My first posting (with a little bit of catch-up)

Please say hello to our lovely daughters! Alina is sporting the pink giraffe kimono top and Avery is doning the red & brown stars with the brown pants (which have adorable ruffles on the butt, courtesy of Gramps). They are five weeks old in this picture (as opposed to the six weeks old they are as of today).

Alina is a little heftier than her sister weighing in at around nine and a half pounds while Avery is workng hard to catch up being eight pounds and ten ounzes. Their favorite activies include sucking down breast milk from a bottle, making loud farts, peeing on their daddy during diaper changes, staring at their best friend (which is the lamp in our living room), and spitting up on their Papu (paternal grandfather). They dislike being burped, not being cuddled, sudden changes to direct sunlight, and daddy going to work. They are both fluent in the languages of Dolphin and Predator as well as being proficient in the ancient martial art of Flailology (both arm and leg flailing schools).

We spent five weeks in the antepartum unit prior to their arrival. The nurses were amazing, especially my two favorites, Summer on the night shift and Janice on the day shift. I would look forward to having them on my service whenever they took a break. They were amazing! The food was way better than expected and you cannot beat the fact that you ordered off a menu anytime of the day to arrive at your bed 45 minutes later. After I tired of the menu, we explored the many wonderful food options surrounding the hospital.

Ches stayed with me every single night. He is so amazing! His work only allowed him to work from the hospital for 3 days in the whole 5 week period so he actually did the commute across the ferry every other time. He held my hand through all of the scary parts, helped calm me down when I let my imagination run wild with worries, and even went out to buy me bras, underwear, and feminine products! I did say he was amazing, right?

John and Robyn (Ches' parent's) jumped in their RV in Southern Florida as soon as they heard I entered the hospital. They booked it across country, skipping visits with all of their family and friends, to make it to Washington in 5 days. I cannot say enough wonderful things about them and their help. They made exquisite homemade meals that Ches brought me in the hospital, cleaned our house thoroughly (we are talking about steam cleaning!), and assembled the crib & changing table as well as decorated the nursery. They kept our cats company and lifted my spirits with their visits to the hospital (especially since they brought Piroshky Piroshky for me and Pike's beer for Ches).

My sister came to visit me the first weekend I was in the hospital. She raised my spirits and gave me the strength to have a positive attitude for the remainder of my stay. She also convinced me to step into the modern era by getting an iPhone. While my mom could not make the physical trip, we connected on Skype every weekend. My Uncle Steve and Aunt Lucy called multiple times and Ches' wonderful extended family gave continual support via facebook. My dad had a planned visit to the Seattle area due to a conference. Little did they know that they would be there for the splendid event of the birth of the girls.

I could not have dreamed of a better delivery and labor experience. My very talented doctor made the decision to induce me at 36 weeks since I my labs showed the beginning of pre-eclampsia. I was given pitocin to start real contractions at 11 AM. Dr. Scheve came in and broker my water around 2 PM. I started pushing at 9 PM, was moved to the operating room (since all twin births happen there), and at 9:51 PM, Alina joined the party. At 10:15 PM, with a very slight assist from forceps, Avery entered the world.

They were such healthy little girls! Both were close to 6 lbs. when born and there was no NICU stays. They came on a Tuesday night and we were out of the hospital on Friday morning. We have been spoiled by the immense amount of help we have received from John and Robyn. They are the sole reason we have had any sleep, enjoyed many healthy & scrumptious meals, and have a clean home.

But that is about to change as they are heading out this weekend on their own adventures. They have done more for us than we could have ever hoped for! Ches and I are nervous to see them leave but are excited to see how we can manage on our own. Luckily, they will be back in several weeks to see if we have survived.

So that is where we are at and hopefully I will atually keep up with this thing!