The First Week at Home

My gosh! Now that we’re home it has occurred to Kristi and me that we didn’t really think this thing all the way through. Not that we’re complaining. We’re very happy to have the kids and it has been a wonderful week. It’s just that I feel I just took a second job and the pay is crap; literally.

Having the kids home for a week has been a combination of really busy and nothing. We have the kids on a three hour schedule (most of the time) where we change them, feed them and put them back to sleep. This occurs 24 hours a day. It’s really not too bad until, like last night, one of them decides to change the schedule on us. Really, I think maybe the kids are part vampire. It seems that they stick to the schedule and sleep great all day. And then, when the sun goes down, they’re up all the time. Kristi was really working it last night with Mackie. I knew Kristi had had enough when, after a couple of hours of trying to get Mackie quiet, Kristi came to bed, laid Mackie next to Ozzie, one of our poodles, and said, “Ozzie, see if you can quiet her down.” Ozzie leaned over, sniffed her, then got up and moved to another part of the bed. Apparently he was tired of it also.

We came home from the hospital last Tuesday. The kids stayed one night more than Kristi just to make sure they could maintain their temperatures. They can. It was pretty stressful thinking that Kristi would have to go home and leave the kids at the hospital but St. Joseph’s hospital in Bryan has a great deal where you can stay one extra night on what they call their “Bed and Breakfast” plan. For $50 we were able to stay an extra night and then all go home together. I can’t say enough about the wonderful nurses and staff at St. Joseph’s. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and caring. We hope to stay in touch with a few of them. Here are a few pictures of everyone at the hospital and going home.

This is their first ride in a car. I think they look like ocean explorers about to take a deep-sea dive.

Me putting them in the car for the first time.

This is the dogs getting their first sniff of the new babies. The dogs have been really wonderful around the babies.

Now that we’re home, we’re having regular visits by friends and family to come see the babies. Here is a picture of them their first nap in their new home.

Nonni and Pops holding them.

Nanna and Roo coming for a visit.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Johnson came down for the day.

Aunt Katy and Uncle Dave. They're actually our cousins but we're not telling Mackie and Nate that.

And just becaus I like it so much, here is a picture of me with my two kids.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers throughout the pregnancy. It’s obvious that it worked. When you think back it’s really amazing that Kristi was able to go 37 weeks into a multiple pregnancy with minor complications and nothing that ever posed a significant risk to Kristi or the babies. We truly feel blessed to be on the other side with everyone healthy and happy. We also feel blessed by all the friends and family that have supported us and cared for us on this journey. Now that we’ve crossed the starting line, I can’t wait for Mackie and Nate to come to know each of you and learn for themselves why each of you are so special to us.

Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful week.

Dr. Daddy.



They're Here!!!!

They're Here!

Mackenzie Kaye and Nathaniel David Sikes arrived just a little before 8:00 am on July 7, 2011. Mackie weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and Nate weighed 7 lbs 2 oz. Can you believe Kristi had over 13 lbs of baby in her on Thursday morning? Kristi is doing great. The babies are doing great. We have all spent the last 36 hours feeding, peeing, pooping, changing diapers, burping and doing all the other million things that I have learned goes into having two beautiful babies. I know you're all really ready to get to the pictures so here are some of the best from yesterday.

This is the first picture of the family.

Here is a picture of Kristi and the kids just a few hours after they were born.

Here are a couple of pictures of Mackie and Nate for the first time in the nursery.

Here the first picture of both the kids, that is the first not of ultrasound quality. Nate is on the left and has really blond hair. Mackie is on the left and has dark hair. Nate yelled for the first hour or so after he was born. Since then both have become very good babies.

Here's a picture of me with Mackie.

Pictures of all the grandparents with the kiddos.

Mimi

Nana and Roo

Nonni

Pops

And with my nephew Bradley.

I'll have more to write next time but things are pretty busy these days. I just wanted to get some pictures of the kids up for you to see.

I hope you have as great a weekend as we're having. I have to tell you, it would be pretty hard to beat what we're up to though.

Dr. Daddy

We’re Near the Finish Line

We’re near the finish line. Or is it we’re near the starting line? Either way, the pregnancy of Kristi Sikes is just about over. We just passed 36 weeks last Friday and the doctors say they don’t want Kristi to go beyond about 37 or 38 weeks. That means if Mackie and Nate don’t come out on their own, we’re going in after them. Huh. I guess it’s starting already… “Mackie, Nate! Come out here. You don’t want us to come in there and get you!”

Kristi is really uncomfortable these days. She’s finding it hard to sleep because she can’t stay in one position for more than 30 minutes or so. She does however still have a great outlook and is pushing hard to the end; not literally pushing just yet though. The other night, as she was trying to get comfortable again I heard her saying to herself, “Just a few more days, just a few more days.” Kristi is on a mission. Despite her being really uncomfortable, she is doing a great job. We went to the doctor last week and she said Kristi is healthy; blood pressure is good, blood tests are good, etc. While at the doctor we received a few more ultrasound pictures. This is either an alien or a monkey baby. Actually, it's Mackenzie.

 This is a picture of Nathaniel. See if you can guess what part it is. I'll give you a hint, we're SURE it's Nathaniel and not Mackenzie.

The swelling of Kristi Sikes is still spreading to new and interesting places. The latest part of Kristi to swell is her lips. She thinks they’re big but I think they’re supple. Check out these bad girls.

As I told you in an earlier blog, we’re having family paint small canvases to match the rug we purchased for the babies’ room. Dad and Sandi came up last weekend and painted theirs. What’s fun is they sign them with what the kids are going to call them. Sandi is going to be Nana and Dad is going to bad Rod.

Okay, Dad is actually going to be Roo but his painting looks like Rod.

Here is a picture of Kristi this week. She’s taking up a bit over half a doorway these days. If she gets any bigger, she'll be a fire hazard.

We go to the doctor again Tuesday. I’ll let you know what’s going on after the visit. Until then, I hope you have a good week.

Dr. Daddy

Things Are Getting Hard

So I’m thinking this pregnancy is starting to get kind of hard for Kristi. There were two events which really drove this home. Last Saturday, when she got out of bed, she walked to the bathroom and from the other room I heard her say to nobody, “I’m ready to evict these squatters!” 

The next was that evening. Kristi was going to have some peaches and ice cream after dinner. She cut up the peaches and put them in a bowl but the ice cream was too hard to scoop out so she asked me to do it. I dutifully scooped out three scoops of ice cream and put them on the peaches. I then handed the bowl to Kristi with a smile on my face. To my surprise, I was greeted with a look of disparagement. Our eyes met and we stood, staring.  After what seemed like hours she said, “I’ll let you know when I’m on a diet.”

 “More?”

“Uh huh.”

I actually knew before that tense moment that Kristi was finding it hard to do her daily things. Her feet, ankles, hands and fingers have swollen quite a bit over the last few weeks. Just to show you how much her hands have swollen, here is a picture of her wearing her wedding ring.

She has also been a bit down about not being able to do much around the house. I was cleaning last week and she mentioned that it was no fun sitting around watching me clean (yeah, I think maybe she’s lost it too).  Anyway, I told her just to pretend that she was on a cruise ship. To help make her feel like she was on vacation I made my first towel animal. What do you think?

In case you can’t figure it out, it’s a snake.

The reason I was cleaning was that Kristi’s father came to stay with us for a bit this week. Here is a picture of Kristi with her dad.

And, so you can get the full Kristi for the week, here is just Kristi.

We went to the doctor Tuesday. Things are still going good. Kristi’s blood pressure is good, her weight is a bit elevated but not too bad and her protein count is holding steady. This means, no babies this week. We go back tomorrow for a check-up. I’ll let you know.

Thanks for checking in this week. Have a great weekend.

Dr. Daddy

Things are good.

Hi Everyone,

I just posted a couple of days ago but since we went to the doctor this week, I wanted to get you up to speed on what’s going on.

First and most important is that Kristi is doing great. Her blood pressure is down since last week and she lost the excess weight she had gained. Additionally her protein level is the same as last week and has not risen. All of these results point to Kristi improving since last week thus leading the doctor to be more optimistic about making it to July. We’re still on a week by week basis but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. The longer the babies stay in the better. With that said however, we’re still at most three weeks away from meeting Mackenzie and Nathaniel. I can’t wait!

In addition to the regular doctor’s appointment we also had another measurement ultrasound—probably our last one. We found Mackenzie now weighs an estimated 5 lbs 2 oz and Nathaniel weighs 5 lbs 8 oz. With both babies over 5 lbs and hitting 34 weeks tomorrow, the kids could come anytime and be great. I can’t tell you what a great feeling it is that the babies will likely be born healthy (and ready to help with the household chores).

Both kids are moving around almost all the time now. Kristi said it feels as if they’re doing water aerobics. I put my hands on Kristi’s belly last night and Nathaniel kicked me. So I put my hand over Mackenzie and she kicked me also. Apparently they’re already learning bad habits from each other. We’re going to have to deal with that when they’re born.

I don’t have any additional pictures of Kristi just yet so to add some visual interest to the blog I’ll just post this.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I’ll post more next week.

Dr. Daddy

We’re Getting Close!

Sorry I didn’t post last night. I was busy watching the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Championship over the Miami Heat. I’m sure you understand.

We are now past 33 weeks so we’re getting really close to having babies at this point. After going to the doctor last week, it appears we’re actually closer than we thought. The babies look great and are moving all over the place. It’s the greatest thing to see and feel them rolling around in Kristi’s tummy. They actually seem to be on a bit of a schedule right now with them getting very active between 7:00 and 9:00 pm. I’m sure the schedule thing won’t last once they're born. Of course, if I know Kristi, she’ll have them back on a schedule quickly once they’re born. She’s just like that you know.

Here is a picture of Mackenzie from last week’s doctor visit.

Here is the two of them head to head.

While at the doctor’s office, the nurse takes Kristi’s blood pressure and current weight as soon as we get into the exam area. The place they do this is out in a hall very close to the check-in desk and waiting area. The scale they use is a digital scale which pops up a number after Kristi stands on the scale for a few seconds. I guess Kristi was not ready for her weight this time. When that number popped up on the scale, Kristi screamed, “Ahhhh!!!!” making everyone—the nurse, the receptionist, people out in the wating room, the doctors—jump and turn to look. Kristi then started laughing as did everyone else in the office, except for the poor nurse who stood staring with eyes as big as saucers. All she could say was, “I’ve never had anyone do that before.”

While the weight gain led to a funny story, it wasn’t all good news. I mentioned we may actually be closer than we thought. Well, even though the babies are doing great, Kristi has begun showing signs of preeclampsia. For those of you who are like me and didn’t know what that meant, its pregnancy induced high blood pressure which is the result of all the added fluids in Kristi’s body along with various other protein things (I won’t bore you with what I’ve read about it). With it comes all the problems of regular high blood pressure except it can get out of control pretty quick. Because of this, we’re going in to see the doctor weekly now just to make sure things don’t get worse. They check it by measuring blood pressure, weight gain and proteins. While Kristi’s blood pressure is good, she did have greater than normal weight gain because of excess fluid and there were proteins found. Kristi is working to control it by doctor assigned "modified bedrest"-resting for a few hours in the middle of the day, which is much easier now that she is out of school for the summer.

The good news is there is a cure for preeclampsia; it’s having babies. With the babies pushing 34 weeks they would be early if they came now but would likely be just fine as their weights are good and their lungs are mostly developed. We would love for them to wait until July but the doctor thinks we may have them in June. I guess we’ll just see. Every week they stay in is good but we certainly don’t want to put Kristi at risk.

Kristi is still feeling pretty good however. And, as you can see is looking really good as well.

I’m very impressed with her because she is still laughing, smiling and sometimes still being an ass to me (in a fun way I assure you); basically she’s still the same fun Kristi that I have always loved. She’s just got two babies inside of her and can’t take baths anymore. I can tell you, she looks like a lunch-lady in the shower caps she bought. Here's what she thought of that comment.

With the news from the doctor, we have been thinking more about actually having these babies. Kristi has started packing for the hospital and I have started cleaning the house and keeping the yard up for when grandmothers and grandfathers come. I guess this has got Kristi a little on edge. For example, Kristi went to sleep in one of her maternity shirts last night instead of a PJ’s. In the middle of the night, she rolled over and felt a sharp pain in her side. She immediately thought, “Oh wow! This is a contraction.” She looked at the clock so she could time it and laid there with the pain. Eventually she moved a bit and the pain went away and she went back to sleep. A bit later she moved and the pain hit again. She again looked at the clock thinking it was a contraction. This time however it didn’t go away and in fact got worse the more she moved to one side. Well, turns out it wasn’t a contraction at all. It was the tag of her maternity shirt digging into her side while she rolled over. See what I mean by on edge.

We go back to the doctor this week. I’ll post after the doctor’s visit so you will know what’s going on. Thanks for all the wonderful thoughts and prayers you send to us. We’re still amazed with all the love you have shown us and amazed at how many people are taking an interest in our lives as we move toward our new family.

Until next time, have a good week.

Dr. Daddy.

Exciting News

I know I didn’t write last week. There really wasn’t that much to say after the 30 weeks post. This week however, there is definitely news. The most important thing this week is Kristi went to the doctor on Friday and things are still going great. We just finished 32 weeks and Kristi is apparently a greenhouse for babies because she’s grownin’ them up right nice. While she is experiencing the normal pregnancy symptoms, the dangerous side effects don’t seem to be a problem. Kristi’s weight is good and she has good blood pressure. The most annoying symptom is now carpal-tunnel in her hands. Her hands go to sleep and start to hurt while she’s sleeping, while she’s working and when she’s not working. The doctor assured her it’s temporary.

Most exciting from this doctor’s visit is the babies are doing so good, they have moved the due date up a week. Originally the doctor was planning on getting them no later than July 15. Now, the plan is to get them no later than July 8.  Kristi has decided if they’re coming that week we might as well ask if they can be born on 7-7. I love this idea. The sooner they’re born, the sooner they’re old enough to push the lawn mower and the vacuum cleaner. My hope is to have them earning their keep by the end of the summer. First get them to sleep through the night then, once they’re well rested, get them on their chores.

Here is a picture of Kristi from this week.

Because it’s getting hard for Kristi to bend over and pick things up, her parents got her these big wooden scissors to pick things up. Here’s a picture of Kristi trying to pick up one of the dogs with the big scissors. The dogs were not impressed.

We start going to the doctor every week now and we have another measurement ultrasound scheduled in two weeks. I will let you know each week what the doctor says and what the ultrasound shows. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures of kids to show you.

I hope each of you have a great week. Talk to you next week.

Dr. Daddy

30 WEEKS!!!

We made it to 30 weeks. I’m so excited that things are going so well. We’re not in the clear yet but from what the doctor says, 30 weeks is a milestone. Even if the babies were born today, they would have an excellent chance of being just fine. Not that we want them to come now, it’s just such a great feeling to know things are going so well.

We went to the doctor last Thursday and she confirmed that everything is going well. Both Mackenzie and Nathaniel are moving around all the time and look great. We also had another measurement ultrasound on Friday morning and found out that Mackenzie is now 3 lbs 9 oz and Nathaniel is 4 lbs 1 oz. This is great. Maybe our kids will be Sumo wrestlers or hotdog eating champions. I can almost smell the retirement income. When you add up their weights, Kristi is carrying around 7 lbs 10 oz of baby on Week 30. Wow, that’s a lot of baby.

We got some good pictures of Mackenzie. Here is one from the side.

Here is a picture of her straight on.

We didn’t get a good picture of Nathaniel but that’s okay. Since he’s on top, we’ve been getting a number of good pictures of him so it’s about time we get a good one of his sister. We did get to see however that Nathaniel has a lot of hair. You can actually see it showing up in the ultrasound. So, it appears he’ll be a Sumo wrestler with big, sexy hair. I definitely see a Pert shampoo commercial in his future.

Kristi is doing great. She hasn’t had any complications—her blood pressure is good, her weight is good and her blood sugar is good. In addition to that, she hasn’t even had any Braxton-Hicks contractions, those mini contractions to help women get ready for the real thing. If we go until the end, Kristi may get some kind of local record for the largest twins. I wonder if you measure each kid individually for a record or if it’s like a bass tournament where you weigh all the fish together. I guess we’ll find out. 

We went up to Ft. Worth this weekend for a shower thrown by Kristi’s family (Aunt Mary, Katy, and Nicole). Like the others, it was wonderful. Much of my family and Kristi’s family were able to come to this one which made it very special. I don’t normally want to go to showers, I guess it’s just a guy thing, but I was really bummed that I had to leave this one. Here are a few pictures from the shower.

This is Kristi with her cousin Katy.

This is Kristi with Nicole, Aunt Mary and Katy.

Kristi got her toes done before the shower. What do you think?

Aunt Mary made cookies for the shower. I started to eat one but had to stop. I felt like I was eating Mackenzie's arm off.

That's about it for this week. Thanks for keeping up with us. I’m amazed when I talk to someone and they tell me that they keep up with the blog. It means a lot to us to have so many people caring about us right now. I hope you have a good week. Talk to you next week.

Dr. Daddy.

Week 29

Hello All. Welcome to Week 29! In just another short 8 weeks or so we will all get to meet Mackenzie and Nathaniel in person. Right now you just know them through this blog or through conversations with me and Kristi. I know them through watching and feeling them move and Kristi knows them because the little farts make her have to pee ALL the time. We can’t wait to meet them in person and see what they really look like. I think they may look like this.

Or this.

Or maybe this.

Whatever they look like, I have no doubt they will be loved by many people. People have thrown three different showers for Kristi up to this point—choir, friends and school. Mackenzie and Nathaniel have received diapers, bathtubs, rubber ducks, clothes, blankets, toys, bouncers, strollers, music, books, etc. all before they are even born. We’re amazed by the love people have shown us and our kids. I sometimes get a little teary eyed looking at all the wonderful things and thinking about our kids wearing them or playing with them and then thinking of the wonderful people who gave it to them. We can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate everyone and how much we love you all.

I know everyone always wants to know how Kristi is doing. Well, she’s doing great. Of course she can’t sleep, her feet swell and her back hurts, but other than that, things are good. Here is the latest picture of K. This is her "Victoria Secret" pose.

The babies are moving and kicking a lot these days. With some of the grandparents in town this weekend, everyone wants to cop a feel. Don't try this without the boss-lady's okay.

With grandparents in town and graduation in Houston, we took the opportunity to go by Carter’s to look at/purchase some baby gear. Wow, I never thought I would say this about a baby clothing store but they have some really great stuff. Check a few of the things some of the grandparents bought for them.

I don’t know what it is about baby clothes, but when I walked into Carters and looked at the little girl stuff, I started to tear up again. Man, am I becoming a wuss or what? I’m going to be a mess when the kids actually arrive.

We go back to the doctor on Thursday of this week and then have another measurement ultrasound on Friday morning. We’re looking forward to both because things have been so good each time we go in. Both kids should be over three pounds by Friday and, if they are growing like they have been, Nathaniel may be over four pounds. I will be sure to let you know. Until then, thank you for all the love you have and continue to show us. We feel very blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. Talk at you soon.

Dr. Daddy

Week 28

Well, we’ve reached week 28. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since we found out. Likely we only have 7 weeks or so left. Full term is generally 40 weeks but twins often come early with the average being 36 weeks. Our doctor feels the kids will be great if we make it to 35 weeks but also thinks things would be fine if they came earlier. I’m hoping they stay in as long as possible. Kristi on the other hand would like for them to come today. Well, not really but those babies are starting to get big so Kristi wouldn’t mind them to at least stop standing on her bladder.

Here’s a picture of Kristi this week.

 Note the slight look of pissed-offness. Don't worry. That's for me, not for you. Here’s a picture of The Belly from her perspective.

Okay, so that wasn’t really her belly. Her is the real picture from Kristi’s perspective. Notice the toes sticking out from behind.

Speaking of big, we had another measurement ultrasound done a couple of weeks ago and things are great. Both babies are growing nicely. Mackenzie was 2 lbs 3 oz which puts her in the 50^th percentile of babies at 26 weeks. Nathaniel was 2 lbs 13 oz which puts him in the 80^th percentile of babies at 26 weeks. I’m really excited about Nathaniel being so big. I’m going to need some help moving these diapers. When he reaches 6 lbs, he’s going to be moving his own diaper boxes.

It’s no wonder Kristi is feeling heavy these days; she has 5 lbs of baby in her right now and she still has two months or so left. With Kristi carrying 5 lbs of baby, I guess she looks like she could pop any day. At church last Sunday, Kristi was sitting down after playing hand bells, looking generally beat. Some really nice lady came up to encourage Kristi and said, “Oh don’t worry dear. Just a couple more weeks. You can do it!” To which Kristi turned, glared and said, “Try another two months.” The nice lady said, “Two months! My gosh you’re big!” I’m surprised that lady was able to walk to her car. I think the only thing that saved her was that we were at church.

We go back to the doctor in two weeks for both a regular visit and another measurement ultrasound. I have read that babies put on about ½ pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy. If this holds true then Mackenzie should be 3 lbs 11 oz and Nathaniel should be 4 lbs 5 oz. That means both babies should be over 5 lbs in a month. I guess it was all that ice cream we fed Kristi early on…and the pizza…and the mac and cheese…and the hamburgers…and the fried chicken…

That’s about it for this week. I will be commencing next weekend but I’ll try to get a post in on Sunday or Monday. Until then, I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. It’s special for us to know that so many people care and are taking a positive interest in Mackenzie and Nathaniel. I hope everyone has a great week.

Dr. Daddy