I have been wanting to blog about my baby shower and the end of my pregnancy for some time, then as the day grew closer it became harder and harder to sit in one spot for too long, let alone type with my crippling carpel tunnel. So I decided to hold off on the blog (and the millions of thank you notes) until I had the babies and these symptoms improved. Good news, the symptoms have greatly improved, I feel like a new person! Bad news - a new person who gets very little sleep, has just enough time in each day to constantly feed 2 tiny humans as well as provide for my medium sized 3 year old at the same time. So here is a quick blog to get some info out there, it will not be proof read, so deal.
The Twins:
I know the most sought after information is considering the babies themselves so here you go:
I was sent into the hospital for a planned induction on August 12 at 9am. I would be giving birth in the operating room "just in case". I knew I didn't want a c-section, but was willing to take what ever measures were best for the babies. By 6:45 pm I felt the need to push and by 7:03 Kellan was with us and at 7:21 pm Vienna joined the family - both safely and with no need to cut mom open. For the amount of anxiety I felt leading up to this birth I really could not have asked for a better outcome, if I did create a birth plan it probably wouldn't have been as seamless as the actual event.
Kellan Charles was born at 7:03 pm. 6 lbs 14 oz and 18 inches long. His name is a gaelic name meaning "son of bright one", which both Brad and I found fitting for 2 different reasons. We also considered Kellen - but apparently that is a german word meaning "swamp". We have so many close "Kelly"s in our lives and being a "Reilley" I wanted to have some celtic connection, therefore, Kellan was born. Charles is Brad's father's middle name.
Vienna Ray was born at 7:21 pm at 5lbs 15 oz and 16 3/4 inches long. She wasn't nearly the almost 9 pounds the ultrasound made her out to be, thank God, that was hard work getting them out at their slightly smaller sizes! Vienna's name comes from the city in Austria, one of our favorite spots during our backpacking trip through Europe. Ray is after my grandfather Raymond.
Both babies are very good and already showing very distinct personalities. Kellan needs to be heard and is more demanding and Vienna is much more zen. She has no problem being awake and looking around and cooing and doing all the cute baby stuff, while Kellan, when awake, is always on the look out for more food. Both are completely, utterly precious! Even though there are 2 of them, my fear of babies is so much better than with Stetson. Every time Stets made a peep I jumped up trying to anticipate his needs, worried constantly and literally NEVER sleeping. With these 2, I worry, of course, but I like to believe for more obvious reasons. Also, I'm much more selfish with my sleep. After I feed them in the middle of the night I place them right back down and let them fuss a little while I fall asleep. With Stetson, I rocked him, and spent so much time making sure he wouldn't fuss. Now I'm much more confident that they are fed, warm and have clean diapers and I need my sleep.
Overall, this next few months is going to be very difficult, but at least now I know "this too shall pass" (although don't tell me that if I'm complaining because I will want to punch you in the face).
Thank You:
I need to thank everyone who has gone above and beyond with my pregnancy and the birth of my new babies.
My sister, sister-in-law, Sara, and mother threw me an amazing baby shower. All my friends and family were there, and it was such a nice way to get together with all my friends so soon after moving back. I really do apologize to those of you who have not gotten "thank you" notes from me yet, it was nearly impossible to write but I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude I feel terrible for not expressing it to each one of you personally. From the gifts, to the hand- me- downs, to the food, I am so so so so very lucky to have you all in my life, and maybe in the next year will have the opportunity to write all those notes, but until then:
Food: thank you to my girlfriends for organzing food delivery for our family. Not only does it take a huge load off our plate, but gives us a reason to visit with each person delivering the food. Since we can't really leave the house, it's nice to catch up with people who stop by. Also, thank you to my mother-in-law, Chris and my AMAZING sis-in-law, Becky for stocking our fridge with frozen meals. We had one before the food delivery started and it was so good, can't wait to try more. For our friends, the Weiperts who sent us the Taste of Chicago care package! The Lou Malnatis was open and cooked immediately and those cookies!! Holy crap, how did I live in Chicago for so long and not know those cookies exsisted. Also, to my cousin Erin and her family for the Edible Arrangements Bouquet. It took us probably 12 hours to eat the whole thing, Stetson was obsessed with the "grapes on a stick" and I consumed all chocolated covered things - hey, it was still fruit :)
Stuff: To all of you who got us amazing gifts (clothes, strollers, cozy coupes, bedding, car seats, high chairs - etc), knowing we needed 2 of everything was very overwhelming but everyone pulled together on our behalf and we ended not having to spend nearly as much on new baby stuff as we expected. Also, the hand-me-downs are so needed and greatly appreciated!
There are so many other people to thank - to my parents for babysitting Stets and Zeki whenever we need it. My siblings, Laura and Dan for taking Stetson out on fun field trips, it helps us so much and makes Stetson feel special in a time in his life which is very confusing. He tells me so many stories when he gets back from one of his outings, I know he loves it!
Stetson:
Our little man is doing very well considering. He REFUSES to potty train, and has had some major melt downs since the babies arrived, but this is nothing we didn't expect, and overall he's very gentle and sweet about his new brother and sister. He still isn't quite comfortable "holding" them, but every now and then he'll hold their little hands and say "the baby likes me". He can tell them apart better than Brad and I at times and is coming around to "helping", although something we are still working on. One of the most shocking things to me is how much he's grown in size since their birth. From the little boy I would cuddle up with, he now seems HUGE to me. Definitely not a baby anymore - aww shucks, makes me proud and sad all at once.
Ok, I got so much more down than I thought I would be able to do. There is still so much to cover (the end of my KILLER pregnancy - OMG! Our current crazy schedules, the list goes on) hopefully this will cover the main topics for now.
We love you all and thank you for sharing in this huge life changing experience with us!
Brigid, Brad, Stetson, Kellan, Vienna and Zeki (wow! that was fun to write out!)
Love you guys. Thanks for the update. You're my heros.
Posted by: Mary Kay Lively | 08/23/2015 at 07:24 PM