When Two Strings Come Together...: Finally home! (Basically lots of pictures of babies!)

We finally made it home! The nurse said we could leave anytime before midnight the day we left and while we planned to get home in the early afternoon, we finally pulled into our driveway at about 8:30PM. It took a long time to get each one of us checked out by doctors, then we had the photographer come take pictures, then my blood pressure wasn't going down (still in the preeclampsia range), then we may as well order dinner... Haha! It was brutal.

Finally we were packed up and the nurses came to escort us out and as they walk in I don't see a wheel chair which is what I had been looking forward to for forever! That's my victory ride, people! I have seen so many women wheeled out of the hospital carrying their baby on their lap and I wanted that! Plus, I honestly didn't see how I could walk to the door of the hospital if I still struggled to get to the bathroom across the room. So I requested a wheelchair while thinking to myself that should have been protocol, right?

The nurses called for a wheelchair and they said it would be 20 minutes. Ugh. So James took a last load out to the car while I sat on the bed and waited with the babies. 25 minutes later there was still no wheel chair so James went and found one - haha - and brought it to the room. The nurses were confused to see him pushing a wheelchair and asked if the security had brought it and James admitted stealing it from a random spot in the hospital. The nurses laughed in disbelief, but helped me load up and we started my victory ride through the hospital with a baby on my lap and a baby being wheeled behind me and let me tell you, that was an awesome victory ride! Everyone reacts so differently to twins. Some nurses saw me leaving and said, "Oh there goes our vaginal twin delivery!" And they all oohed and awed and how nice is that? I loved living for a few days where everybody sang my praises. Everyone should get to feel so amazing once in their life but wouldn't it be amazing if that was how life was all the time? It should be. I decided to praise people more, even if it seems to be something small. As I now know after a twin pregnancy, sometimes the small things are truly difficult.

Side-by-side in the cradle

Or maybe end-to-end is better?

As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by my mom who was on the computer Skyping with my sister Jenny. Some of you may not know that Jenny is serving her proselyting (teaching) mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California and normally they only get to call home twice a year - once on Christmas and once on Mother's Day. However, Jenny's mission president (the boss essentially) gave her permission to Skype us when we had the babies. It was so nice! I am grateful he allowed that extra call. It's really hard to have family serving missions and not have regular contact with them except through email/letters but I know we are blessed by God in various ways for our sacrifices.

Finally he can carry them instead of me!

Here I must tell you how amazing my husband is! He is the most supportive husband I could every pray for! A favorite memory that is a little intimate but I'm afraid I'll forget it so I'm writing it here and sharing it with you all... that first evening after we finished Skyping with Jenny, I used the restroom for the first time outside the hospital. After birthing babies, it is such a huge process just to empty the bladder! And it hurts SO bad! I will spare all the details of this part but just know that birth nearly destroys everything from the waist down. I also still needed assistance because my core muscles were basically nonfunctional so my balance was nonexistent and so as James helped me through this first sad, painful experience, I just sobbed and told him, "I can't do this!" Because it's SO hard! And James with all the love in the world just put his arms around me and said, "Yes you can!" And of course I did make it through those painful, exhausting first few weeks because I can do hard things!

Working with Daddy

And these were inside me just days earlier... but where??

This melts my heart!

The babies did wonderfully those first few days while my mom was here and miraculously so did I. I had worried about my mobility and health afterwards since we live on the second and third floors of a home and I wasn't sure I'd feel up to doing that many stairs everyday. Turns out, I did just fine! I was slow at first and walked gently but very soon had no trouble at all. Abi was also doing fairly well with the new residents. The only difference we saw that early on was a sudden volume change. She's always been a loud screamer and squealer but now she was a loud talker! Everything was spoken at full volume.

They mostly just sleep

Abi soon decided that babies are just for sleeping. We asked her if she would like to go splashing (swimming) with Daddy to which she responded, "Yes! Abi splashing and Daddy splashing and Mommy splashing and Grammy splashing! No Hyrum, no Audri, just sleep..." Hehe and she's right! They slept a ton!

...and sleep...

...and sleep!

Sunlight for the jaundice

Hyrum had to go back daily for a few days to have his bilirubin levels checked. He was so yellow with jaundice and we really didn't want him to have to be on the lights since the hospital said they don't rent the out anymore. Apparently the law says that babies must be in-patients in the hospital to recieve light therapy. Ugh, who made that law?? Thankfully he didn't every need the light therapy! But he did get some glorious fall sun. :)

Check out that torticollis!

This poor boy certainly got beat up in the womb. His torticollis is pretty evident in this picture. His head just wants to be tilted to the right and looking left. He is my favorite scrunched little man ever though!

This is when reality is better than dreams but both together are pretty amazing!

Grammy looks comfortable!

Abi LOVES pizza!

But she won't let us cut it

Abi made sure she wasn't forgotten in all the chaos of the first week with her hilarious personality. She has brought so much joy to our home and family. I'm so glad we were finally able to give her siblings to love!

Abi's personality is so big!

They won't fit on one lap for long!

This is how James sleeps!

Grammy was so good to stay with us and help watch the babies! She encouraged us to get out a little while she was there so despite being one week post partum, I managed to go with Abi and James to do some trick or treating. :)