins will be coming home tomorrow if all goes well tonight and tomorrow morning. Adam was apparently just waiting for the go ahead news on Mia. As soon as the plans started rolling for Mia to come home Adam decided it was time. Sunday evening the nurses weaned down his oxygen and he has been off it ever since and responding well. The next steps are as follows. Milina and I will "room in" at the hospital tonight and the twins will be off their monitors. They also must pass a car seat test. They will be placed in a car seat today while in the NICU and monitored to make sure they can keep their vitals stable. If all goes well they will come home with us sometime tomorrow late morning/early afternoon. I do not know if Adam will have an oxygen monitor on him or not. It is possible that they send us home with an oxygen monitor as a precaution since he has not been off his oxygen long. Of course there is always a possibility that he reverts back to his old ways of breathing and has to stay a few more days but either way they will both be home soon.

Bitter Sweet

The last couple of days have been great for both Adam and Mia.

Adam though still on his oxygen is tolerating well the gradual decrease in O2 concentration in his cannula. They really can't turn his flow down anymore because it is between .01 and .025 (nothing more than a whisp). His %O2 is steady between 40-60 (room air is 21%). He was even able to nurse yesterday 2X for 20min once without his oxygen at all. He has more difficulty with his bottle though and used his O2 with bottle feedings. He still frequently pulls the cannula out of his nose and when he does we just leave it out as long as his blood O2 levels are good. His weight now is appx 5lb13oz. He continues to show his patience (maybe too much patience with the whole breathing thing) as the nurses work with him. He complains only briefly and calms easily. He is also our more animated one at the moment as you can tell by the pictures. Several nurses have called him their little gentleman.
Mia - Mia no longer has her feeding tube in which makes her completely assistance free, YEAH! She is allowed to eat as much as she wants (until they are off all assistance, i.e. breathing/feeding, they are given specific feeding volumes and are not given much past that). She was also able to nurse yesterday several times and did great even taking 1/2 of her normal feeding from a bottle after 15-20min nursing. She will still have to be bottle fed regularly as sometimes she gets tired still and she also takes vitamins which are mixed into milk for some feedings. Her bottle feedings are no longer supplemented with calories either and her weight has reached 4lb14oz.

Now for the "Bitter Sweet" part. Mia will in all likelihood be coming home in the next 2-3days. Milina and are were asked to plan to stay overnight at the hospital Mon or Tue evening. When you take a preemie home you spend the night in the hospital with your child in your room and if the baby responds well you go home. We are excited about the possibility but obviously would like them to come home together. Not to mention it takes more planning to care for Mia at home while also making sure we spend as much time as possible with Adam in the hospital. We hope Adam will follow closely, coming home with his oxygen is still a possibility but they would rather send him home with nothing.

Light at the end of the Tunnel

Wow how time flies, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted an update. Lots of good news and progress to report. Adam is taking all of his feedings by bottle/breast and since yesterday was the 24hr mark of doing such he had his feeding tube removed. He was also able to spend 5hr without his oxygen yesterday before it had to be put back on. When he is on oxygen the flow was decreased to .25L flow of 50-100% oxygen. We were told that they will allow babies to come home on oxygen which places him very close to coming home. Mia is still using her feeding tube but was able to feed 4-5X consecutively before needing her feeding via tube. They are progressing her to 100% bottle/breast feedings and when she does that for 24hr like Adam she can get rid of her tube. This is really the only thing keeping her in the NICU as her body temperature has been variable but within the 97.5 to 99.0 deg they like it to stay in. Their weights as of yesterday were 5lb 5oz for Adam and 4lb 10oz for Mia. Last weekend one of the NICU contract nurses told Mia that she was eating so well she may go home by Mon/Tue. Well Mia and Adam didn't like that so she slowed down on her eating. Maybe they are trying to coordinate their improvement so they can come home together.

Update 1/23-24 (Sorry no catchy title, I'm too tired)

Both Adam and Mia's weight continue to increase and their feedings are doing much better. They tried to progress Mia to bottle/breast at every feeding today and she is exhausted. She couldn't finish her the bottle her last two feedings, apparently she is just not ready for that yet. Adam is still on every other feeding with a bottle/breast and is doing well. I bottle fed him earlier today and he went longer before his oxygen had to be turned up. Milina's parents were in town today from East Texas to see the twins again. They have not seen them since the weekend after their births. It was a treat for them because they have some such a long way in a week and a half since they saw them last. We decided to skip the 8:30/9 feeding to give the twins a chance to rest from their long and tiring day.

Fighting Weight/Kryptonite

Both Mia and Adam are over their birth weight!! Adam weighs 4lb14oz (5lb is just around the corner) and Mia weighs 4lb3oz (5lb is around several corners). Both are breast feeding 1-2X/day and bottle feeding every other feeding. They sometimes finish their bottle and sometimes don't and get the rest through their feeding tubes. Each has their individual Kryptonite - Mia's is body temperature, despite putting on more weight her temperature hangs around 97.5 (lowest acceptable threshold) and 98.0. Adam's is still his breathing, he fluctuates greatly between 21% O2 (room air concentration) and 30% O2 with a flow setting of 0.1 to 1.0. Especially during feeding times or other times of stimulus he struggles. These are the main factors besides the full bottle/nursing feed factors that are keeping them in the NICU. They continue to make progress but it is honestly discouraging that they continue to struggle greatly with their individual obstacles.

The Weight is Over for Adam but not for Mia

Adam has not only met his birth weight but has added an extra 2 oz for good measure. Mia and I are obviously going to have another talk as she has not added any weight. In her defense she is working hard to maintain her body temperature and still requires extra swaddling to help her. They are both up to 3 bottle feedings/day and finishing their bottle in under 30min. They also both had a try at breastfeeding today and did well. They don't measure how much they are able to eat by breastfeeding yet just trying to get the technique down. Adam's oxygen is up and down and will continue to be so.
Sorry there is not much more to report some days are just not as eventful as others.

Paroled for Good Behavior (1-19)

Mia has finally joined her brother in enjoying how beautiful life can be outside an incubator. Much longer in there and we would have to call her "Bubble Girl". She is VERY wrapped up and swaddled in blankets though. Adam's oxygen will continue to go off and on over the next few days as he weans. Feeding times are his most difficult challenges in maintaining appropriate oxygen levels. The twins go back and forth with their feeding as far as who is better. Mia was better this morning and finished her bottle first and Adam had his turn this evening. Adam is officially the first to reach birth weight of 4lb9oz, Mia is still 1-2oz below hers (4lb2oz). Mia and I have had a very lengthy discussed on gaining weight. We discussed the media's degradation of the female persona in TV/print/radio and such. I think she now understands she does not have to look like all the other babies in the magazines and commercials. I told her the Gerber baby was airbrushed and she has nothing to be self-conscious about by putting on a few ounces. We will see if she will start a life of trusting her Father's advice or brush it off as an insane and sleep deprived Father's babbling.

First Time Together

Today was promising as well but we also realized they will not be ready to come home as soon as we hoped. We were hoping they would be ready to come home by the end of the week but that is not very realistic. They will be in the NICU into next week at least which makes it at lease 3 weeks total. They were a few more firsts yesterday which always excites us. They both finished their bottle feeding in the morning within about 15-20min, Mia also finished her evening bottle but Adam left about 4-5ml out of 40ml before he was exhausted and finished on the feeding tube. They do not feed as well with Milina and I, I guess they are too entertained by us and less focused on eating. Adam was able to wean from his oxygen completely last night for a few hours and then needed some after eating because it makes him so tired. They will probably turn the oxygen on and off throughout the day. They are leaving the nasal cannula in place to trick him into thinking the oxygen is still on. Both have gained a little weight but have a little bit yet to go to get back to birth weight. We were able to place them together for a picture last night as well for the first time. Milina will try breastfeeding some time this week to see how they do as well.

2 Days in 1 (1/16-1/17)

We had a very busy day yesterday and didn't post the day's events in time. So rather than type 2 different posts for yesterday and today I am just combining then. As time goes on the changes seem to be more gradual or at least less visible. Adam is doing well in his bassinet and maintaining his body temperature well with just swaddling. Mia is still in her isolator and has more difficulty maintaining her body temp but is also the lighter of the two so she has less protective fat to help her. She will be in her isolator for a few more days. Adam's breathing continues to be his greatest challenge so far. His flow was turned down to .10 with an oxygen concentration level fluctuating between 21% (room air concentration of oxygen) and 25%. He needs a a higher O2 concentration when he is feeding or being held. Adam is better at bottle feeding than Mia is both in the amount he is able to eat and the whole coordination of sucking/swallowing/breathing. We are hoping that next week Milina will be able to try breastfeeding. Dad was finally able to come home and meet his newest grandchildren this weekend. Milina and I decided to have a date night tonight to relax and get away for a few hours, nothing big just a movie or something.

Bottle Feeding Fun

The big first for today was both Adam and Mia are feeding from a bottle 2X/day. For the bottle feeding they are only able to do a partial feeding of no more than 30min and the rest via feeding tube. Milina bottle fed Mia and I fed Adam. Adam is still not ready to give up his nasal cannula even though it is only on 0.2L which is virtually nothing when they turn it down or off he doesn't respond as good as he should. His nasal cannula is his security blanket right now. Mia wouldn't let Adam try and pass her up so she graduated from her IV today. They are doing well in the step down unit and we are able to help out more with feeding, dressing, bathing, etc. Their weight hasn't changed since yesterday but we are also told that it takes more effort to bottle feed so they are burning more calories.

1/14 Update

Today was another great day in the NICU! Most of the changes lately have been with regards to Adam as he has farther to go to catch up with Mia. Adam no longer has his IV because his feeds have increased enough that he no longer requires it. Today was the first day we saw his head without something sticking out of it. He was also able to further decrease his oxygen level to .2, they tried to turn it off completely but he is not ready to give it up quite yet. Adam was also fed via a bottle for one of his feedings this afternoon. Mia's feeds have also increased enough that she will probably be able to get rid of her IV as well. We were able to help with Mia's bath today and Grandma was able to hold Mia for the first time during her feeding. This will leave then with only a feeding tube and heart rate/BP/respiration/O2 sat monitors which sounds like a lot but is really only a few very thin wires. They still get to wear whatever clothes we bring up for them. Biggest news though is they have been moved from the main NICU room to a step down room. They are still in their isolators/incubators but in an area where they require less supervision. They will no longer have their own RN to look after them which we will miss but that also brings them much closer to coming home. They still tell us 2-4weeks but we are optimistic that by the end of next week we will be able to bring them home

Everybody Needs Velcro on Their Head (1/13 Update)

Best news for today is that Adam’s oxygen on his nasal cannula was cut in half today. He was at 2.0L yesterday. 2.0L is a pretty good amount, it sounded like he had a leaf blower up his nose. In between breathes the intensity of the oxygen would inflate his cheeks out and make him puff air out like he had a leak and would deflate if they turned it off. They turned it down from 2.0 progressively to 0.5, he didn’t like to 0.5 and compromised at 1.0 which is still a big improvement. Milina was able to put some clothes on them today and they look very cute in their little preemie outfits. We almost got to move them from the warmers to a basinet but they had some difficulty maintaining their body temperature. Therefore, they have been placed in the incubators temporarily. It is harder to see them in the incubators when we were so used to just having them under the warmers. We are told they should only be in the incubators for 1-2 days then they will hopefully be moved to the basinets. We were able to hold both of them for several hours total today which is the highlight of our day.

Now for the fun part of the blog, the title of this posting is based on the fact that Adam has two small circle patches of Velcro on the side of his head. It is multipurpose, to hold the protective eye shades on when he is under the lamps and also was used to hold his CPAP on. So, in honor of Adam I am listing the many possible benefits of having Velcro on the side of your head. Please feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section and I will add them to the list.

1) In school you can attach your pencil/pen to your head
2) To hold your sunglasses on
3) Your hat would never fall off, even in a hurricane
4) Keep your kids in bed. You can velcro their heads to the bed and they won’t fall out and even more importantly they can’t get out once you put them to bed
5) Keep your snoring husband lying on his side and not his back (a personal favorite of Milina’s)
6) As a way to attach hair accessories
7) It would help breastfeeding mothers, you can breast feed “hands free”
8) A new Bluetooth attachment method, or for those who can’t afford a Bluetooth you can just velcro your phone to your head (poor man’s Bluetooth)
Submitted Ideas
9) Time out enforcement, velcro them to the corner
10) Road ID alternative (Road ID is a personal identification wrist or ankle band so they can identify you when you're hit by a car)

1/12 Update

I went back to work today and Milina will come home from the hospital tomorrow. As time goes on the changes in Adam and Mia are not as visibly noticeable as they were in the first 48-72hr. They are almost to their original birth weight and hopefully should be by tomorrow or the next day. They are not on the lamps today but that does not mean they won't be back on them off and on in the future. Their feeding amounts continue to increase as they are tolerating feedings well with little GI problems. You can definitely see personalities develop more as time goes on. Adam is still on the nasal cannula with 2liters oxygen. They tried again to lower it and he did not respond well. In fact he gave Milina quite the scare, she held him today for the first time and he stopped breathing for what probably felt like an eternity for Milina. They had to startle him by rubbing his back to get him to start breathing. We gave both of them a blessing last night and look forward to lots of improvements in the future.

Just Another Day at the Beach

Milina is still deciding whether she wants to continue to” room in” at the hospital or go back home. She likes to be close to the twins naturally but also misses home. I will return to work next week with a slightly lighter schedule that will allow me to spend an extended lunch time at the hospital. We have been able to get a little milk for the twins. It has to be stored and delivered to the NICU and is then given to the twins and supplemented with formula.
Both twins are up on their feeding amount to help them put back on weight lost after birth. They will be on light therapy most of the day today and probably off it tomorrow depending on bilirubin levels which have dropped significantly but are still high enough to benefit from the light therapy. When they are on the light therapy we can’t hold them as much, just 30min each 2X/day. Mia hasn’t had as many changes as she did the first 2 days but is still doing great. Adam tried 1.5L on his nasal cannula which is down from 2.0L which he did not like. He started to struggle too much to breathe so he was put back on 2.0L. They will continue to try lowering the level to test him until he can be taken off completely.

The Difference 48hrs Can Make

We continue to have wonderful changes everyday. We are constantly impressed at the loving care the NICU staff provides. This whole parent thing is pretty easy; every parent needs a NICU nurse for at least the first 1-2 weeks as parents. They are putting the twins on a schedule of feeding/changing every 3 hours, sometimes more on the changing. Hopefully by time the twins come home they will be pretty well trained. I am considering asking them to go ahead and potty train them while they are at it.

Mia – She has quickly become accustomed to the noises (beeps, dings, other babies crying, talking, etc) of the NICU. That does not mean that she hasn’t found her voice though. She has a cry that surely reaches pitches only dogs can hear which I am sure Polar and Cooper will adore. Her Granddad, Milina’s father, held her for the first time which he and I am sure she absolutely loved. She was working on her tan this evening. They use light lamps whenever their blood work shows increased bilirubin levels. You can see in the pictures that they have a great pair of sunglasses/shades to protect their eyes. They turn them to make sure their tan is even. She will have some great tan lines.

Adam – He graduated from his CPAP this afternoon and just uses a nasal cannula as a precaution. He tolerates the nasal cannula far better than the huge CPAP. They tried to move his IV to his foot but he is still to squirmy and it had to be moved back to his head. With the removal of his CPAP we can finally see his face as well for the first time and he is quite handsome. Another wonderful first for the day is that with his CPAP removed we can hold him finally. Jonathan was the first to be able to hold Adam and they enjoyed an hour or so of bonding over a syringe of preemie formula. He is also enjoying the same day at the beach light therapy as Mia and enjoying it as you can see from his pictures.

1/9 Update

Today was a GREAT day with lots of advancements in the twins status. Milina was officially discharged from the hospital this afternoon but they are allowing her to "room in". She basically gets to stay in one of the rooms on the maternity floor for free as long as the pt census is low and the room is not needed. She also gets to rest more since she is not under the hospitals care and the nurses do not need to check on her at all. We are hoping she is allowed to do this until Sunday evening at which point we will return home and just commute back and forth to the hospital every day.
Mia - Mia's CPAP was removed this afternoon around lunch time. That leaves her with only an IV and a feeding tube. The IV may be removed in a few days, they leave it in just in case they have to deliver medicine and it is easier to just leave it in than to take it out only to put it back in later if necessary. The best part about her CPAP being removed is we can for the first time really see her face, I saw her face immediately after she was born but Milina had never seen her face unobstructed until this afternoon. Needless to say it was an emotional experience.
Adam - Adam still has his CPAP but with a different set up that he tolerates a little better. He still gives the NICU nurses and respiratory therapists a headache by constantly pulling on the straps that hold it on. The new set-up though is more Adam resistant and he has yet to pull it out of his nose despite his best efforts. This is really the only obstacle keeping us from holding him so far. Since it takes the staff so much time to get his CPAP one and secure they will not let us hold him because that would mess up their set-up. Hopefully he will have his CPAP removed either later this evening or tomorrow. The IV situation is the same as Mia's.

Both love time with Mom and Dad. We are in the NICU at least 4-5X/day or every 2-3 hours right now for at least 1 hour at a time then breaks in between for us and the twins to rest. They each love to hold our hands and seem to calm down faster when we place their hands across their chest and then rest our hands over them, especially Adam.

1/8 Baby Update

The babies are doing great and mom is as well. Milina will probably be released tomorrow. The delivery was natural and Milina is recovering quickly.
Adam was downgraded from use of a breathing tube to a CPAP. Mia is still using a CPAP. Both are on room air O2 concentrations and have been the entire day. The results from the blood work should be back tomorrow to determine if either have any infections. Both have mild Respiratory Distress Disease/Syndrome which happens to practically all preemies. Hopefully they will be off any respiratory assistance in the next several days to 1 week.
Mia has quite the high pitched girly cry and lets you know immediately when there is something she doesn't like. She is not irritable though, does tolerate alot, and sleeps very well in between feedings and changings. We were able to hold Mia for the first time and help with her feeding which consists of holding a tube and allowing gravity to help the formula flow through the feeding tube. She is beautiful and strong willed with a great grip. She loves to hold hands.
Adam does not quite protest as loud as Mia does but he does voice his disapproval especially with the CPAP nasal prongs. They have to use a scalp line for his IV because they had a hard time getting an IV in his wrist. Because of the scalp line he cannot use the normal velcro strap system to hold the CPAP on and use a less secure method of attachment. He hates the CPAP nasal prongs and often pulls it out only to have the staff put it back in. He is patient and enjoys his conversations with mom and dad.

Mia and Adam Have Arrived

Adam Jonathan and Mia Nicole Stoddard were born on 1/7 at 10:43pm and 10:52pm
Adam is 4lb9oz
Mia is 4lb2oz
Both are in the NICU and will be for 2-4 weeks depending on how they do. Both are healthy and doing well. They are up to date with 32wk gestation as far as development. Both need a little help with breathing Mia is on CPAP machine and Adam is using a breathing tube and required surfactant to decrease the stress of breathing. They will decrease the breathing assistance over the next few days to test them and proceed as they respond. They are under the warmers but not in the incubators. Both are receiving antibiotics and will be tube fed until they breathe better and can start to try light feedings. All the news right now is positive. We will get the blood work results in 24-48 hours to determine presence of infection.

If you would like to visit the twins or Mom please call first. We can only bring in 1 person each to see the twins but it is look and not touch right now and visits have to be short to decrease the stress/stimulus on the twins.

I will take and post pictures over the next 1-2 days.

The Waiting Game

What to do while waiting for your wife to deliver.

While waiting for Milina to have the twins I was stuck with the challenge of trying to stay busy/entertained and for the most part out of the way of the nurses and doctors. Here is a list I came up with on how to pass the time on the Maternity Ward, some will also work for any MD visit/appointment. Not that I did all of these but just thinking about them made me smile.

1) Go through all the drawers - And I do mean ALL the drawers. You know you have done it while waiting for your Primary Care doctor. In the maternity rooms though there are a lot more to go through and far more exciting finds.
2) Push Buttons – Now with this one you have to be careful. For all you who have to push buttons in your friend’s car or push all the buttons in a new car the maternity ward is heaven on earth. There are countless buttons on the bed, TV/DVD/CD remotes, infant warmer (just like the food warmers at a Chinese Buffet and with a similar purpose), walls, IV poles ( I would not recommend this one), and bathrooms. If you are very brave you can even push your wife's buttons, just make sure you have the other hand on the emergency button.
3) Walk the hallways – Now this may not sound fun on it’s own but you can play a few games to make it more entertaining. You can eavesdrop in on the nurses station, people watch in the delivery waiting room (not as fun as people watching at the Yamboree but what is), Look at the names on the other delivery room doorways and think of funny first names to go along with the last names.
4) Watch TV – yes this is a boring and uncreative one but still an option. The trick is to find an entertaining station without snow
5) Pretend to be a relative – Walk into any room and strike up a conversation with the patient that would make them think you know them.

Coming Soon!! Sooner than expected!!

Milina went into labor 1/7 early in the morning. Of course as first time parents we didn't realize it. We called the doctor office Wed morning because she thought her water broke, it had. A short drive later in morning traffic and we were admitted to the hospital. We though originally she would just be placed on bed rest in the hospital for as long as possible. We were wrong! The twins are 1 day over 32 weeks and weigh appx 4.5lb to 5lb from the sonogram estimate which has the doctors encouraged. Mia is head down and ready to go Adam is still transverse but may turn as he has more room once Mia is evicted for non-payment of rent. 32 weeks is appx 3weeks early for a normal twin due date. They will more than likely spend about 2-3weeks in the NICU depending on weight and lung development. We will post more after they are born hopefully with pictures. If you plan on visiting the hospital please call us first as visitor hours vary, that way we can make sure no one is turned away.