Update

Gosh, I know I am so bad about blogging now that I am a mom. I admit, I am a slacker, and I must not manage my time well because I know you are all moms too and somehow manage to find time to blog. I will try to be better!

We are doing well! We have had lots of help since Addison got home from the NICU, and we are now on our own. It's been going suprisingly well! Sadie sleeps through the night here and there, and Addison wakes up usually once around 3:30 or so. During the day things get rough at times, as there is only one of me and two of them so it seems one is always stuck crying while I tend to the other, but I am trying to get the hang of things.

Addison is getting better about eating. I decided to take her feeding tube out in the beginning of June and see if she would eat enough without it. She was having so much discomfort from it, I had to know what the alternative was. While she doesn't eat nearly as much as her sister Sadie does, she is holding her own, and gaining weight, usually between a half ounce to an ounce a day, which is normal but on the low end, so it's ok. She is so much happier without the feeding tube in. I think it was hurting her throat, and causing her to gag more, which in turn led her to throw up so much. I just couldn't stand to see her do that anymore, so I pulled it much to my Ped's dismay. But look at her now! Totally taking her bottle like a big girl and I am so pleased. I wish I were able to nurse her as I do Sadie, but she is has to have her volumes so closely monitored that I can't- and I also have to add formula to her breastmilk to add additional calories so she gains more. At least I am able to do that much for her.

They had their first Fourth of July, and did great with all of the loud noises and fireworks. Addison slept through them, and Sadie watched! They are growing so fast! They coo now and smile at us, and it is so rewarding. They are enjoying the stroller much more, which is nice for me because it means I can take them out during the day which gives me a break from being at home all of the time. I can tell they are learning new things every day, and it's so fun to watch. The cats just love the girls and are very protective of them when they cry and I am not right there to help them. They come find me and lead me to where the babies are.

Doug is starting a new position at work. He now works for JP Morgan Chase Investments as a personal financial rep, and is able to open new accounts for people, do IRA's, Money Markets, and other investment accounts. This is much more a job he will enjoy and more down his alley toward becoming a financial advisor. He will have to take his licensing exam in the next 60 days so he is licensed to sell these investments, which will be a huge move forward for him, and I am so proud. He takes such good care of us, and I appreciate his hard work that is allowing me to stay home with the girls.

I am finally feeling like my old self again and not a post prego plump. Minus a few stretch marks and some soreness from nursing, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight- less actually, and feeling human again. I don't really feel like I ever got a chance to rest and recover from my c-section, but I guess I did well enough since I haven't had any trouble with it. I look at my incision now and wonder how on earth my doctor got babies out of there. It's so small!

We have NO plans for the rest of the summer, and I like that. I am ready for it to just be the 4 of us and enjoy the rest of the summer together. The weather is great, our garden is growing tons, and I love being home with my girls!

Here are some recent pictures! I promise to try and blog more!
Addison

Sadie

The Garden

Fourth of July 09

Father's Day 09

2.5 Months Sadie (L) Addison (R)

Here is a video we took of Sadie the other night. She loves to bounce on our knees, so we pretend that she is riding a horse. It's pretty fun to watch, especially the sound of the whip and the horse whining.

New pictures

So sorry for not getting on here in so long!! Things have been insane!

Addison came home from the hospital on May 27. Doug's mom came into town that night to help me out, and now my mom is here to help! Thank goodness for the help, because these two keep me busy!

Addison still has her feeding tube... not sure how much longer she will need it. It's really up to her! Sometimes she eats her whole bottle and sometimes she doesnt... and so she continues to gain weight she needs to have it until she eats her whole bottle every time. Sigh... patience is a virtue... I am working on it. At least she is home!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of the girls.. finally, I know! Being a new mom has been busy, but I think I am slowly getting the hang of it and learning how to manage my time better when she is sleeping and whatnot.

These are of Sadie.





And here's our Addison. We don't have as many of her unfortunately, because of her being in the NICU.





I love being a mom! It's been such an amazing experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

They are here!

Babies are here! I had a c-section Wednesday 4/8 and Sadie Madelyn Mayo was born at 10:10 am, and weighed 5lb2oz and was 17.5 inches long. Addison Olivia Mayo was born at 10:11 am, and weighed 5lb7oz and was 18 inches long. Both babies and Mom are doing awesome! Sadie and I will get discharged tomorrow. Addison had her surgery yesterday, and it went very well! The surgeon was able to tuck the omphalocele back into her abdomen and stitched it closed. The only thing he was unable to do was sew the muscle back together because there wasn't enough give to stretch it that far. They will do another surgery this friday to sew the muscle back together and barring any complications, she will get to go home a few days later. We are so thankful for the many prayers which we have felt on Addison's behalf and feel so blessed all has gone so well for us and the girls!

We'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I get to my normal computer and get things uploaded from my camera.

Thanks for all of your well wishes!

Love, Sarah Doug Sadie and Addison

April 8th!

My doctor has scheduled my induction for April 8th unless the babies decide to come sooner! I cannot wait... I am totally ready, so uncomfortable, miserable, and tired of being pregnant! They will be 38 weeks at that point, so good and ready! Wish us luck!

35 Weeks

Here's a new picture for you! We've made it to 35 weeks so far!! YAY! The girls are holding on strong since our little stay at the hospital just shy of 34 weeks. My contractions have lessened substantially since then and now it's back to bed rest as we wait a few weeks more!

32 Weeks

We're getting there!!

This picture was from last week. This week is 33 weeks... and I have my weekly appt. w/ultrasound tomorrow. We are eager to see what the girls weigh now!

Maternity Pics

Doug and I were referred to a terrific photographer a month or so ago by a friend (thanks, Mikael!) to get some maternity and infant twin photos taken. We had her over on Saturday and she got some great shots of us and the belly. Here's a little sneak at some of her favorites from the shoot. We should be one of the first entries on the page.

www.catchlightsnw.com/blog

We can't wait for Rebecca to take some great photos of the girls when they are born! She is fantastic!

The nursery

Before I ended up having to move to Portland, Doug and I had started making some headway on the nursery. Here are some pictures of it as it progressed from paint, to the chair rail. I had to move to Portland before I had a chance to see the finished product and the furniture assembled, but that will be a wonderful surprise to share with the girls when we get home in a few months.

Doug working on the brown part of the wall

Starting to paint the upper wall pink

Doug and my dad working on getting the measurements right for the chair rail


The last time I saw the room

Doug has been working hard at home getting the room ready and house prepared for our baby girls to arrive. I appreciate all of his hard work and effort in giving them a room just as special as they are. I can't wait to see it and post the final results!

Here is a preggo pic for you- 29 weeks!


Bed rest has been good to me. The cervix has gotten better, actually, and the girls are doing great. Tomorrow is 30 weeks, and we are so grateful all has been going so smoothly. My parents are taking great care of me, and the time in bed has been both boring and wonderful, and I manage to stay pretty entertained. If things keep at this rate, we should have no trouble making it to 36 weeks, which would be terrific!

Bedrest!

Well, it came a little earlier than we had hoped, but bed rest here I am! My doctor has put me on level 3 bed rest until the babies are born. My cervix has thinned/shortened more than they want it to for this early on so to prevent any early labor, I am bound to my bed, and moving to Portland this weekend to stay at my parents. Here's hoping the bed rest keeps things at bay at least another 5 weeks so we can get to that magical 32 week mark.

The girls are growing well and kicking like crazy! They are about 2 lbs each now. We got some great pictures of them at our ultrasound on Tuesday, but unfortunately my home computer is in the repair shop so I can't get those online until it's back.

For any of my friends that have been on bed rest, how did you stay sane? I am so bored!

Long time, no post!

Sorry for being such a slacker! We have had a very busy, but wonderful holiday season, with lots of pictures to come later. Our computer is in line to get repaired right now so I have to make you all wait another little while before I can post pictures. In the mean time, here's what we've been up to!

- Christmas
We spent Christmas at home in Bend. Doug and I both had to work on Christmas Eve, and poor Doug had to work the Friday and Saturday after, so it made it unrealistic to travel up to Portland for one day. We spent Christmas Eve eating out at yes, a chinese food restaurant (they were the only places open here!), and later coming home to watch Christmas movies and decorate our Gingerbread house. Christmas day we took it easy, played in the snow in our backyard, and saw Seven Pounds as a matinee. While I will admit it was a great heartwarming movie to see on Christmas, it was also a horrible movie to see on Christmas, it made me so sad and I cried so hard at the theatre. Preggo hormones not helping, as most of you know, I am always easily touched to tears in movies. I tried not to be sad, but it left a grey cloud over me for sometime. All in all we had a wonderfully relaxing time, and spent the following days packing and getting ready to go to...

- Mexico
My parents have a newly finished condo in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and they invited us down to spend New Years Eve with them! I had never been to Mexico, only the scummy parts so I don't count that, and could not wait! We left Portland on Dec 28th and had an amazing time down there! Doug and I had the first couple of days to ourselves, as my parents weren't coming down until the 30th. Fortunately for my parents, their condo was already rented for the time we had all planned to be down there, so the rental managers arranged for us to stay in the PENTHOUSE CONDO!! We had amazing top floor views of the ocean, and a 2 balconies overlooking it all. It was beautiful! We spent some time strolling around the shopping areas of Playa, snorkeling in the ocean, eating great food and lots of virgin margaritas and RELAXING, which I desperately needed. My parents got in the day before New Years Eve, and we had a great time the rest of the week with them. We celebrated the new year downtown with thousands of other people cheering, dancing and spraying champagne everywhere in the streets. A major party! We went to see some ruins at Tulum, and of course Chichen-Itza, which both were amazing! We took the ferry over to Cozumel, and did 3 snorkel dives in the middle of tons of fish in the most clear warm water I have ever seen! I even got stung by some almost invisible jellyfish, which kind of sucked, but it was still pretty cool. Doug and my dad were able to go on a scuba dive together, which they both loved, and my step mom and I did some shopping around town. Doug and I were both so sad to leave, there is something about it down there that we love and miss daily. We can't wait to go back next year! In the mean time we have a lot to do around the house to prepare for...

- The Babies
I can't believe I am already 6 months in! the third trimester already, it's really going by almost too fast, and I am going to be sad when it's over. Now that they are moving constantly and I can see my belly move when they do, it's too fun, and I can't get enough of it. I showed Doug last night my belly when you can see it move, and he thought it was a little weird looking, but I just think it's awesome! It makes me happy to know that they are active and doing well in there. Doug and I have been busy rearranging some rooms so the girls have their own nursery. We got the wood trim around the room painted white, and a chalk line up for where we will paint up to the chair rail. Now we just need to paint, which I hope we can get to this week! The crib is on it's way along with the car seats and some other goodies I have ordered for them, and it's finally getting real that they will be here before we know it! I am starting to get a little freaked out about it. No longer will it be just Doug and I, which part of me is sad about as that is all I know, but yet there will be two more people to love and care for which I am so excited about, and overwhelmed with. What if I suck as a mom? I mean, I have no idea what I am doing, and it's starting to scare me now that it's getting closer. Ah! I am sure things will be fine, but there's a part of me who is scared to bits to have responsibility for these two precious girls.

What a long post! I will get pictures up as soon as I can of all our fun adventures in Mexico. Until then, Adios!