Reagan and Dreyton arrive

I held on for 13 weeks of contractions and bedrest before the twins decided they couldn't wait any longer. I wanted to make it past 30 weeks so bad (and am slightly goal oriented) so I was trying to get the doctor to wait to deliver them when they came 10 minutes before the 30 week mark at midnight. This picture shows where the newest Nuno's have been living for the last week and a half. They share their own NICU suite staying warm in their incubators.





Here is baby Reagan weighing in at 3 lbs. 1 oz. and 16 1/2 inches. I never actually saw them on the ventilator because they only needed it for about 12 hours and I was in recovery the whole time. I thought I would include this picture though to show the crazy way they started their lives. They have strong lungs for 30 weekers though and have been on just room air since about day 3.





Reagan already likes to suck on a pacifier when they feed her through a tube that goes to her stomach. We were told she gets a little upset if her feedings aren't right on time. Sounds like a Nuno.





The nurses like to put bows in her hair. She looks so comfortable.





Carlos and I go in everyday and do what they call 'Kangaroo Care' which is holding the bitty babies skin to skin. They seem to love it (and we really love it) and their breathing, which they monitor, gets slower and deeper every time.

Here is Dreyton making his debut. Carlos calls him Benjamin Button because he looks like an old man. He weighed in at 2 lbs. 14 oz. and 16 inches long.

Little smile caught on camera.

Dreyton making the "I love you" sign in his sleep.

They finally wheeled me down in a wheelchair to see the cute munchkins. This was on day 2 and I look slightly green because my iron levels were about half of normal and I hadn't been in the sun for months.

Tanner added some excitement to the night by passing out in my recovery room right after the twins were born. He was nice enough to come to the hospital for the whole ordeal in the middle of the night, but when I started dry heaving from all the meds and stuff, it was just too much for him and he just fell straight down and hit head first on the ground. Emergency Response was called and they took him out of my room with a neck brace and on a stretcher to the emergency room where he spent the whole night waiting for a plastic surgeon to come in because the normal doctor wouldn't touch it. It was kind of nice to have the focus off of me for a little bit :) Rivers told him he should be Frankenstein for Halloween with that scar.

Kangaroo care with cute little Reagan.

Dreyton looking especially tiny on Carlos' chest. It will be nice to hold them without all the wires, but it is also very reassuring to have them monitored so closely. Both are tolerated their feedings so well that IV's came out yesterday. Yeah, one more tube gone!

Here is Reagan with my ring to show how tiny her little hands are. Nice view of her little pug nose too.

Dreyton's ring picture with Carlos' ring.

Me finally leaving the hospital after a month of living there.

My first 5 minutes home...I hadn't seen my kids in weeks (except with Skype) because kids under 14 weren't allowed in the hospital my last two weeks there (plus they were sick). It felt sooooooooooo good to be home and snuggle between them again without worrying about contractions or being super careful. I did walk like Frankenstein for a week or so, but they don't seem to mind.

My two year old suddenly seemed like a giant. He is a crack up. Recovery has been incredibly slow and painful with all of my muscles atrophied - even my feet hurt from not walking on them for over 3 months. Every day is a little bit better though and I'm so out of patience with taking it easy. I guess I have about 6 weeks to get strong again before the twins come home and the real craziness begins.

My Days on Bedrest (87 and counting)

Everyone keeps asking me "what do you do the whole day?" while I lay around and try to not move a muscle (doctor's orders) - terrified that anything will make me go into labor. So, here are some things that fill my long, long days. These aren't in order, so some are from home before I got stuck in the hospital. Like this is a picture of Rivers having a sleep over party with me in my hospital room (before kids were banished from the hospital). She brought nail polish and did my toes, we watched Barbie as Rapunzel, she brought lots of her build a bears and we got lots of "girl time" as she likes to call it.

Here we are snuggling in my hospital bed watching a movie. That was about the last time we got to hang out and it really, really sucks. Now both my kids have H1N1 and we have to use Skype to see and talk to each other. Talk about feeling helpless. I can't even take care of my sick kids.


Believe it or not, I've watched very few movies since being down, but I have renewed my fondness of the TV series Alias from years ago. Rivers watches them with me and tells me I absolutely can not watch any episodes without her and always begs to watch more when an episode is over. Maybe the secret desire to dress up in disguises and kick everyone's booty while going on crazy adventures is genetic.

Sometimes I just stare at my poor atrophied legs. I used to be proud of my muscular legs, and now they closely resemble a chicken. This picture makes them also look amputated.
At home Rivers and I would take big bubble baths together for our dates since I couldn't leave the house or really do anything else. I'm also taking a graduate class on Macronutrients that luckily meets online. I am furiously trying to get my big research paper done before the bitty babies arrive. I've also read lots of books including "The Geography of Bliss", "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", "Three Cups of Tea" (my favorite so far), "In Her Shoes", The story of Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Rwandan genocide survivor, and "These is my Words".

I picked up a new craft to keep my hands busy - crocheting. I've never done it in my life, and will probably never have time to do it again, but it's been fun creating lots of stuff. Here is Rivers modeling a bag I made for my Mom.

My myrtlewood box full of crocheting essentials.

A hat for Tanner

Booties and hats for friends who had babies




The hat I made for Rivers. She looks so darn cute in hats.

Some of my favorite moccasin like loafers I made up

A few more projects - most of these things are for friends that have kids and have been taking care of my kids and me for weeks. I also made some cute little mittens for CD but they didn't make the pic. I like the brown boots and red Mary Janes. I should start selling these things on ETSY to pay for the many medical bills I'm racking up.

I rub my belly with Bio-Oil

I stare at my picture door I put up on the hospital bathroom door to remember what people look like :( I eat lots of almonds - my snack of choice lately.

At least I have a great view from my hospital room with a huge window.


Here it is at sunrise looking mighty pretty. Of course it looked better in person.


I've read this book Rivers made for me called "My Mom's Life" with great original illustrations many times. She made it for me during recess at school instead of playing. I miss that girl.

I need some bigger shirts. Me at 28 weeks with my belly starting to poke out the bottom.

Rivers and Dwight talking to the babies and telling them bye before going home. Rivers always says "bye, this is your sister Rivers", so this night Dwight said "bye, this is big boy". The hardest part of this whole deal is definitely being away from them.....and lots and lots and lots of other things. So anyway, that's what I do to try to stay sane, but it's not really working.

Happy Birthday Carlos!

Carlos turns 34 today so here are some pics I like - most of them showing what a really good Dad he is. Lately he has been pulling double duty as a provider and single Dad and he's pulling it off without any complaints. He gets the kids up and ready in the morning and off to school or friend's houses, works, takes the kids to their stuff in the evenings, and spends every other second of his time at the hospital with me - smiling and being supportive of me and our situation.
I've been impressed with his juggling skills - only the house cleaning gets left out :) Here he is with Rivers on her first day of school.

I've always thought the kids look just like Carlos when they sleep.

Hope your day is wunderbar Carlos, even though I can't do much to celebrate it. I did crochet you a pretty cool beanie though.

Dwight J. Bushnell

Hard to believe it's been 10 whole years. I'm trying to find my CD with all my old pictures on it of him to put on here, but for now, here are a few to pay tribute on this September 22nd to an incredible Dad.