The Finished Product...

Holiday Card...

Yesterday, I decided it was time to get our holiday card ordered and mailed! I was just a little late in terms of the planning process.  Getting a good shot of one baby alone is difficult, getting a good shot of two babies together is well…impossible!  Here are a few of the outtakes from our little photo shoot!  We were pleased with the outcome and can't wait for our cards to arrive to our family and friends!

Every time we are out...

Every time we are out in public, people always ask…?

She's Getting Married….

My very best friend, Stephanie, is getting married! She is the person who I can always count on when I need someone to talk to or complain to, to pick me up when I am feeling down and to laugh with and get advice from.  She always puts others before herself and she deserves all the happiness that life has to offer!  Her fiancé, Matt, is the luckiest man to be making her his wife! I wish you love, laughter and happiness! Matt thank you for making Stephanie so happy! I love you both! xo

Snow White...

My niece Layla is obsessed with Snow White.  She wears the costume to bed, watches the movie over and over again, calls her dolls Snow White and before the babies were born, she named Harper, Snow White.  While browsing at Babies R' Us, I came upon a Snow White outfit and just couldn't pass it up! I knew that it would put a smile on Layla's face and it most definitely puts a smile on mine.  While Layla was visiting the other day, I showed her the costume and she insisted that we put it on Harper immediately. As you can see, it puts a smile on her face too…

Thanksgiving...

This year, we have so much to be thankful for.  On November 28, 2012 I found out I was pregnant. I never could have imagined that this news would take us on such a bumpy ride to parenthood.  We experienced many ups and downs, but we are happy to be on level ground enjoying our new journey as parents.  The love that I feel for my two children is something that I never knew I was capable of.  When my babies look at me and smile or are soothed by my touch, it overshadows all of the obstacles we had to go through just to get pregnant and our lengthy stay in the NICU.  Harper and Aven have already enriched my life in so many ways and I can't wait to see where else this journey takes us.

Sick...

It has happened….he has arrived…"sickness"! I knew this day would come…I knew I would be slinging snot, wiping noses and feeling so sorry for my little munchkins, but I didn't think it would happen this soon! Monday, Damian came home from work with a sore throat, then I had one and then the babies started showing signs of congestion…runny nose…wheezy breathing, glassy eyes…lots of sleep! I took them to the Dr. yesterday for a check-up and fortunately their lungs are clear, which is great news! Now we just have to weather the storm.  Here's to hoping "sickness" decides to leave our house soon.  Luckily, the babies are happy! :-)

Home...

I have to say, I haven't been very good about following up with this blog! I promise to try a bit harder, but it is definitely difficult to make time for it when caring for two babies.  I probably shouldn't complain considering they usually only cry when they are hungry or in Aven's case, if he wants to be held.

Recently, we took a trip home to celebrate the marriage of my good friend Alyssa and her fiancee Drew.  It was a beautiful day, beautiful wedding, beautiful couple.

The twins were finally able to meet family and friends! It was a very exciting time for me because it is extremely difficult having babies that no one can see for the first three months of their life!  We had a lot visitors and some of them were repeat offenders!

                                            

                      

                      

             

             

              

                            

                           

And this face...

How Could You Not Love This Face?!

Meeting Aunt Stephanie and Nanny's Birthday...

This past weekend, one of my closest, oldest friends came to meet Aven and Harper! Auntie Stephanie was the first of my friends from home to meet the twins! She was very excited to finally meet them and see that they were okay.  She was thrilled to hold them and loved them as if they were her own! She even gave Damian and I a break and fed the babies at their midnight feeding so that we could sleep! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support system and to be so close to so many.  We are looking forward to traveling to Ogdensburg in a few weeks to celebrate my friend Alyssa's wedding to her amazing fiancé Drew! We can't wait to introduce our family and friends to our babies and create some wonderful memories as a family!

We also had the pleasure of spending my mom's 56th birthday with her! She looks pretty amazing for 56 if you ask me?!  I hope that I look as great as she does when I am 56! As you can see, Aven is already mesmerized by his Nanny! We love you Nanny! xoxo

Almost 4 months...

What can I say.... having the babies home doesn't leave much time for the computer, TV, eating, drinking or sleeping, but I wouldn't change it for the world!  Damian and I have slipped into a routine and although we are sleep-deprived, we wouldn't change a thing!

Aven loves to be held and cries until he is picked up.  He also screams when he is hungry until he is fed. He enjoys playing on his mat.  He smiles and kicks and coos as he bats at the animals that hang down overhead. He can hold his head up and tries to stand up when you lay him on your chest.  At his last doctor appointment he weighed 7lbs 5oz.

Harper isn't as vocal as her brother, but her cry is getting stronger and I actually kind of enjoy hearing her little voice.  She is already a fashionista sporting the latest styles in baby clothing. She loves to snuggle and has captured our hearts.  At her last doctor appointment she weighed 6 lbs 13oz.  She will return tomorrow for another weight check; fingers crossed that she has gained some weight!

They're Home....

Well...it's official! The babies have finally arrived home! I can't believe that they are actually living in our house and we get to keep them! It is so surreal to wake up and see them every morning.  It is so nice not to have to get up and rush to the hospital every morning and stay there late at night.  Damian and I are exhausted, but we are loving every minute of it!

August 7th..My Due Date

Today is my official due date.  It is exactly 3 years from the date that Damian and I started actively trying to get pregnant.  We have been through so much in the past few years (and months) trying to start our little family.  I am so grateful that we have our babies. Every day we are getting closer to bringing our babies home from the hospital and I can't wait to see what life has in store for us together. My husband has been my rock through thick and thin.  He has taken care of me at my weakest, picking up the pieces when I broke and  putting them back together again.  I can't imagine sharing this journey with anyone else and wouldn't want to...

Bath time!

Together Again...

Today, the babies are 39 weeks gestation and one week closer to coming home.  On Sunday, when Damian and I entered the NICU, the doctor and nurses told us we had better get our camera ready.  When we went into the babies' room, this is what we found!  Harper and Aven were snuggling! It was a very special moment to see them together.  Apparently, Aven had spit out his pacifier (you can see it between them if you look closely) and he was sucking on his sister's nose! 

38 Weeks...

Today, the babies are 38 weeks gestation, which means that they are full term and what would have been my due date (August 7th) is fast approaching! The doctors said that the babies are usually discharged from the hospital close to their due date, if all is going well, so Damian and I are hopeful that the twins will be coming home soon! The day just can't come soon enough! We can't wait to have our babies home and begin to feel like "real" parents who can take care of their children 24 hours a day and not have to leave them each night with a nurse at the hospital.

5 lbs 1 oz

6 lbs 1 oz

Milk Coma?!

Ups and Downs...

The twins are getting closer to coming home each day! I fear that when it is actually time for the big day that one of them is ready, I am going to ask the nurses to keep them just a little longer! :-)

Harper and Aven are finally off of of their nasal cannula and Harper is breastfeeding and bottle-feeding like a champ! Aven just finished his antibiotics and they are reintroducing food to his system.  They had to withhold his food for 10 days!

Time Sure Does Fly...

Where does the time go?  It is such a cliche, but time sure does fly! Tomorrow, gestationally, the babies will be 35 weeks.  Staying in the NICU has been quite the rollercoaster, but the doctors, nurses and staff have been incredible and Damian and I agree that this experience could be much worse if everyone wasn't so wonderful.  

Currently, the babies are growing and their lungs are improving.  Aven has had a bit of a setback with an infection, but we are confident that he will recover and we know he is in the best place for care.

            

Last week, the babies had their first baths! It was amazing to see how small the babies were compared to the tub we were washing them in! Harper loved her bath and kicked around in the water.  Aven wasn't quite sure about what was happening and was much more content to be dry and in his mommy's arms!

Currently, Harper is 3 lbs 10 oz and Aven is 4 lbs 10 oz!

Our First Family Photo...

Introducing...Harper Rose and Aven Kelley

Harper Rose
2 lbs 2 oz
13 3/4 inches long
Born at 5:25 on May 13, 2013

Aven Kelley

2 lbs 8 oz

15 inches long

Born at 5:26 on May 13, 2013

Not What I Had Planned...

On Friday, May 10, I attended a routine check-up with my perinatologist.  He noticed that Baby B, one of our little girls was not growing.  He had concerns that she may not make it to birth and we needed to decide how to proceed.  Our first option was to go home and hope for the best.  Of course, if something happened to her and she passed away in utero, she could cause harm to her twin sister and possibly her brother.  Option number two, was to go upstairs to the operating room and deliver the babies immediately in hopes of giving her a better chance, but possibly risking the lives of her siblings.  Option number three was to be admitted into the hospital so that I could be monitored several times a day and if the medical staff noticed that Baby B was in distress, we could deliver all three babies immediately.  

I chose to be admitted into the hospital immediately and was wheeled upstairs to labor and delivery.  When we arrived we had to make some tough decisions, most importantly we had to decide if I should go on a magnesium drip to help with the babies' neurological stability. The only scary part would be that the medical staff would not be able to monitor all three babies while I was on the IV and therefore would not be able to see how they were tolerating the medication.  I went with my gut and decided that we had to try everything possible to help the babies.  I was put on the drip and given a shot of steroids for the babies' lung development.  The magnesium drip made me have hot flashes and needless to say, I did not sleep for the first two nights in the hospital.  On Sunday, I was transferred to ante-partum after my IV was completed and I received a second round of steroids.  I took this to be a good sign because it meant that they weren't planning on delivering me anytime soon.  Each time the nurses put me on the monitor to find the babies' heart rates, I thought they had been successful in finding all of them and it reassured me that everything was okay.  After all, I was planning on staying in the hospital as long as possible so that the babies had the best chance of survival and minimal time in the NICU.

On Monday, my perinatologist squeezed me in for an ultrasound (he was supposed to see me on Tuesday).  He found that Baby was taking on water and her heart was working very hard to keep her alive.  We needed to deliver the babies as soon as possible.  I was scared and was rushed back to labor and delivery.  One nurse was trying to put in an IV while another changed me into a gown.  This was happening much different and more quickly than I had ever imagined.

Monday night, May 13, 2013, I delivered our triplets via emergency c-section at 5:24, 5:25 and 5:26.  The doctor approached us after about 20 minutes to let us know that Baby B, Tyler Patricia DiDomenico, our first born daughter did not make it. Our two other children, a girl, Harper Rose and a boy, Aven Kelley were born at 2 lbs 2 oz and 2 lbs 8 oz.  They were whisked to the NICU before we could see them, to be placed on IVs and constant monitoring. Currently, they are stable in the NICU and making small progressions each day.

Although we are saddened by the death of our daughter, Tyler, we feel very blessed to have two beautiful twins and are hoping that they will continue to make progress and eventually be able to come home.  

On Tuesday, May 21, Tyler was laid to rest in a cemetery close to our home. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life.  Damian and I are trying to remain strong for our living babies and we know that Tyler is now our guardian angel watching over our new family in heaven. Please continue to pray for us and keep us in your thoughts.

Give Me Some Sugar

Today I had to drink the dreaded "orange drink" and had to have my blood taken to see if I have gestational diabetes.  Come on people! Every pregnant woman I have spoken to says the drink is disgusting, they talk about how they had to plug their nose to drink it, they say the drink made them want to vomit. My response to those women is now "toughen up"!  The truth is that the drink is not bad at all!  It tastes like a sugary version of orange soda (which I like) without the carbonation.  I have heard so many horrible things about pregnancy and for the most part, they did not come true for me and if they did, they weren't that bad. I love being pregnant! This orange concoction just gives pregnant women another reason to complain about something.  Get over it ladies!  I can assure you that in comparison to being a mother and delivering a healthy baby, this orange drink is just a tiny hurdle and one more step in the process of getting closer to meeting the newest member(s) of your family! 

27 Weeks...

Layla's First Dance Recital

Many of you have heard the crazy stories about our niece Layla Rain.  She is a little spit-fire with a great sense of humor and a larger-than-life imagination!  She is extremely smart for someone who is only 3 years old (going on 23)!  Today, she performed in her very first dance recital.  We were a little concerned that she may get cold feet and refuse to perform, but she got up on stage and participated in the recital without protest.  She did cover her eyes when the audience clapped because she said "I didn't want anyone to see me."  Although I couldn't attend the recital (which was  quite a disappointment to me) I did get to see her in her tutu and take her picture (by bribing her with a present I brought her), but whatever works, right?

Lazy Days

The best part about bed rest is being able to spend the lazy days with our beautiful dog Harley.  She has been the only child in our family for 8 years. We aren't sure how she is going to respond when three little babies show up and take over her turf.  We are hoping it will be an easy transition and she will learn to love and protect her brother and sisters, just as much as we love her!