The twins are growing so fast and changing a lot but one thing that remains constant is that Harrison looks exactly like his dad and Madi looks quite a bit like her mom. Consider the evidence...
When they are in their car seats or in their crib, they often end up in the same position or as exact mirrors of each other. Here they are at 2 weeks.
Cameron's school has a "Fun Run" every year. It is their biggest fundraiser. Each child is asked to get a minimum of $20 in pledges from grandparents, other relatives, and friends. This year we sort of slacked in the pledge department. The day before pledges were supposed to be turned in Granny Jane & Grandma Tisa each pledged $10 to Cameron & $10 to Gavin. We learned that Gavin is quite the salesman...after he had hit Granny up for her $10 pledge he asked if he could call Grandma Tisa. I dialed the number and gave Gav the phone. He proceeded to inform Grandma that he and Cam were taking part of their Fun Run at school, that he was calling to see if she would pledge him, and that "Granny Jane already gave me $10, would you be willing to do the same?"
The school gives each child a school t-shirt and puts tickets with their names into a drawing for different prizes. Cam had 2 tickets in the drawing, one for turning his pledge packet in on time and one for having at least $20. He won a water bottle off one of the tickets and he won the GRAND PRIZE off the other. The Grand Prize this year was a new iPod, an iTunes gift card, and a bunch of other stuff that kids like (bracelets, bouncy balls, rings, and other small toys that will eventually get broken or thrown away.) We couldn't believe Cam's good luck! He is loving his new iPod!!!
And the people we've already met! It seems like the twins have been here for such a long time but in reality, it's only been 2 weeks. They have definitely slowed us down a bit but we're still going, going, going! Granny Jane was able to come spend 8 days with us. She arrived at out house on Friday, the day we were released from the hospital. She cleaned, cooked, and organized our family into a fully functioning machine. She definitely gave us a jump-start into our new family dynamic. She helped the big boys organize the basement so that they can keep it clean, help out with their laundry, and be able to find things when needed. She kept us all fed and happy and allowed me to get some sleep at night. While she was here, we took the twins to Cameron's soccer game. They slept the entire time! Grandpa Rick caught a ride to Utah with some friends from Blackfoot the following Friday. He was able to meet the twins, go to Cabella's with Spencer and the boys, go swimming, and then drive Granny home Saturday afternoon. There were a lot of tears shed when they left. Thanks for spending that important time with us. It helped more than we can ever express.
We were lucky enough to celebrate Uncle Chopper & Aunt Niki's marriage on Saturday. Chopper/Doug is Spencer's brother. He and Niki had been engaged for a while and told everyone that they would be getting married on September 18th. I looked forward to that date for a while, wondering all along if I'd be in the hospital with newborn babies or if I'd be able to attend their reception. Chopper & Niki decided to elope one weekend in June...which was perfect for them. But they kept the September date reserved for the celebration...which was perfect for the rest of the family. All of Spencer's siblings were there (for the first time in 8 or 9 years.) In the first 2 weeks of their lives, the twins have met ALL their Styer relatives. (This is major since Gavin & Owen just barely met Aunt Kate for the first time.) It was SO nice to be together, even though it was just for a short time. The reception was held at the University of Utah's Museum of Natural History. The boys loved looking at all of the dinosaur displays. I enjoyed letting the family hold my babies while I just sat back and watched. The following day we went to a family dinner at a place called Crazy Jim's Buffet. In my head I was thinking BBQ? But NO! It was all-you-can-eat CHINESE! Gavin & Owen got to sit with Uncles Dave & Tom (which they LOVED!) On our way out the door another patron, who spoke only Chinese, pointed at the babies and then pointed at her camera, asking if she could take a picture of them. It took us about 5 extra minutes to leave, she was so excited to see twins and then started taking pictures of Owen too! We're finding that to be the trend. People are always asking if they are twins, how old are they?, how big were they at birth?, how big are they now? It's kinda fun but it does take extra time to get around the grocery store, the doctor's office, etc.
The twins had their 2 week check-up yesterday. Harrison is trying to catch his sister in weight and is doing a good job at it. Harrison now weighs 7 lbs 6 oz and Madison is 8 lbs. They are both 20 1/4 inches long. They both love to nurse and be held. For your viewing pleasure, another slide show. (I just don't know how to share so many pictures without doing the slide shows.)
The twins are now 2 weeks old so it's about time I write down their birth story. Because we were having a C-section, their story is somewhat hum-drum but it did start out pretty interesting and there are definitely things that I'd like to remember in the future. So here it goes...
September 6, 2010 was Labor Day. All day long I sat around the house, wishing I would go into labor. My doctor wanted me to carry the babies as long as possible and I had an appointment to see him the next day at 9 am. We were supposed to "set the date" at that appointment. So although I was miserable, I knew that the end would be in sight soon. At some point during the day, both Spencer and Callie asked me if I was ever going to have the twins. They could tell that my body was finished just by the way I walked, sat, laid on the couch, etc. I was trying to have a good attitude but it was getting super difficult. I went to bed at a normal time but couldn't get comfortable and ended up in front of the computer. After watching a DVD about how to tie a Mei Tai, blog-hopping, and playing on facebook, I finally ended up on the couch, watching TV until about 2 am. Finally exhausted beyond measure, I drug my body upstairs and got in bed.
I woke up at 4 am, needing to use the bathroom for the umpteenth time but as I maneuvered out of bed I could tell something wasn't quite right and as I stood up, my water broke! I said, "Spencer, wake up...we need to go to the hospital. My water just broke." And I stumbled into the bathroom. (Here's where it gets a little gory.) Both Spence and I turned on a light at the same time and noticed that there was quite a bit of blood as well. I immediately started panicking, I was a bit in shock, I guess. Spencer kept a level head and just kept asking what else needed to be packed so we could get to the hospital quickly. He called his parents and asked them to come to our house around 8 to be with the boys since Callie had to go to work that morning. Then Spence walked down to Callie's room and knocked on her door, explained that we were going to the hospital, etc. (We are so lucky Callie lives with us because as soon as she knew what was going on, we were able to leave instead of having to wait for someone to come sit with the boys.) On the way to the hospital, I called my mom and let her know what was happening and then called Labor & Delivery to alert them that we were on our way.
Once we were checked in, they started my IV, called my doctor, and started getting us ready for the delivery. The nurses were trying to keep me calm but kept saying things to each other like, "is the doctor aware of the excess blood loss?", "should we be prepping for surgery soon?", and "is the doctor here yet?" My doc came into my room around 6 to let us know he had arrived and that everything was going to be okay. Seeing him sure made me feel a little calmer. Shift changes at the hospital were at 7 am and since my doctor was pushing for a 6:30 am delivery, there was a lot of nurses who were trying to figure out which anesthesiologist they'd need since they didn't want one to start and have to finish up with the other. Luckily, the anesthesiologist who was scheduled to get off his shift at 7 had actually arranged to leave a little early so the "fresh" anesthesiologist arrived around 6-ish and immediately came into my room to administer some antibiotics and push the IV fluid so we could get started. Because I was bleeding they didn't let me walk to the Operating Room but pushed me down and then helped me transfer from the bed to the operating table. I was very grateful that once we were in the OR, everything went smoothly...like clockwork. Everyone in the room knew their job and went right to work. I was impressed by how quickly the anesthesiologist was able to place the spinal block. At one point during the surgery, Spencer looked at me and said, "There are a lot of people in this room." I had him count and he said there were 10 at that moment. We later found out that they had a full pediatric team for each twin plus everyone who would normally be there to assist in a C-section.
Harrison was born at 7:10 am. He didn't immediately start crying, which worried me. But the nurses and Spencer kept reassuring me that everything was fine with him, he had good coloring, and they were just cleaning him up and then he would cry. Which he did. My doctor discovered that Harrison's placenta had actually torn which explained the high amount of blood. His breathing was a little fast though so he went quickly to the nursery and I didn't get to hold him until later that evening.
Madison was born at 7:11 am...just one minute after her brother. She immediately started crying and it was such a nice sound to me. However, no one in the room said, "It's a girl!" (or "It's a boy" when Harrison was born) and I was a little concerned with that. I finally turned my head to Spence and asked him if he'd go check to make sure we had a GIRL and a BOY, which he happily did. He was able to carry Harrison & Madison over to let me look at them before they went to the nursery to be weighed.
Harrison ended up having to have an IV. They kept telling me that the quickness of his breathing made them nervous. Although he didn't have to have oxygen, they said he was borderline and that they wanted to keep him in the nursery so they could observe him. Madison was able to come to my room as soon as I was out of Recovery. I had forgotten to pack the camera so Callie brought it to us on her way to work and was able to see me in the recovery room and the babies in the nursery. Although I was super happy to have Madison in my room, I was a little preoccupied, wondering when I'd get to hold and nurse Harrison. I was quite disappointed when they let me know that if I wanted to hold him, I'd have to go to the nursery, they wouldn't be bringing him to my room. But that gave me the boost I needed to get out of bed as soon as my spinal wore off. I was so happy to be able to hold both babies (finally) that evening.
Harrison had to stay in "nursery jail" until Thursday night. It was hard to have to show our visitors our baby boy through the nursery window and I felt so sad leaving him in the nursery whenever I went back to my room. The pediatrician was very thorough and wanted to make sure he was good & healthy before sending him home. Harrison did end up with a bit of jaundice and had to come home to a bilibed for a few days. We were so thankful, though, that we all came home together on Friday.
We are also very grateful for grandparents, friends, and family who kept Cameron, Gavin, and Owen while I was in the hospital, who cleaned the house, and who have spent time with us these first 2 weeks, helping us adjust to being a family of 7!!! Because I have so many pictures from the hospital, I've been forced into adding a slide show. Enjoy!
Harrison T. and Madison Jayne made their safe arrival on September 7, 2010. Harrison was born at 7:10 am and Madison followed just one minute later at 7:11 am. Harrison weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. Madison weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. The babies had their first photo shoot while still in the hospital. Visit Bella Baby Photography to see the pictures. Click on "View Photos" and enter password: 0907harrisonandmadison
We were all able to come home Friday afternoon. Come visit us! More pictures and info to come.
Because we knew the Twins would be born sometime in September, I decided we should take it easy this fall...meaning no extracurricular activities. Spencer had other ideas. Early in the summer some of the guys at work started talking about playing on a softball league together. Spence understood it was going to start in August and he thought he could play until the babies got here and just miss the last half of the season. The season didn't actually start until Wednesday night, September 1st! (Okay, they had a bye last week so technically it started the week earlier.) And the season is going to last until mid-October. But since he'd already committed to playing on the team, he decided he would make it to as many games as possible. The whole family went to his first game. Spencer played 1st base. They didn't win but had a lot of fun. Maybe I'll make it to next Wednesdays game but I'm crossing my fingers that I don't. Here are the few pics I took at the Mean Green game. 
Spencer also decided that we should let Cameron play Fall Soccer. He had such a good time last spring and was really getting to be a good little player and we didn't want to miss the opportunity for him to continue to learn. So he is now playing on the Red team (they haven't come up with a name yet) every Thursday night. He had his first game last night and we all went to support him. They ended in a Tie but it looks like they'll be a great team after they have a few practices. It's an all-boys team this year...time to get competitive! 
So apparently the only people in the family who got the memo to take it easy this fall were the TWINS! Although their official 40 week due date isn't until October 2nd, I was under the assumption that if we made it to 36 weeks (which is tomorrow) we'd be in the clear and able to schedule their arrival. However, because we haven't had ANY complications with the pregnancy, my doctor is pushing me to carry them at least 37 weeks. I'm trying to have a good attitude but honestly I'm exhausted. My body hurts and I'm ready to be finished! Maybe it's because I go to 3 appointments each week, 2 non-stress tests and my regular OB visit. At last measurement, I was bigger than a house...51 weeks. So I'm hoping that we'll be able to schedule the C-section this week. I'd love if they could be born on Friday the 10th but I have a feeling the doctor is going to make me get through the weekend and not have them until the 13th or 14th. The only way they'll arrive any sooner is if I go into labor on my own. Since that has NEVER happened, I'm not counting on that. So until they are born, I'll continue to put my feet up as often as possible and drink as much water as I can possibly handle. They'll be here soon enough, I guess.
Gavin started kindergarten on August 30th. He was so excited and kept telling me that I didn't need to go with him...he'd just go with Cameron and find his own class. However, he finally gave in and let us walk him to his door. He loves his teacher and has already made a few friends. Here he is on the first day. Cam was the photographer and I think Gavin looks nervous, though he claims he was not. 
Here he is at the school with his friend, Jaxon. They aren't in the same class but they are happy to find each other at recess.
