2012

As the year ends, I just want to write a little family "newsletter" since we didn't mail one out. My family always did newsletters growing up, but I didn't think I could summarize this year into one page (or even into words at all). 2012 was definitely one of the craziest and most amazing years for us. Here are some current updates for our family: 

Rob just finished his 9th quarter of chiropractic school out of 13. We can't believe he only has a year to go! He really enjoys his schooling and is now treating patients in the school clinic. He keeps busy and balances his time well between school, church, and family. He trained hard and ran his first full marathon in October.  

I also met my goal of running a half marathon in February, and then soon found out that I was pregnant with our twins. Most of the year was dedicated to this eventful pregnancy and preparing for our babies, while enjoying spending time with Collin. Our sweet boys were born on October 19th. I am currently staying busy taking care of our 3 boys and couldn't be happier! 

Collin is 2 years old and is such a joy. He is growing way too fast, and we are so surprised and entertained by the new things he learns and says each day. He communicates well with words now, and is a great helper. He is becoming independent, too - he finds foods that he wants from the fridge or pantry (he walked into the living room carrying a carton of eggs one day . . . ) and plays or reads alone often. He still loves music and dancing, playing with blocks or cars, and his favorite movies "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and "The Lion King". He also loves his baby brothers, and gives them lots of hugs, kisses, and loud hello's when they are sleeping.  

Truman and Elliott are 2 months old, and are the babies of our dreams. They are very content most of the time, sleep well during naps and at night, and are generally on the same schedule. So far, they have made this twin experience far easier than we anticipated. It is definitely very busy taking care of them, but they are just so adorable and sweet. They have each started giving us smiles, and are already growing so quickly!

Though so much of this year was spent worrying about our babies after finding out they had TTTS, I'm not sure we can even call it a big trial when the blessings we received from it so far outweighed the struggles. We are still amazed when we think of all the things that could have easily gone wrong, yet how perfectly everything turned out. We weren't certain whether the babies would be okay through the incredible surgery we underwent in July, and we didn't know if it would be successful. But, it was, and it saved our babies' lives. We were sure our babies would be very premature and were prepared for the possibility of months in the NICU and lifelong health problems for our boys. We bought preemie clothes and were happy when we got to 28 weeks without going into labor yet. But, the babies were born at 36 weeks (even needing to be induced)! The preemie clothes were too small, and we never set foot in the NICU. We were certain that I would be on bed rest for a large part of my pregnancy and stressed about how we would take care of Collin. But, I never had to be on bed rest, and aside from the expected discomforts of being huge, I was very healthy. Even the C-section I was convinced I would need, didn't happen. We truly received so many miracles and are forever grateful. 

We have grown this year as a family, and have felt the love and guidance from our Heavenly Father in our lives. We wish all our friends and family lots of happiness in the year to come!

The rest of the pictures

And here are some more pictures from the end of October through November.

Elliott (I think)

Truman

Family on Halloween- We stopped by our ward party, then did a little trick-or-treating with Collin.

Cutest little crayon

Tummy time

Collin likes bringing the babies pacifiers.

Cuddly Tru

Our boys with Grandma and Grandpa

Elliott and Truman, 6 weeks old

Lindsey Giles and cute baby Brooklyn came to visit! It was so much fun! 

Having twins is the best.

Collin loves to hold his baby brothers!

Finger painting fun

26th Birthday- my mom made me a pumpkin roll!

Our family

6 Weeks Old

Time is flying! Our babies are already over 6 weeks old and growing fast! So far, they have been the easiest newborns! I can't believe how much easier it has been than I expected.

The first few weeks, they slept pretty much all the time, and we knew that was probably because they were premature and had a lot of growing to do. We woke them up every 3 hours to feed them and they would sleep the rest of the time. They had a couple of doctor's appointments, and they were growing like champs.  Collin was a little emotional and stressed by the changes for the first little while, but now he's back to normal and loves his baby brothers.
We had Rob's parents here the first 2 weeks, then a week alone, and then my mom came for 2 weeks. My dad came down for Thanksgiving as well.
By now, the babies are awake a little more during the day, but they still nap a lot and sleep well at night. They only wake up once to eat, after sleeping for a 5-6 hour stretch, then go back to sleep until morning. I don't want to brag, but that is pretty awesome! :) I'm enjoying it while it lasts, because I'm sure it won't stay that way for long! They have been more content than I expected they would be, though now they are wanting to be held whenever they're awake.These boys are so precious and we are enjoying this time while they are tiny and new.

Life with 2 newborns and a toddler:
Now that all our help has gone home, I'm on my own while Rob is at school. Things are actually going pretty smoothly most of the time! I know this isn't very interesting to most people, but this is my only journal right now, and I want to remember what my everyday life is currently like. I don't spend my days following any kind of schedule like I used to; I just spend my time in order of priority. Only when the first priorities are taken care of can I move on to my next priorities. So, my time is generally spent in this order:
Priority 1- Collin and the babies are fed/burped, diapered, and dressed.
Priority 2- Collin and the babies are happy. Collin is entertained and preferably not destroying anything.
*Most of my time is spent on priorities 1 and 2. When these are completed, I have a short window of time to work on some of the other things before it's time to do it all again. And obviously, if at any time one of these things needs attention, I have to drop everything and take care of it.
Priority 3- Feeding myself.
Priority 4- Hopefully getting some kind of workout/ getting dressed and ready for the day.
Priority 5- Making some kind of dinner.
Priority 6- Dishes and laundry.
Priority 7- To-do list things like Christmas cards, Christmas shopping, thank you cards, phone calls, etc.

Basically, if it's not high on the priority list, it won't get done for a while. I'm sure most parents can relate. Some days I hardly get past Number 3, and other days I get more done and feel super awesome. Also, while I'm nursing I have time to do things on my phone such as scripture study, and taking care of bills or whatever online. (Nursing is almost hands-free with my awesome twin nursing pillow).
Rob comes home during breaks sometimes, and that's when I get to do some other important things like going for a run/ to the gym, grocery shopping, or other errands. He is great about giving me time to get out or relax if I need to, even with his added priorities like studying, church meetings, etc.
I love my busy days and the feeling of accomplishment when everyone is fed, clean, and happy. I'm sure when the babies are awake more during the day, it will be harder to fit things in. But for now, we are doing well!
We have more pictures, but blogger says we've reached our limit. So here are a few:

Elliott

Tiny boys, during their first week

Tru after his first bath

Silly Collin

That Time I Gave Birth . . . Twice

We’ve been home with our babies for a week now! We are amazed at how blessed we are, and are so grateful for our sweet, perfect, healthy miracles. Sitting here beside my two sleeping newborns feels surreal, and the scary worry-filled pregnancy feels so far in the past. We never could have dreamed that their surgery 3 months ago would be completely successful, that I would be able to avoid preterm labor, or that our babies would never see the NICU . . . but we have received each of these miracles. We have been comforted throughout all of this knowing that so many have been thinking about and praying for us. When it felt like our faith wouldn’t be strong enough, we had the faith of others to rely on and we are so grateful. Our little babies are so special to us.

Truman Miles Grimmer

October 19, 8:06am

5lb, 1oz. 18 inches

Elliott Beau Grimmer

October 19, 8:19am

5lb, 8oz. 18.5 inches

Now for the birth story-

We went in for our scheduled induction on Thursday, October 18^th. We arrived at 6am and I was so ready to get the show on the road. I was anxious to know how everything would turn out. When they finally checked my cervix, they decided it wasn’t ready yet and started me on cervical ripening stuff. This was a long process and we were frustrated knowing that most of the day would be spent just waiting. At the beginning of the day, I spoke with a doctor about our babies’ situation and he said, “I feel comfortable with you trying to deliver vaginally, but if you would feel more comfortable, I could just do a c-section right now.” I have to admit, I was tempted. The thought of waiting for so long sounded miserable, especially since there was a good chance I would need a c-section at the end of it all anyway (or even worse, that I would deliver one baby then need a c-section for the second). But, I declined the offer.

At the hospital, ready to go!

The day was spent trying to get comfortable in the hospital bed, taking little naps, drinking clear liquids (plus at least 7 jell-o cups), and begging Rob to sneak me bites of food when he took me to the bathroom.  And lots of waiting to see how things were progressing. After the first 3 hours of the cervical ripening medication (at about noon), my cervix had hardly changed (still between 1 and 2), so I got another dose. I was having contractions every 2 to 4 minutes, and they were stronger than the usual Braxton hicks I’d been having, but not horribly painful.

I wasn’t checked again until about 8:00 in the evening, and I was dilated to about a 4. The doctor decided to break my water to get things started. I asked for an ultrasound first to check fluid levels, to make sure the contractions hadn’t forced any connections or brought back the TTTS. Everything looked fine, and they broke my water a little after 9pm. My contractions were getting more painful, and knowing they were about to get much worse, I asked to get the epidural. As much as I love this thing, getting it put in was not fun. I had a hard time relaxing and keeping still. But, once it was in, I happily relaxed, and even slept during the night. It would have been a really long night without that epidural!

I faded in and out of sleep, and the nurse came in and out. At one point, she started a little Pitocin because my contractions seemed to be less regular. I went back to sleep, and woke up around 6:15am feeling pelvic pressure during contractions. I called the nurse in, and she checked me- I was at 9cm! We headed into the operating room at around 7:15 where everyone was waiting for us.

I delivered in an operating room where everyone was prepared for a last minute c-section if needed. In the room were the doctor, 2 residents, a few nurses, and some NICU nurses for each baby. It was super relaxed and we were all talking and joking around, and then finally the doctor said that I could push when I felt like it.

I pushed for about 20 minutes, and our first baby was so close but his heart rate was dropping. So, the doctor used forceps with my next push, and out came our precious baby Truman. I didn’t expect them to hand him to me right away, but they did. He was crying and he was perfect! I kept asking things like “Is he okay?” and “How is the other baby’s heartbeat?” One baby in my arms, and one still inside. He was then taken to be checked out and weighed.

We waited a few minutes for our second baby to drop down. For months, the second baby was breech and the plan was to do a breech extraction after the first baby was born. Amazingly, however, while we spent all day waiting around on Thursday, he completely changed positions and was now sideways. So, after the first baby was born, we waited and he dropped perfectly head down. 13 minutes after his brother was born, with just one push, our little Elliott was here! He too was crying and perfect and placed right in my arms.

In order to tell them apart, they were given bracelets on their wrists and ankles identifying "baby one" and "baby two," the numbers 1 and 2 were written on their hats and diapers, and the nurses put one clamp on Tru's cord and 2 on Elliott's. After doing all these things, they handed me baby Truman, and the first thing I noticed was a perfect little birthmark on his left shoulder! We are so glad we have a permanent way to tell them apart. We would have been in trouble without it. (Although, by now I can tell their faces apart most of the time.)

We had a good hospital stay. I felt like the delivery was perfect, and recovery was way easier than I was expecting! I felt so good so quickly- didn't need any strong pain medications, and only took the mild ones for a few days. As our babies were premature, we expected them to have to stay a little longer. But, they were eating great and every test came back perfectly fine, so they were able to come home with me on Sunday! 

Diaper change

Collin liked meeting his baby brothers!

Big brother with the babies!

Collin gave them each a little ducky for a present!

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit on their very first day!

Going home outfits. Elliott on the left, Truman on the right.

Ready to go home! 

Recent Pictures

A few pictures off my phone:

Zoo day- riding on a hippo

Lion's den

Family at the zoo!

Reading with Grandma- Rob's parents came to visit for the weekend!

At our neighborhood pumpkin patch

Cute boy on a white pumpkin

Twin pumpkins

P.S. I am so proud of Rob for completing his marathon! Such a big accomplishment that he's worked hard for. He's been juggling all of his responsibilities so well- he does so much at home so I can relax. 

Also, he is starting to treat patients in the clinic at school, and he had a pinning ceremony. My pictures didn't turn out well at all, but we got a few afterwards. 

Handsome husband

Rob and Nathan