What We've Been Up To

Everyone asks me what life is like with twins. Well, it's......um......life with two babies and a three year old. It is wild! I don't sit down, I don't relax, I crash into bed each day, and to be honest....I kinda like it (except for the sleep deprivation, which is getting better each day). I will say one thing about two babies; it is more than just double the work. I'm not sure how that works, but it just is. It's more than double the laundry, diapers, bottles, formula, crying, snuggles, pictures, giggles, coos. It's WAY more than double.

Anyhow, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what we're up to on a regular day with the Burri Five:

3:00AM-4:00AMish--Babies 1st bottle of the day. Whole process in the middle of the night with one person takes about 45 minutes (bottles, diapers, back to bed)

7:20AM-- Joshua has himself programmed to think he needs to be awake at this time. He's not supposed to be.

7:20-7:45AM--Plug Joshua's paci a million times and finally give up, loading him in the bouncy chair.

8:00AM--Mommy attempts to shower. Usually with at least one baby in the bouncy seat in the bathroom and the other cranked on the monitor or sleeping in our bed (so bad, but this is the ONLY time they get in our bed since I can see it from the shower).

8:00-8:30AM--Jacob wakes with a resounding "I'M READY MOMMY!" Sadly, family breakfast at the table has gone down the tube since Mommy's sleep deprivation marathon began. Give Jacob a bowl of dry cereal, park him on the couch for a video, and attempt to continue bathing process, while still plugging various pacis in various mouths.

9:00AM--Mommy is still likely in her bathrobe, but has at least washed herself and brushed her teeth. On a good day, make-up has been applied, but hair and clothes are yet to follow. Start dressing twins. Seriously, somehow this takes at least 30 minutes each day. I have tried to speed it up and I just can't!

9:30AM--Finally give twins first bottle that should have been given at 9:00.

10:30AM--Wrap up bottle, put Joshua and Grace down for naps, get Jacob dressed, teeth brushed, start loads of laundry. Mommy may attempt to eat breakfast now.....

11:00AM--FINALLY do hair and get dressed. If make-up was not applied earlier, it gets done now. Plug pacis throughout.

11:30-12:00PM--Housework (usually dinner prep for the night) and attempt to spend time with Jacob. Plug pacis throughout.

12:00PM--Lunch for Jacob, hopefully Mommy too.

1:00PM--Try to get Jacob down for nap in next 15-20 minutes while plugging pacis. Potty, nap time story, usually a battle of some sort over cleaning toys, etc.

1:15 or 1:30PM--Give twins bottle they should have had at 1:00.

2:30PM--Wrap up bottle, diaper changes, play time--start settling twins for afternoon nap.

3:00PM--Wash bottles (I have JUST enough to make it a full 24 hours so this is a MUST and non-negotiable item). Plug pacis throughout.

3:30-4:30PM--Mommy time! Housework, dinner prep, laundry, computer time, etc. Plug pacis throughout.

5:00PM--Bottle time--AGAIN! Daddy should get home somewhere in here. Jacob should get up from nap.

5:30PM--Dinner prep.

6:00PM--Dinner. Plug pacis a hundred times here. This is the worst nap time for babies.

7:00PM-8:00PM--Chaos. :-)

8:00PM--Bath for Jacob. Bedtime story. Tuck in.

8:30PM--PJ's for babies, baths if needed.

9:00PM--Bottles....AGAIN!

9:45PM--Babies in bed. Plug pacis till they pass out.

10:30PMish--Mommy tries to go to bed unless I left Daddy in charge of 9PM bottle, in which case I am dreaming by now.

Do it all again.................

God is Good!

So, I don't exactly have all the time in the world for blogging these days. Being mommy of three ages three and under is quite the task, to put it lightly. In fact, last night after I'd been out for a few hours, I got home and Chris sweetly said to me, "Each time I am here alone with these kids I have more and more respect for what you do each day. I have no idea how you get it all done!'' That was the sweetest compliment he could have paid me!

Let's see....what is new. At three weeks of age we took Joshua and Grace for a check up. Both had gained weight (Joshua up to 7.11 and Grace up to 6 even). Joshua had developed some "issues" and we discussed those at length. He had started to vomit quite a bit after each feeding. The doctor told us it sounded like reflux and told us to call if it seemed he was bothered by it and we could start him on medication. We didn't think he needed the medicine at the time.

Twenty four hours later, we saw Joshua really struggling with some significant discomfort, so we went ahead and called the doctor and requested the medication. We tried that and the first night it seemed to bring him relief. Then it seemed it wasn't working anymore. We put his mattress on an incline and bought a whole new line of bottles to try to help him. The vomiting seemed to be getting worse and we got to the point that I would bring out three or four rags, a bib, a towel, and an extra outfit for Joshua each time we fed him.

The vomiting continued and I became worried. He seemed lethargic and never cried to be fed anymore, leaving all the night waking up to his sister. Then I noticed a drastic decline in wet and dirty diapers. At this point I was convinced he did not have reflux and called the pediatrician.

We went to the pediatrician bright and early on Tuesday morning. I left Chris home with Grace and Jacob. At the doctor's office I told him all about what was happening and also mentioned Chris' history of having pyloric stenosis as a baby (something that is commonly passed from father to son). Our pediatrician was so compassionate and listened to all I had to say. They weighed Joshua and he was down from 7.11 to 7.7 in just one week's time. The doctor told me reflux babies do not lose weight and that we needed to send him to a specialist. He sent us straight from his office to UK Children's Hospital.

After a couple phone calls, Chris was able to make arrangements for Grace and Jacob to be watched by family members (what a BLESSING) so he could join me at the hospital. Some labs and an ultrasound revealed Joshua had pyloric stenosis and would require surgery.

What is pyloric stenosis? There is a muscle (the pyloris) between the stomach and intestines. In a baby with pyloric stenosis this muscle grows thicker and thicker to the point where nothing in the stomach can empty into the intestines, therefore the only way out is to vomit it out, often forcefully, causing the vomit to be projectile. Thus the reason for the towels, rags, and changes of clothes after each feeding. The condition most often presents itself in the first 3-5 weeks of age and is most common in boys, usually the first born boy. It is even more likely to occur if the parent had the condition.

Joshua was checked out and he was rather dehydrated and not ready for surgery because his electrolytes were out of whack. They needed to get that all taken care of before they could operate, so he spent a day and a half on IV fluids and we were not permitted to feed him (poor baby went about 36 hours without a bottle!). He was pitiful, but really a trooper and rested a lot of the time. He had surgery on Wednesday afternoon and we came home by noon on Thursday. The surgery was laparoscopic and not nearly as invasive as the surgery was when Chris had it as a baby. Our surgeon was awesome and he said they do about two of those surgeries each week. Joshua tolerated his bottles well after surgery and is doing well now that we are home.

Chris and I are so thankful God provided us with family to care for Jacob and Grace, nurses and doctors who were skilled, and a successful surgery. We are so thankful for His protection over Joshua and for a little boy who is on the road to recovery...

The Burri Five

Two weeks ago I looked like this: 36 weeks, 6 days (February 18, 2011) pregnant with twins, about to burst. I was just hours away from heading to the hospital for the arrival of Joshua and Grace.

I was miserable and trying hard to remind myself to enjoy those last few sweet moments of being pregnant--feeling babies move and bump and twist and turn inside.

On February 19, 2011 Joshua entered the world at 10:28AM weighing 7lbs and was 21 inches long. One minute later at 10:29AM Grace joined us weighing 5lbs. 4oz. and was 18.75 inches long. It was a scheduled c-section.

We arrived at the hospital around 8AM that day, all nerves and excitement. Jacob was with his Aunt Fred. I cried the night she picked him up. I was so sad to see my baby not be a baby anymore. I knew once these babies were born he would instantly be bigger, more mature, and grown up to me than ever. Yes, I cried when he left. It wasn't any different the morning of the c-section. I cried from nerves. What was life going to be like for Jacob? Could I mother TWO babies at one time? What was the surgery going to be like?

Once we got to the hospital it was all a bit surreal. With Jacob I was in labor and we had no idea how long it would take before we got to meet him. Now, I just walked in feeling all pregnant and full--perfectly fine (aside from the usual contractions I'd been fighting off for months). They walked me back to a prep room with four beds. No privacy! It was so odd. They were expecting me and everyone knew about "the twins" who were going to arrive that day it seemed. I got dressed into my gown and the did the usual poking and prodding. I had the IV put in and that was horrible, as always. There seemed to be a blur of activity in the two hours it took for them to prep me and get me ready to head back to the operating room. A nurse came and asked me if I was ready and I was terrified. I just got up and walked down to the operating room.

Once I walked in I was terrified. There were people everywhere and activity all over the place. Two baby beds, nurses for each baby, nurses for me, students, doctors, lights, tools, etc. They had me climb up on the operating table. Also very odd. At this point I started to cry like crazy. The nurses asked me what was wrong and I just told them I couldn't believe I was having two babies and how nervous I was.

They gave me my spinal, which I was crying so much for they actually briefly knocked me out while they put it in. I was thankful for that. When I woke up I could hear my doctors voice, saw the drape going up, saw Chris come in all smiles and excited. I thought I could feel the first incision. I told the doctor I could feel it and they said I shouldn't feel pain. I told them I still could feel it. Then I was out. The knocked me out cold. I missed the arrival of Joshua and Grace, but I also missed what was apparently a pretty eventful surgery. At the end of the delivery the doctor was not able to get the bleeding to stop and there was quite a bit of work that had to be done. My one hour surgery took two hours in the end and I lost enough blood to require a 2 unit blood transfusion a few days later. I was one procedure away from a hysterectomy, but thankfully that did not have to happen.

Those days at the hospital are all hazy. I slept a lot and spent a lot of time in a drugged stupor. I vaguely remember holding Grace and Joshua the first time. Recovery was very, very slow and the hardest thing I ever had to do, especially prior to receiving the blood transfusion. On Tuesday, February 22, 2011 we came home from the hospital. Those early days at home were hard as well. Getting around was difficult and I still had quite a way to go in healing. Now, almost 2 weeks post-op I am still sore, still slow, but feeling better each day. I am still anxious about mothering three children all at once and all those things I feared with Jacob came true. He IS bigger, he is more mature, he does look like he is 5 instead of just shy of three. But he has taken all of this in stride and has been such a good boy adjusting to life with not one, but two new siblings. I've had endless help from my mom and I have yet to be here alone to manage all three kiddos at one time. Next week I have help from my mother in law. I'm not sure what it will be like to do it all on my own, but I know God is good and He will get us through, just as He provided for me to carry Grace and Joshua to term.

And so it is...we are now the Burri Five.

Elevator Talk

Today was my 35.5 week appointment at my doctor. The roads were a bit slick with snow and it was also my final ultrasound prior to the arrival of the babies, so Chris decided to miss work in the morning to take me. On the way there I told him about this new phenomenon I have discovered here in the last four weeks or so and sort of come to enjoy....elevator talk.

What is elevator talk? It is the strange thing that happens when you put a largely pregnant woman in an elevator with complete strangers. Chris did not believe me that it would happen, but today he was proven wrong. Elevator talk happens. Every week, every time, right on schedule. It is predictable and expected. I would be disappointed if it didn't happen.

You get in line and push the up button and wait patiently in a crowd of strange people, each going their own way. You do not speak and everyone becomes so immensely focused on the little arrow above the elevator and that big red dot that tells you your ride has arrived. You don't even really scan the crowd. There is little talking and very little looking about. Just staring at the doors, waiting for them to open and beckon you inside.

The elevator doors open and everyone bustles in--more than probably ought to and each respective rider tries desperately to tuck in purses, shush children, and occupy their own inch of space. You shout out numbers and whoever is closest to the control pushes the multiple buttons. You wonder why on earth the person who needs off at 2 is in the back of the elevator and the person who needs 7 is at the front. Isn't that how it always works? Then the doors close.....and it starts. The elevator talk.

First, it starts out as some quiet glancing about. If we're going to be trapped in here together, we ought to check out our company. Now we want to know who are current companions are. Eyes glance around and then generally go back to cell phones or feet. That is, unless.................you put a pregnant woman in the elevator.

Pregnant women induce elevator talk. It's become a game to me, really. I try to size up my riding companions and see who the culprit is going to be. Who is going to break the utter silence and speak about the pregnant woman in the corner?

Something about the elevator makes it okay to make any comment one might wish to make. Here are some of my favorites:
1.) Oh, twins! Must have been in vitro? This one is one of my favorites because it came from a little old lady who was about 90. What does she know about in vitro?
2.) You look like you are going to pop!
3.) Must not be too much longer..... They trail off and eagerly wait, hoping you say you were due yesterday. Surely someone your size was due yesterday.
4.) Oh! Don't have the baby in the elevator, please.
5.) Soon? This one is my favorites. They don't want to say you're huge nor do they want to corner you into responding, so they just wait with eyebrows raised to see if you'll take the bait.
6.) Look at that basketball in there! When I respond that I actually have TWO basketballs, the eye brows raise even higher.
7.) You look HUGE! Yes, people really do say this!
8.) Sometimes there isn't any talk, but the eyes light on you for the whole ride and you can see them warring inside, "say something, no, it's rude, say something, no, it's rude." I just stare back encouraging them to take the dare and say what they are really thinking..... I think I'm getting better at my nonverbal skills and coaxing it out of them with my eyes.
9.) I'm 38 weeks and miserable...how far are you? Oh sweetie, you and your little ONE baby that weighs 8lbs....I don't want to hear that you are miserable. I've got 12lbs of baby in here and I'm only 35 weeks (or 31, 32, 33....)

Suddenly we reach our floor, the doors flood open, and elevator talk ceases. I get off and chuckle to myself-almost thankful I have a full 7 floor ride in which to enjoy these random comments. After my appointment I get to get back on and enjoy it one more time as I descend to the first floor.

Chris thought I was exaggerating this morning, but I showed him the truth. Yup, more elevator talk today--both rides--up and down. As much as I will be glad to see this pregnancy come to an end with healthy little babies, I will admit, I think I will secretly miss my weekly entertainment in elevator talk. Or, perhaps I am far too entertained by elevator talk since my only social stimulation generally occurs at my weekly doctor's appointment. Either way, it has been fun!

Are YOU an elevator talker?

Chronicles of Bedrest

It has been entirely too long since I have posted. I've got some catching up to do!

My twin pregnancy was going wonderfully smoothly this fall. At my 24 week check up, my doctor told me she typically starts seeing her twin patients every 2 weeks at that point, but since I was doing so well, she was going to let me go four weeks. In November I paid off my student loan (wahoo!) and submitted my resignation on the same day! I am joining the ranks of the stay at home moms, but planned to continue contracting to teach Monday evenings. I went for my 28 week appointment and found out that I was showing some slight signs of pre-term labor, but nothing to be terribly concerned about....yet. I made the choice at that appointment I needed to be able to lay down more often and spend less time upright, so I moved my office to my bedroom and began working three days a week (my usual schedule) from home. I took a leave of absence from teaching Foster Parent classes. This was a great change and things seemed to be going pretty well. I was so thankful my employer allowed me to do this!

I got through the Christmas holidays well, but it was challenging. On December 26-27 I went to bed feeling a lot of contractions and trying to figure out what to do. In the wee hours of the morning on December 27 (29 weeks and two days) I decided to call the doctor who advised I go to the hospital. I was put on monitors and it was found I was contracting every 2-3 minutes (I'd thought it was about every 8 minutes when I went in). They gave me IV fluids, injections, and oral medication to stop the contractions. I was sent home later that morning with instructions to follow up with the doctor that afternoon. I went back to the doctor that afternoon and contractions had returned. I was sent home with an oral medication to control the contractions and strict instructions for bed rest (I could shower, move from the bed to the couch, and use the restroom). That is where I have been since then. I am currently 34 weeks and 1 day and still laying on the couch or bed... I am so excited to be reaching milestones (35-37 weeks is my ultimate goal).

These babies are growing. And filling my body. Fast. Their movements hurt now and I feel their presence in every inch of my frame. I have moments when I have the assurance that God does not give me more than I can handle and I march onward with hopeful anticipation that I will keep these babies in and not send them to the NICU. Other days I cry at the drop of a hat and beg my doctor, God, my husband....everyone for mercy! I know it is all worth it in the end.

Since going on bed rest we have been incredibly blessed. My mom stayed with us two weeks, Chris' mom is staying with us 4 days a week indefinitely until these babies arrive, our church family has put together an army of helpers to bring us meals 1-3 times per week, my sister has come weekly and cleaned, played with Jacob, and laundered my clothes. It is so hard not to jump up and do all those things that need to be done, but I am so grateful and beyond words for the way people have poured out blessings on us!

My doctor will not schedule a c-section (breech babies right now) until I reach 37 weeks, but she guesses I'll have them anywhere between 35-37 due to various reasons (contractions that won't stop, water break, blood pressure spike, etc.). I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I completed my last day of work on January 24th and officially became a stay at home mom. My teaching plans have changed due to some financial issues at my company. There's a chance I may be asked to come back at some point, but right now, it is on hold. God, in his Sovereign provision, provided me with an opportunity to stay on at Benchmark working on some research and data entry for approximately 24 hours per month. So, while I have resigned from my other position (which I will miss) I will continue with this other little project both before and after the arrival of the twins. It is a simple job and very flexible so I can work around sleeping children and schedules. It isn't much, but it is a tiny bit of extra income each month and it keeps me involved with the company I've grown to be so passionate about.

I attribute all that I have accomplished in this pregnancy to the Lord. There is no way I could do this alone, but it is by his strength alone!

Here are some photos to look back over the time......

P.S. I apologize for the spacing issues--I am using the laptop to post and for some reason I always have these problems. Better get used to it since the desktop has been packed away to make space for babies!!

December 3, 2010-25 weeks, 6 days

January 11, 2011-31 weeks, 3 days

January 22, 2011-33 weeks

Gospel Truths

I am learning rapidly how impressionable young children are and just how important it is to instill a love for God and the church family at a very early age. In the last few weeks Jacob has demonstrated an amazing ability to take in gospel truths, remember them, and recall them. Nothing brings me greater joy to hear him share these words of truth!

A couple weeks ago after praying at lunch, Jacob asked me why I said "Thank you God, that Jesus was on the cross." "Why was Jesus on the cross, Mommy?" It was such a treat to share the whole gospel with Jacob, from start to finish, and watch him hang on every word as though it was the most amazing story in the world (and well, let's face it, he's right! It IS the most amazing story in the world!). He can now tell us in his two year old terms that "Jesus was on the cross to take all our sins back. And now we can live in Heaven!" We're still working on defining the word sin. That's a tough one to explain on his level, but I have no doubt he will get it soon!

Last week we read the story of Jonah. It was just a one page short story. It took us less than a minute to read it. That's all we did. Then last night, after his bath, I heard him repeating the story to Chris, saying the big fish got Jonah in his teeth! Chris asked him where he learned that story and he said, Mommy taught me!

Today, I kept Jacob home from church to avoid spreading his hacking cough around his class (he really isn't sick, but it sounds terrible, and who wants to be THAT mom?). I wanted to be sure we used our time wisely, so we studied the story of Noah. Today at lunch he told Chris, "Noah heard God and talked to God. God told Noah to build an ark and put all the animals inside! Then it started to rain! Then the sun came out and they said hooray and came out of the boat. God put a rainbow in the sky!" Wow! All that from reading the story once, reviewing it, and doing a Noah's ark coloring page I printed for free off the internet!

Needless to say, I am really starting to see how impressionable his sweet little mind is right now. I think we'll be incorporating more focused Bible time into our days together, as well as a few other skills he needs to learn (number and letter identification, sorting, etc.). He is so hungry and eager now. I hope we can tuck these truths away and keep them alive and growing in the years to come!

21 Weeks

For those of you who desire to follow the growth of the "twin" belly, here you go. I am 21 weeks. I still feel good. Morning sickness has been completely gone now for a couple weeks (praise God!). I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to wake up in the morning feeling "normal." Now I'm starting to deal with the general aches and discomforts of just being pregnant...finding a comfy sleeping position, reaching my feet to tie my shoes, carrying Jacob (or even cuddling for that matter) is more difficult, swollen feet, and a new one this time around...lower back pain. A trip to the grocery is about all I can handle as far as time on my feet before the lower back starts to kick in with a lot of discomfort. But it is all worth it and I thank God for each night spent tossing and turning and each moment of my aching back. Thank you, God, for these precious babies! Please continue to pray for no pre-term labor and healthy, full grown babies!

21 weeks, 1 day, October 31, 2010


For comparison's sake...20 weeks and change with Jacob, November 5, 2007. I think I am filling the shirt out a bit more this time around!