Grandma Cheryl

Grandma Cheryl, Kate's mom, just left after a 1 month stay in Austin. She believed that the girls would be born on July 30 so she insisted on coming then. Of course, these things cannot be determined, only guessed at, and that guess was way off. So, she stayed here, at our place and a few others and waited it out. It was not easy, but she sure as hell was not going to miss the birth of her first grandchildren.

2 1/2 weeks later Kate gave birth to Violet and Ruby Faye and we were able to take them home after only two days in the hospital. Although our nurse staff was incredibly good it was the best feeling I have ever had leaving that place with my two daughters and recovering wife.
We made it home safely to Grandma Cheryl and a spotless, scrubbed and beautiful home.

This is the part that would take forever and probably be boring if I typed a list so I'll try and be concise and say that what Grandma Cheryl did for us the first two weeks of our children's lives now classifies her as my hero. She cooked, cleaned, fed, diapered, swaddled, bathed/sun-bathed, spent tons of money buying us groceries and other necessities, walked, fed and brushed pets (who now love her more than they do us), stayed up late to help console both crying babies, slept on a couch in our living room, and overall made our transition into parenthood one of the best experiences of our and our children's lives. Everyday Kate and I would look at each other and talk about how amazingly blessed we are to have her in our lives.

Thank you so much Grandma Cheryl for everything you did and do. Our lives are better for the time you spent here with us during the first weeks of Violet's and Ruby Faye's lives.

Sleep

I write odes to sleep in my head all day. I never thought I'd think of 4 hours of sleep as a good night's rest. Now I do.

I always knew there was a "parent" gland that was dormant until one had children. Once the children come the gland kicks in, releasing that extra energy needed to perform things like 3am feedings and changings.

All is well in the Milliken household and Ruby Faye and Violet radiate beauty.

At home

We arrived home yesterday at 6 pm. Kate, Violet and Ruby Faye are rapidly becoming breast feeding experts. We are supplementing with some formula to help before Kate's milk comes in.

We finally got a few 2 hour sleep stretches this morning and I feel like a different person. All is well and here are a few more pictures.

THE MILLIKEN TWINS!

Violet Estelle Milliken, 5lbs 14 oz and Ruby Faye Milliken, 6lbs 1oz. Born 8pmish 8/17/08.

38 weeks now...

So here we are. Kate originally predicted August 13th to be the babies birth date. For some reason, somewhere along the way we gave up on that date, thinking they would come much earlier. I can't remember exactly why, but today we are amazed and thankful that our babies are taking their time. It is best. The benefits of a 38 week gestation range from better lung development, a shorter learning curve for breast feeding to less of a chance for jaundice. All our care providers have told us getting to 38 weeks is ideal. At this point, going 40 weeks is only two weeks away and is highly possible. I do hope the girls come before then but I accept that they will come at the perfect time.

I attribute Kate's and the girl's incredible performance to several factors: diet, vitamins, exercise, the best midwife, OB and perinatologist care and Kate's not working, which has given her the time to rest and live relatively stress free during this time. This was a choice we made and is not without consequences, but those are mainly financial and can be resolved in due time. I am happy we made the choice to do everything we can to achieve a full term pregnancy.

The feeling now is surreal. You are so close to having your children in your arms, yet it feels so far away. There is a nervousness, like the kind you might have when meeting new people. It's a good, exciting feeling. Part of me feels the presence of old souls in our children. I feel that these babies are manifestations of a life force that is never ending. And I know deeply that we will learn as much from them as they will learn from us.

Dream Map

All is well and they like it in there...

37 1/2 weeks and all is well. The babies are healthy, Kate is healthy and so we wait. We did think they would come sooner, but I understand now why you don't guess and make predictions about these things. It only muddles your thoughts and energy. That said, we're going with the the original guess, the 13th.

The nurse midwife at the doctor's office said 38 weeks would be optimal as did our midwife MariMikel. So, all is well. The children are getting what they need: more time to develop and mature inside the womb. This will make life much easier for them and us. Kate can handle it. She is strong. She is my Queen.

Full term!

Today marks 37 weeks of Kate's pregnancy. This is considered full term for twins by most resources on the subject. She and I are brimming with pride at her accomplishment. Faye and Violet should be over 6lbs each now.

There are many reasons why Kate was able to reach this goal: diet, vitamin regimen, mental toughness, exercise, prayer and positive thought and the great support she's had from our midwife, doctors, friends and family throughout her pregnancy. At this point I have stopped guessing when they will come and just letting it be. We ARE ready.

Cat escort

Lila, our beautiful "Russian blue" cat really knows Kate is pregnant. She has always wanted to sleep near Kate and usually wants to be right on her belly. Last night she slept at Kate's feet. Kate usually wakes 3-4 times (CORRECTION: 9-10 TIMES) a night or more and eats or pees. Lila woke up every time with her, jumped off the bed and escorted her to where she was going. She would wait until she was done and then escort her back to bed. Only when Kate was back in bed would Lila get back near her feet and curl up to sleep again.

Update

We visited the midwife today and she gave Kate an A+ and said if she was a betting woman she would bet on another week. Everyday they have in the womb the better. It's more likely they'll adjust to the "world of air" much faster if they mature more in the womb basically.
Kate is superwoman. :)

Kate's mom addrived yesterday from Tennesee. It's great to have her here. She sent us a link to a song she thought the girls would like. It's my new favorite. Enjoy.