Double the Blessing

Rabbit Holes, Hurricanes and Baby Jesus - Update #26

2010-01-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Three completely unrelated things, that until a month ago had no relation to each other, other than they were words in the English language. December 10 the perfect storm started brewing. Now you may think ‘perfect storm’ that sounds negative… well in our case it was completely the opposite. Perfect because after long wait my girls were home and ‘storm’ because that is the adjective to describe the craziness that ensued. All of which was fantastic. Ill get back to the unrelated items as we go.

Joanna and I survived the first number of weeks and Christmas was approaching quickly. We ventured out to North Vancouver to be with my mom and had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of baby Jesus. The girls behaved and didn’t embarrass me… j/k, the only small blip was the car ride home at which time Marika expressed her displeasure about being strapped into a car seat. Joanna’s parents made the trek up from Seattle and we had another fantastic day with them on Boxing Day, our family being all in one place has been a special treasure that we will not soon forget. The girls continue to surprise, our cautiousness with how we expose them has paid off in spades as the girls now seemingly sleep well after visiting family and friends. We haven’t travelled a whole lot as it would be nice for the girls to have spent more time at home than they have elsewhere, which isn’t the case yet. It will be very exciting for us to over the course of the next couple of months for the rest of our family and close friends to be able to meet these gifts.

I am not much for sayings but this is one of my favourites that has become apparent both in my work and parenting life; ‘don’t chase more than one rabbit.’ What I mean by this is find something you want to achieve and go after it until you’ve grabbed it. For us it has been easy to see one thing with the girls and then another and then another, in the New Year we have become much more diligent with our habits, this way once we get them used to something we can move on and master something else. Work; well that’s been another story. I feel like I am staring at a field of rabbit holes and I have no idea which one to go down. It feels slightly odd that I am more confident with having twins at home than I am in expanding my company. Right now the formula is simple for the girls, feed, clean their diapers, keep them healthy, spend as much time with them as possible and repeat. Work, well the formula is not so clear. I am super excited to have brought on team members to work for Coastal Fitness, thus allowing my company to be in two places at once. I love working in teams maybe that is why being a Dad with Joanna as my teammate has gone so well. I can only hope that I can foster that same environment within my business.

Here’s one for yah, ever tried to be productive in a hurricane? Stupid question I know, my point is why do we ask the most of ourselves in times when we realistically only have about 25% to give to the situation. Settling in with twin girls you think would be a good time to take a step back and soak it all in. Nope not me, New Years, new clients. Three significant business projects all requiring my undivided and a dog with a patient spirit the size of Texas, but even he needs to get out to the park. So how to progress? No, correction, how to hold batten down the hatches? How to enjoy the girls, keep clients happy and stay married? Here have been a few of my effective coping strategies:

Coffee
Less frequent but better quality napping.
Stay up later
Delegate
Ignore personal hygiene, just kidding; seeing if you read this far and didn’t just skip to the pictures
More coffee
Pray
Watch less sports, (Oilers are having a terrible year anyways)
And finally be super duper grateful for the people that have been lending us a hand during our time in the hurricane.

Watching the girls get bigger and doing new things is something that I will never take for granted. As silly as it sounds often when they are crying we are laughing because, well A: they are so darn cute even when they are howlin and B: you don’t name your kids ‘Wished for, Wanted one; and Beloved’ if they weren’t truly just that. The girls are rolling over now, Marika looks as if she is ready to crawl out of the room. She and her cousin are going to be quite the active pair. Kyra is the analyzer and content one, unless of course she’s workin on a big one. The smiles that they are now able give when we tickle them has quickly faded the memory of tubes and incubators. I don’t think it is too bold of a statement to say we are living with miracles. I like that, ‘living with miracles’, a good little reminder for us all to appreciate the blessings in our lives.

We have started to be able to have people over to help with things around the house as well as meet the girls of course. This has been super helpful as I found out when mom went out for 3 hours and I thought I was being productive by kicking some laundry closer to the back door on its way to the machine….. The meals have been a life saver, not to mention tasty, some really good soups have been consumed in the last number of weeks. We have been very thankful that the girls for the most part sleep during the night. It is not unusual for us now to only get up once between 11 and 6-7 am. If these girls were less cooperative this update may well have been pushed to Easter. My apologies that things haven’t been updated sooner, I know many of you have invested in our lives and I do appreciate that, its just 2:34am blog updates tend not to get proofread and quite frankly get downright incoherent. Thanks for the prayers, enjoy the pictures.

Ryan

Click Me!

The Most Wonderful Time of Year! – Update #25

2009-12-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Jobs household has undergone significant changes over the past couple of weeks. Having the girls home has brought overwhelming joy to the hearts of not only ourselves but our family and numerous friends. Just to give you an idea, the blog has had over 10000 hits, so a super thank you all for your immense support and prayers through all of the ups and downs.

Obviously sleep is something that is scarce lately; many said “rest while you can”, or “store it up now” In theory all good advice, but to be honest, storing up sleep in my professional opinion is not really possible. Things have gotten much better than the first few nights. If we keep the girls from getting too stimulated during the day we find that they have a much easier time going down. One more quip that we thought would be applicable to us, “sleep while they sleep.” I have found this to be rather humorous as we have two kids who eat on different schedules and momma has to pump, and most often this all happens in one glorious succession. This results in a train of activities that basically doesn’t end. Oh well that is why there is two of us, our teamwork is being put to the test, and I must say I think we are coming through in spades.

Working has gone well, with my job I am able to be home at different points during the day to relieve momma for an hour or so. Our counter space has been held ransomed by the copious amounts of bottles, nipples, soothers, and various other paraphernalia in different stages of sanitization. Again a quick thanks to those who have been providing meals. To say food prep right now is a small challenge, would be a colossal understatement. So again our deepest thanks.

The girls are adjusting well to home life; they spend most of the daytime out in the living room in either our arms, a bouncy chair, the swing thingy, the bassinette or getting used to a little ‘tummy time.’ Night times rotate between the pack and play that is set up in our room and the nursery. Usually feedings happen in the nursery so others are not disturbed. They are growing and eating well. Bath times are enjoyed far more by Marika than by Kyra, hopefully this will change over time so Kyra has a more relaxing time.

The tale of our first Christmas is to come…. Stay tuned.

Here are some more pics of the completed nursery (click the picture) and of the girls of course.


Home Life

Ryan

Answered Prayers and a Long Night - Update #24

2009-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Looking back it may have been a better idea to write this update before the 37 minutes of sleep we got last night. At any rate here we are, our little family; home after long last. If it weren't for this blog there are definitely weeks that have gone missing from my memory in the last 4 1/2 months. Now, I take a step back and mention how we made our way home.

Marika was ready to be at home sometime last week; Kyra on the other hand had some catching up to do. She still had a feed tube in her nose and was on the monitors while Marika had shed both the week before. The hospital had intentions of sending Marika home first and keeping Kyra till she was ready. Not something we were too keen on; as once Marika left the NICU she wouldn't be allowed back in. As you can imagine, this would have been a logistical nightmare for us and logistics aside we thought it would be in the girls’ best interest to keep them together. Easier said than done. A full hospital and kids from all over trying to get in, then there's us, fighting for our sanity really, the hospital visits to be honest were starting to wear thin; we were now into our 18th week of hospital associated events, and if not for those two bundles of pure joy, I may just have gone squiggly. :-) In the end, they honored our wish to keep the girls together.

Our time in the Abby NICU was a very good one, welcoming, and professional, caring and friendly. We tried to use the time as wisely as possible, asking questions and perfecting tasks that we would have to do over and over on our own in the months ahead. Friends were made and a visit will be in order when the 'lock-down' of flu season has passed.

A window opened and we all climbed through. We were off to pediatrics. A room became available that we all could stay in. Well, this turn of events turned out to be fruitful. We now were able to sleep there and commence being full time parents. I think this was the best of both worlds, around the clock care and a little help if we needed it. I think our sleep was decreased to a measly 3-4 hours a night.

The girls being preemies and having the rough start that they had expectantly have a tougher time dealing with stimulation and change. The nurses and docs on numerous occasions have warned us of this fact but we didn’t really see the effects until the day after we moved. They were unsettled and just couldn't calm down. With the lights low and little in the way of interaction they transitioned over the next day. Kyra initially took a down turn and needed significant portions of her feeds through the 'NG' (Nasogastric Feed Tube). This worried us as we had anticipated only being there a few days to allow Kyra to finish the progress she had made in the NICU. Well, as it turns out she made a bigger step back then subsequently 3 large bounds forward! Her feed tube was removed and we challenged her to eat what she could via bottle and realize that the easy tube feed was not coming. Well she responded in spades. Taking nearly her whole feed for 2 days straight. The doc was up until that point fully prepared to send us home with her tube in, after we had properly learned how to check for placement. The prospect of this seemed a little challenging since neither I nor my wife are nurses, but if it meant sleeping in our own bed again as opposed to the convertible chair thingy that we had been inhabiting, I was all for it. I mean how hard could it be, we're smart people..... Kyra sensed our apprehension and made the decision for us. I think she was scared of me fidgeting around with a tube coming out of her face. ;)

After this, the girls had one more hoop to jump through, the car seat challenge. They had to be able to sit in the seat without having an oxygen desaturation or an apnea. They passed this test with flying colours. The road was now paved for our homecoming. The culmination of thousands of prayers on our behalf, allowed us to walk through our front door as a complete family.

Shortly after unloading and settling in Joanna and I carried this look of shock around with us as the two car seats with two tiny little miracles sat on our living room floor. We then proceeded to stumble around our place looking for the items that the hospital has been providing for the last number of weeks. Drive home; check. Unload and settle in; check. Be crazy excited beyond belief to raise our two little blessings; check.
Well the gloss of our homecoming wore off with a speed rarely seen around these parts. Our girls are extremely sensitive to stimulation and change, and well like many parents of multiples before us; sleep was eluding us as if it had the ring from Lord of the Rings. I think I managed to nod off for about 37 minutes. The upside is that things can only get better.
Our excitement about showing off our little ones is overflowing, so many people have been a part of our journey and yet we are caught right now in a hard place with one of the worst cold/flu seasons, and the amount of hospital time the girls have put in resulting in lowered immunity has put them in a vulnerable spot. All the docs and nurses say ‘just blame us’ when trying to tell people that it is not wise for us to have people over to hold the girls. As time passes they will build up their immunity to their new surroundings, allowing us to gradually introduce new things. I guess this is where I have to be the protective dad and watch out for what I believe is best for my family. This is so hard for us, as we want everyone to see them, snuggle them and hold them. But, in time things will settle down. I will do my best to add more pics, as I have found an easier way to upload them. Yay!
Many people have asked us what they can do to help and have offered to make meals….now is the time that we need this most and are going to take you up on those offers!! Cooking right now has been an adventure…. so thanks to those that have already dropped stuff off.  THANK YOU!! This is a huge help for us!
It should be noted that this is our first collaborative blog effort. We will be back to Ryan’s terrible jokes and dry humour as soon as he scrounges together a few more hours of sleep! 
A note from Jo: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to each one of you for praying, supporting, encouraging and walking with us through this crazy adventure. We appreciate ALL of you and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your prayers made a difference. The peace and calm that I felt in the midst of everything was incredible. Our two little miracles are truly a blessing from God and we feel so privileged to be their parents. Kyra has made such a remarkable recovery that sometimes I look at her with tears in my eyes and am so thankful. They are both absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait for each and every one of you to meet them.

Ryan & Jo

P.S. Sorry for the delayed blog, entries usually take under ½ an hour, this one took 3 days….. :-)

I think that if you click the picture it will take you to our online album where you can see the pics at your convienence.

Twins Double the Blessing

Diving Boards and Shavers - Update #23

2009-11-28T00:26:00.000-08:00

Life has a way of moving along even if you are not ready and or willing to come along; this is not our situation. We are willing participant yet it seems as if we have taken a little stop at the rest area and indulged in a little 'free coffee'. The stop was necessary for a washroom break, the coffee on the other hand was not, and in hindsight was actually kind of gross. What I am getting at with all of this is our time in the hospital prior to coming home has been necessary for the girls to develop fully, as well as give me time to complete the 'Honey Do' list. The coffee is all the other things that seem important at the time and later clearly reveal themselves as fruitless time wasters. Lesson learned, keep your eyes on the goal ahead, do not get side tracked by burnt, old, cheap coffee. What is your goal? What is your coffee?

Our girls continue to develop well. Both are putting on weight at a torrid pace, not childhood obesity fast, but getting a little chub is good at this point. One thing I learned this week is that a preemie's weight is not completely correlated to development. Example would be a baby born at a gestational age of 35 weeks at a birth weight of 4 lbs could be developmentally ahead of a 33 week baby born at 5.5lbs. This makes sense now as I look at it but is kind of different when you see other babies going home at just over five pounds and ours are basically almost 7lbs. I enjoy the time at the hospital in the evening, my duties include temperature taking, diaper changing, bathing whoevers turn it is that night, we alternate so mom gets some practice nursing the other. Whoever I bath, generally I feed a bottle to after as well.

Marika is now sans wires. Yep, she has been taken off all monitors. What a strange feeling it is. Have grown accustom to the green, yellow and blue lines on the computer screen. It was somewhat unsettling at first, but I knew she was ready. One step closer to home. Kyra is only a little behind, totally expected considering her frantic start to life. She will not be left behind though, we can already see a beautiful yet competitive friendship developing.

We are now at the time where the girls would have been born had Kyra's water not broken some 15 weeks ago. I have to remind myself now that they are still wee ones and not to 'over love' them. Playing patty cake with your 6 week old preemie is not an appropriate activity apparently. Sorry, you didn't buy that did you? I was kidding of course, I never did that, but gosh are they growing fast, it wont be long before I am tickling them so much we all wont be able to stop laughing. One thing I may be asking for for Christmas is a new shaver. Being close to the babies, Jo reminds me 'your rough'. With to which I respond, "I shaved this morning." Shaving twice in a day is not in the cards, so my apologies to my early morning clients as I may be a little scruffy until I can secure a new electric shaver to avoid the scrunchy face from the girls indicating my poikyness. Yes I made that word up so no need to correct me.

The nursery is done, save some cool wall decals that are currently in the design phase. I am excited about those. Otherwise, shelves are up, change table is in, and the cribs longingly await usage. As well I have also started to train our German Shepherd to smell the blankets of the girls and to be 'gentle' with them. He's so smart, I ask him to go and find one of the girls blankets that I have hidden in another room, and when he does he now gently pulls it off the shelf, or off of where it is and shows me it proudly, all without trying to rip it apart. I can see the makings of a fantastic relationship with him and those girls. I would hate to be anyone who was giving them trouble with him around.

Have you ever been up on the high diving board peering over the edge at the seemingly endless space between your shivering blue toes and the water below? It's your first time up to the high one and your scared, but also excited in a way you can't explain. This fear pulls you back a second; enough time to look out and see your friends playing in the pool below awaiting your entrance. Everyone having fun, splashing and yelling, seemingly without a care in the world. Meanwhile there's you, literally inches from diving into the deep end. Then that fear subsides just long enough for you to make one of the craziest jumps you'll ever make. Your falling, that fear its back.... its too late. All the noise disappears, you scramble, why is it taking so long to get back up... You arrive, gasp, and scramble to the side. Then that excitement overwhelms you as you realize you made it and it was probably one of the coolest things you have ever done. There is a strange tug that lures you to the stairs for another go, then we realize that we don't even have these two past their first Christmas yet.

Ryan

More pics in the morning....

MMM Smells good.

Dinner Time...

Chomp!

Back to snuggling.

The Stretch Drive. Update - #22

2009-11-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ok ok, I haven't updated as often as we all would like. Them's the brakes, I apologize, kind of! I have spent the last week and a bit focusing on my business, with momma back in action I need to make sure there is still a house for the girls to come home to. I will still update, but just less often and probably not as long.

The girls continue to do excellent. Marika has sailed passed the 6lb mark and Kyra is not far behind. Hard to believe they are over a month old already; we have to remember this sometimes, especially when they are still having oxygen de-saturations from shallow breathing, or a tough time feeding on the bottle and breathing/swallowing at the same time. As you can imagine we are super excited for when we can bring them home, on the other hand it is kind of nice to have the nurses around to answer questions. Never having had kids before these unknowns would probably result in phone calls to parents or other more seasoned friends in search of answers. Definitely a time to take advantage of the resources this opportunity has afforded us.

The schedule is good now! I enjoy giving one of the girls a bath every nigh--we alternate nights the girls get a bath...for now that is! They seem to be becoming more and more accustomed to my speed washing techniques. :) I am really enjoying seeing their individual personalities come through. They both seem very tolerant, but this may change with age. Marika is very aware of her sisters whereabouts; and not particularly happy when Kyra is out and about. The same can't be said about Kyra, she enjoys her sleep and is by far the noisier of the two. Marika has a lot of the Jobs traits; skin, face, and eyes. Kyra seems to have some of the Wingfield traits, with her fairer skin tone. Not too sure on the hair yet as it seems to have changed already in the last two weeks.

Our goals over the next couple of weeks are to tie up the loose ends in the baby room, try some new easy prep recipes with the crock pot and pressure cooker, cuddle the girls as much as humanly possible, get a nap here and there, pray that Joanna's disability cheques arrive, see more friends and family, clean the cars out, get the carpets cleaned..... wow, ok; enough writing I have things to get to. Thank you all for your generosity, prayers, thoughts, and encouragement. We will need extra doses of all of it when life changes yet again in the next month. Enjoy the pics.

Ryan

A reunion and the non smoking farse... - Update #21

2009-11-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to have a reunion if you only have been apart for less than two weeks. I suppose it is if that time seemed more like years. Joanna lived two years in two weeks. That all being said when she went back to the hospital yesterday it was if those days of separation never existed. She has shaken the flu that she had and is now spending all the hours with our little ones that she can handle and more. It felt a little weird to be catching Jo up on "how to do things with the girls" and sharing with her all the little nuances that I have started to notice. It seemed like such a stereotypical role reversal, but in our case I just call it good teamwork.

Our house has settled somewhat; our pets are back home, our new tenants have moved in and most of the renos are done. I could tell things were moving in the right direction when Jo had baked muffins for the first time in months (the hospital didn't have an oven!)

Abbotsford hospital is a great place to people watch; big lobby, coffee shop, and every walk of life coming through the doors. I think though, the most intriguing thing I have found so far is the 'we are proud to be a no-smoking grounds/facility' placards all over the place. This is pretty much the biggest crock going. Now before I go further let me preface by saying I am a non smoker, I have never even had a toke of a cigarette, so I have no idea what addicts endure, I have nothing against people who do smoke, I just don't understand this situation. Another thing I don't know is why a big organization like the Fraser Health Authority would pronounce this to the world and clearly not even come close to enforcing it. Here's what I mean, as you walk up to the main entrance to the hospital there are several benches that are in the covered area within close proximity to the entrance. Every one of those benches are clearly marked 'no smoking here!' Without fail 7/10 times there is at least one person sitting there with there with a cigarette exhaling it within plain view of the signage and smelling up the entrance to the premier cancer treatment clinic in the lower mainland????? I guess that in a meeting somewhere or during a press conference the idea of smoke free was a good PR move but why basically invite smokers to sit and chimney it up right in front of the building in a covered area where all the smoke wafts over to where I walk in and out three plus times a day?? It's set up completely to fail. If they enforced that like they do the parking regulations..... never mind that's a whole 'nother entry.

The girls are doing very well and behaving as preemies should. They get tired easily and forget to take deep breaths. Mom with reasonable success has started to nurse and I have successfully fed each almost a full bottle. They seem to love being in the same crib together, it will be neat to see them grow and recognise each other more. They are both on the verge of crossing the 5lb barrier, that was last night so they may be over it as I write this. Their gains have been excellent in the last week, docs thought it prudent to add a dose of HMF (human milk fortifier) basically some extra calories and such. It has made a real difference. You can start to see some of their characteristics coming through as they fill out a touch. Kyra had her hemoglobin tested and was a touch low, her skin has been a bit pale for the last little while and subsequently has been put on a small dose of iron to help that perk up a bit. Bathing the girls has been interesting, Kyra doesn't much like the water so we have employed the swaddle while bathing method which seems to help. Marika conversely looks as if she is at the spa, she gently holds the side of the tub as I wash her, only near the end when she is more hungry than anything does she start to fuss.

As our little family comes together we are thankful for the prayers of many. This crazy coaster rolls on and now that I'm on, I never want to get off.

Ryan

Pics as promised.

Pigs and the Milkman - Update #20

2009-10-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

What a difference a few days make. The highs and lows have been almost unbearable. I liken it to riding a coaster at break-neck speed, on a wobbly track with half a seat belt; oh yeah and did I mention that there were no brakes! Being transferred to Abbotsford was great, close to home, I can visit in between clients, Jo can sleep in her own bed and we can enjoy the girls until they get to come home (probably another month at the earliest). Well before we got too comfortable in our little routine, the flu bug has hit. My step mother first and Jo second. Now we are in a holding pattern of frustration, sorta like when you are going to visit family you haven't seen for a long time and you really cant wait to see them again, but there is a security issue in the airport and they wont let anyone out of the plane for hours..... Well this is us, and the peanuts they pass out to make you feel better about it are the pictures I take and show Jo when I get home. The purpose of this entry is not to invoke pity, Joanna is molding into probably the strongest women I know and I am determined to chronicle these events in order to draw strength from later on when another dip in the coaster ride comes along. Situations like this in my opinion would have buried a weaker person, post par tum depression would have set in days ago, yet she holds her head up and is willing to do what it takes to get through this, as emotional as it is, even if that means putting up with my absolutely terrible jokes told in vain in effort to cheer her up.

The NICU has told us Jo has to be symptom free for one week before she can return. Pretty big downer. Of course many ask 'is it the swine flu?', we don't know yet, but it really doesn't matter, treatment at this point is the same. We will be seeking some natropathic immuno boosters, to help her get over the hump. Did I mention already that she is one of the strongest women I know. There's that repeat thing again for those of you who are following along. Those silly pigs are sure causing a stir this season, so please wash your hands, get some hand sanitizer, get lots of rest and fluids and eat healthy. Please pray for a boost in Joanna's health so she can get back to see our babes soon.

My job through all of this craziness is pretty much be the milkman. Momma is pumping for the girls and I am driving it over, holding the sweet ones, changing diapers, bathing them and reassuring them that this will be the last time I change a poopy diaper. That last part there, not happening, I thought is was worth a small moment of thought though. With two bums pooping regularly I can be sure that my new skill set will be put to work soon enough.Not one complaint on my end, every minute is treasured and it is tough to leave every night with those eyes peepin at me.

Ryan

Sorry about the quality, iphone pics.

Top left & Bottom Right Kyra
Top right Marika

Twisters & Tubs - Update #19

2009-10-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Four days ago things looks rosy. We were settling into our routine of me driving all the way into town and seeing the girls when I could, Jo being closer at Easter Seal house and spending most of her days at the hospital. All this was fine and dandy. The girls had been moved from the critical care room to the intermediate room. There was still noise, it was just a different kind; crying babies instead of beeps and buzzes. We had the Easter Seal house booked for two months and were burrowing in for the long haul. As many mornings as I can I try to be a fly on the wall when grand rounds happened and the docs converge on my girls incubators to discuss the days course of action. Thursday morning was no different. I was expecting the same old, 'increase the feeds 2cc every 6 hours' yada yada. Near the end of the skirmish the head neonatologist looks at me and says how would I like to move? I said 'sure sounds great, what kind of time frame are we talking here?" To which she replies, "how about today?" Well I felt like a loony toon cartoon character, jaw on the floor and all..... Quickly, flashes of the main bathroom stripped down to the studs zipped through my mind. These visions were erased as I realized Jo would be home in her own bed for the first time in almost 3 months. As with most things in our life they come quick and leave us to kind of pick of the pieces. Where the breakdown in my twister analogy happens is actually the good part. WE HAVE BEEN MOVED TO ABBOTSFORD!! This particular twister lifted us up unexpectedly and chucked us back out to the valley. The move happened later Friday night. Thursday didn't end up working as the girls needed to be on full feeds before they could move, this happened midday Friday. The infant transport team came that evening and by 9:30 the girls were in their new home. Abbotsford Hospital is brand new, everything is squeaky clean, state of the art and most different is its quiet. Prime reason for the quiet is that this hospital isn't equipped to take critical care babies and as a result; less beeping. They settled in and we headed home. I was pretty excited, Jo was...well a bit weirded out. It was special. To have been so disjointed for this long to have my wife home again truly was a blessing. We set up a bed downstairs, as I don't want her traversing the staircase just yet with her incision still healing.

The work started in the morning, and a new habit is starting. I trucked Jo off to the hospital said hi to the girls and quickly headed back to the house to address the serious lack of bathroom issue we have. A helpful friend has been more than generous with his time and soon we will be bathing in our new tub.

Abbotsford hospital has some regulations that were both disappointing and reassuring at the same time. The main issue was the topic of visitors. Basically the head nurse told us point blank last night: No Visitors. Period. Parents only, no grandparents, no siblings, no long lost friends, no one. At first we were taken a back, but realized A: There's nothing we can do about it. B: Its probably a good thing with it being flu season and especially the H1N1 strain, the little ones immune system is not yet equipped to deal with those problems. So we just adjust and move on, take lots of pictures and continue to pray for the day when my girls can come home.

Ryan

Hope has bloomed into full on optimism.. - Update #18

2009-10-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Our nurses now enjoy coming in for their shift knowing they are getting our girls. They have minimal 'issues' and right now many of the initial prayers we have had have been answered. The girls have stabilized nicely and now don't need much assistance. Marika's is now able to take full feeds, the result is she can have her feed tube removed. Kyra has had all her lines removed except for her iv that tops up her nutrition and her feed tube that delivers mom's milk down. They are both completely off medication and now their main focus is to grow strong.

Joanna and I have moved into Easter Seals House, a subsidised hotel like facility special for parents/kids who need to be close to the hospital. The transfer was a bit emotional as Joanna has been in the hospital for 10 weeks. Stepping outside was a great moment and made me realize that we as humans can get used to some of the craziest things. That is not something I ever want to get used to again.

What a day today has been. Simultaneously we got to hold the girls. Jo got to hold Kyra and she was content in her mommy's arms after a minute or two of fussing. She likes to peep out of one eye and catch a glimpse of her new world, which right now involves one of our faces in rather close proximity. Marika fell asleep quickly with me and we enjoyed 'family time' for the first time. This optimism is exciting, even though I have to head back to work this week, I am happy with all the staff that cared for our babies and the housing situation the Jo will be in for a bit.

Our main areas of concern as of now is continued strong breathing, so they can remain off of any support. Also for Joanna's continued recovery, she had a difficult C-section and mobility is not comfortable yet. Things continue to get better, and the optimism is starting to compound. Your continued prayers have made a huge difference, we continue to thank everyone for your support.

Lungs and Cuddles - Update #17

2009-10-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. ....well everyday is an amazing day but it was super special because I got to cuddle Marika for the first time. We spent about an hour together. Its difficult for me to properly articulate those moments, other than it was outstanding. I always had this apprehension about handling little ones, especially because they weren't mine and I was extremely inexperienced. I had no such fears with my little one, as delicate as she is she settled down nicely and I look forward to many many more special times with her.

We have put up a link for a web cam as nice little view into our lives. Take a peek if we're online.

Live cam here.

C'mon now, why would we put up a live link, that ridiculous. I hope that some of you clicked on there and saw the dogs. You'll have to do with pics and my bad jokes. Sorry video just takes to long to sort out and between all the little husband errands I run, no shot I am waiting for video to upload.

Kyra had another good day today, just before bed she has had one of her chest tubes completely removed. She will have an xray in the morn to check if everything is holding well. We are hoping for no pneumothorax. When air escapes the lung, (through a small hole) the chest cavity fills with air and actually makes the lung collapse. This is the current reason for the remaining chest tube. She has a super grip and spent some mommy daughter time with her clenched fingers on Jo's pointer finger.

The ward we are now on is a short term post partem ward. The people her are quite different, the nurses have a mandate to have a quick turnover. After 9+ weeks on bed rest in anti-partum this pressure was not received well on our end. Seeing all the moms/families with their babies up here has been difficult as well, that being said, it is nice to have uninterrupted sleep still. Some of the families are pretty funny as well. There have been countless dads who look like death warmed over.... merely a statement not mocking at all, I am sure there will be many times when I am in this semi-nuked state and have no idea how I made it to where I was going. Grandparents are the best though by far, well seasoned in the art of child rearing I overhear countless tidbits of advice that seem to sound more like orders than helpful hints.... thankfully we had none of that in our room.

I find the grand rounds in the morning fascinating, the doctors bantering back and forth, and the nurse spewing numbers, which in turn results in a different angle on the listening doctors eyebrows. We had a good chuckle as the nurse misspoke and said that Kyra's lung was clamped although she meant chest tube. It was a 'had to be there moment' of which she recovered nicely by mentioning she does this semi-regularly to see if anyone is listening to her ramblings. Seeing the normally stoic doctors break into chuckle, reminded me that they are human, really good ones at that, who have helped my girls recover.

Continue to pray for strong lungs for my babies, also that we would be able to get into the Easter Seals House so Jo can be near the girls. Also that she continues to heal well which in turn keeps her mobility up. Sorry for the late blog posts, but this seems like the best time to get to it as Jo is sleeping and has need of my time.

Ryan

My baby girl Marika and I share our first cuddle.

Kyra with no tubes for a minute....

Back on so she can grow stronger

Progress - Update #16

2009-10-16T14:50:00.001-07:00

Our precious gifts are having a good day. We visited this morning and Kyra has been extubated. This means she has had the breathing tube removed. She is still having a tough time when she is sleeping to continue to breath. As a result they have put her on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) this is through small tubes that just enter the nose but don't go all the way down. They are weaning her off of the morphine which has probably sedated her too much to have her breath solely on her own now. Her urine production has picked up significantly and as a result her catheter has been removed. Pray for her lungs to strengthen and to eventually have her two chest tubes removed. They are going to be moving her out of the special room that she has been in to the more general area; hopefully she can be close to her sister. The doctors are pleased with her progress and she seems to be out of the initial hot water she was in. These girls will be a testament to the power of prayer. Ky –ruh (like Tyra) More pictures tonight.

Marika is doing well also. She had a little erratic breathing pattern (Tachypneic) after she was fully on her own and due to that she also has had a CPAP put on. We were told that if feels like sticking your head out the window of your car when driving. Joanna got to hold her for an extended length of time today skin to skin. This was a special moment. Hearing her tiny squeaks and squeals makes me feel like a million bucks. Soaking in everything right now. To see her outside and doing well is so encouraging.

Mah-ree-kah

I hope to put up some video as soon as I find out how to convert the file types.

Ryan

Oh what a feeling! - Update #15

2009-10-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

The day started well with a large meeting just outside precious Kyra's room. There were over 10 people sitting in with different levels of nurses and doctors all giving their input and reasons why things were happening. 3 words 'first rate care.' A couple concerns have been urine production and kidney function. Others include fluid around her lungs and the possibilty of an unknown infection. Today it really seemed like they were more on top of problems as opposed to reacting to them. I understand it is a day to day hour to hour battle, but I know my little blessing is up to it and she is in fantastic hands. On a positive note she is breathing room air with a little assistance, her color looks much better today, they have taken the parylyzation off so that she can move on her own and she seems to be taking that well and not fighting the intubation. Her moving a little more should help with some of the puffiness she is experiencing as well. Tomorrow I will be at the meeting clipboard in hand so I can take notes on what we can pray for specifically.

Marika also had an encouraging day, she had all her air tubes removed as she is breathing well by herself. Mama got to hold her today for the first time for about 10 mins. They dont tell you how special a moment that is. She calmed right down after Jo took her; lets hope this pattern continues. She is now being fed donor milk as Jo is waiting patiently for her milk to come in.
Initially it looks as though Marika has my skin tone but is a little smaller while baby Kyra has Jo's skin tone but is proportioned slightly more towards me. This can change quite a bit but just my initial observations.

Mom is doing well, healing is coming slowly as is her movement. Pray for continued good sleeps. As of now we have had many visitation requests and trust me it is much appreciated, but right now I think it best to let mom rest and babies get a little stronger. I will let people know when the time comes for visitors, hopefully sooner than later. Again thank you sooooo much for the prayer, we know it makes a difference.

Ryan

First 3 are Marika and the last is Kyra. Kyra was 1775 grams and Marika was 1752

Babies are Here!! Update #14

2009-10-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Fitting that update #14 comes on the 14th of October, the day of our baby girls birth! Wow a few hours after my post last night I got a phone call from Jo to let me know there were some contractions. Well contractions turned into a quick labour, full dilation and a super speedy C section. Traffic held me up but I was able to make it into the OR 5 min before Kyra Lee was born(9:46am). Marika Ruth came two minutes later(9:48). As predicted I got super light headed and spent a few minutes laying on the floor of the OR trying to regain my faculties. Stayed concious though, pretty happy about that. Jo was a rock, she really was calm throughout even though I had to take breaks....

Both girls are in the NICU and Marika is doing really great, she is almost ready to be taken off the ventilator. Kyra on the other hand is fighting hard for her very life, she has had a rough go and with the water being broken for so long so she is no stranger to advercity. Please pray she fights hard, her cardio respiratory system is being heavily supported and she has a tough road ahead. Thanks again for all the well wishes, life has changed and we are excited for what the future holds. (More pics to come)

Ryan

Kyra Lee Jobs

Marika Ruth Jobs

Big up close, small from far. Update #13

2009-10-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

My apologies, I have dropped the ball. Coach never put me in because I had the best hands in the world, he put me in to score. Well you can't score if you drop the ball. So I apologize for the lengthy absence from my ramblings, oh yah and the familial updates.

Joanna continues to rock this whole 'my water is broken I need to be on hospital bed rest for 10 weeks thing'. We had another false alarm last week which landed us downstairs for a brief visit, resulting in nothing other than her resting a few hours and me sleeping on the obligatory husband 'foldoutthingy.'

What seemed nearly impossible two plus months ago is now just any day away. Those first few nights all the obstacles and hurdles and questions seemed like a mile high wall that we were not equipped to scale. Little did I know, and all that we have been through in our lives I should have had a touch more perspective. We have faithfully pulled though to a point were excitement and anticipation now has overwhelmed fear and apprehension. This is not something that just happens, people, a lot of people are praying. I tried the other day to start working out the odds of the whole situation, now mind you math is the furthest thing from my strong point, but I quit after 50% of 50% of 50% of 3 out of 84 this and this week this is 22% increase that.... Its a really ridiculously small odds of everything that has gone down to have occurred. With all the odds and numbers and chances not meaning a whole lot now those once massive walls look rather smallish these days. Wish we could take some credit, but we know where that lies.

This past week and a half, we have accomplished a lot around the house, super huge thanks to those that came out to the work weekend and painted, chiseled, cleaned, hammered and generally had a super fun time. The hard work downstairs has paid off as we have found some renters for November 1st. Yay! Upstairs, well as some of you who have seen my Facebook status testifies a different tale. The bathroom is down to the bones, and I think the plumber is on the to do list this week.

One of the strollers arrived....are you kidding me, that thing is a bus! I had to remove furniture to arrange for its parking space in my front entrance. That being said the car seats fit perfectly and they match as well, who knew? Baby clothes have started to be organized and hung. I think we have onesies for the nations...!

Thanksgiving truly had a profound meaning this year. Although that being said spending holidays without your significant other with you, sucks!! There is no eloquent way to put it. I felt as my step mom put it "alone in a crowded room." Thanks to the rest of the family for putting up with me. Christmas will be different, I promise.

We have been a bit confused lately with the doctors recommendations to get up and move more. As I wrote recently why fix an unbroken issue. Well as it turns out with the babies reaching 32 weeks on Thursday, the focus starts to shift slightly into concern for Jo. Babes have reached a maturity that will almost guarantee they will be the biggest ones in the NICU. The issue is now Jo and her circulation, muscles that need to work again and a host of other medical terms that I am sure the Docs aren't sharing. So that being said, Jo has been up and walking, doing a lap around the nurses station, undoubtedly putting in her order for whatever takeout is being phoned in that night. Much like the cost benefit ratio for 34 weeks to take the babies out it is similar for 32 weeks for mama to be more active. So if you visit, and the room is empty, check the lounge where you may find her rallying the troops to have the hospital food providers overthrown. ;-)

I will update sooner next time. "Put me in coach, I won't let you down!"

Ryan

Printer Ink, Car Horns, Renos and an Ultrasound. Update #12

2009-10-02T12:56:00.001-07:00

I have found out first hand two facts that made me less than pleased. First, the scam that printer manufacturing companies have going, what a joke. I discovered a site that sent me 16 cartridges of ink (4 black and 4 of each of the other colours) for $22! Of course they are not the name brand variety, but when you print off the amount of programs and newsletters I do who cares what the names says on the side of the cartridge.

Joanna's uterus continues to be cantankerous. Getting irritated at what seems to be the smallest things. As a result most of her movement privileges have been pared down. Pee brakes and nothing else. Eating is now lying down, reading and watching TV are sideways. The signs are starting to show that maybe it is a little closer to baby time than we would like, but who are we to choose. Joanna spirits are good, the most recent ultrasound (this morning) revealed an almost 4 pound baby 'A' and 3 pound 10 ounce baby 'B'. The ultrasound showed the girls practicing using their mouths and putting fingers in their mouth as well.

Second ever so small displeasure is the scorn you get for using your horn in the lower mainland. I used to to keep the urge to honk tightly secured in my back pocket, I mean its just rude isn't it? Well maybe out in the country, but let me tell you I have unwrapped that gift and delivered it to a few deserving drivers. I mean seriously how can you merge on to a freeway doing 53 km/hour? This isn't my rant line but its just a note to let other know, that the horn is installed in your car for a reason, and its not just for dim witted guys thinking that the girl on the sidewalk appreciates it..... Many a country have gone too far with horn usage and it now has little value, I don't think we are anywhere near that here and as a result it should be used more.

Work has begun downstairs, well not just downstairs actually, pretty much everywhere. As mentioned in my last entry I could use a hand with a few things, here is an incomplete list in no particular order:

- Pull tiles off the floor and wall in main bathroom
- Help lay laminate floor
- Slap a coat of paint on the walls
- Wash windows
- Staining doors and a bench
- Assemble a few items, shelves/storage thingy's
- Wash and detail my car.....Ok I'm kidding on this one!
- Install a toilet
- Change light switches and sockets from cream to white

I am sure there are others some bigger and some smaller. We will be working all weekend and early next week(Oct. 3/4/5). Obviously some of these will have to happen first, but if you have some time 30min-all day? let me know and I'll find something for ya.

ryan@coastalfitness.ca - 604-728-4155

Thanks to the many people that continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we truck on knowing there is a huge army behind us.

Ryan

Goldfish and Hockey Season - Update #11

2009-09-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Now before you start questioning where my priorities lie, the title is a shameless attention grab. It's for Canadians who have eagerly been biding our time this summer waiting for the guys in striped sweaters to drop the puck. Normally I would be jacked about this time of year, and I am, just not so much for the sticks and pucks, but more for the bonding, crying, cuddling and dare I say it, diaper changing.

As we draw close to 30 weeks (Thursday the 1st - My sisters birthday!) I cant help but look forward to the end of the month. Halloween has always been a good time for me, and not for the usual candy hording reasons, but more so for the time I spent with my dad when I was younger. If all continues to go as it has our girls will be as ready as the docs will allow them to be by the end of October. Now just as I have written this on the screen I check myself. If one believed in knocking on wood, this would be the time to do it. One thing I have learned and especially in precarious situations such as ours, is don't get too far ahead of yourself. I am mindful of the future, but I am keenly aware that as much as I want to be a dad at the end of October, it could very well be hours, instead of weeks. Bottom line; count your blessings. I am, as of right now those babies are still marinating inside. ;-)

Joanna's' uterus (kinda sounds weird) is a little irritable these days. She moves and it has small contractions, for the most part though they are unorganized. Our hope for now is that they don't learn how to coordinate. Funny how I work all day trying to get peoples muscles to coordinate and then I'm off to the hospital to hope for the exact opposite.

There are times where I wish I had a goldfishes memory, (3 seconds). In rare circumstances it is sometimes better to be naive to the facts. I think Jo and I are feeling that a little these days. Going downstairs(labour and delivery); the first time, I was ready but a little scared but I was at peace if it was time. Now though, the more I know, I still feel peace, its just an adapted version. Hard to describe, as you can tell by my nonsensical ramblings. A friend brought a goldfish balloon to Joanna and it is still hovering around, reminding me to have peace and know there is a Greater control at work.

Even though the Jobs household is not complete, that doesn't mean there isn't a flurry of activity. Reno's are taking place left right and centre. New flooring is ready to go in downstairs, tiles, bath and toilet in the main bath upstairs, and a ridiculous amount of cleanup and organizing all over the place. I have had mounds of help from family and am uber grateful. That being said, we are looking to organize a work day/weekend. Many have asked how they can help and so I am trying to set up some time to get some of these jobs done. This is all so we can have some sense of being on top of things before the craziness hits. Now I have been to work days before where you show up and there is little organization and you end up there all day feeling like you havent been utilized. No more. How I envisioned things is listing a bunch of tasks and whoever thinks they are up to can come blast it out and then be done. I am in the midst of compiling the list so hold off on the "I can totally come and knock a few walls down" emails.... I'll post it soon enough.

Go Oilers Go!!!!

Ryan

The little trip downstairs - Mini update #10

2009-09-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

On the eve of 29 weeks gestation, Joanna made a little trip downstairs to labour and delvery. Things seemed to be a little irritated, and as a result they are monitoring her a little more closely. It was a long night as the babies were doing thier best not to cooperate with the heart rate monitoring(thier fine though), so there was a lot of adjusting and re-adjusting. The nurse made the mistake of giving me earplugs, shortly after I was sawing logs. The nurses are extremly attentive the prognosis seems good that Joanna could go back upstairs. But with everything baby there is always a chance that we are closer to 'the time'. Joanna also has a little infection flare up, so the menu calls for another round of antibiotics. The feeling is a lot better now than it was 6 weeks ago, and we are prayerfull that we can go another 6. She is resting now and making good use of the hospital issued earplugs. :-)

Ryan

Goat Meat and a Winning Formula – Update #9

2009-09-19T14:15:00.001-07:00

Who knew that five weeks ago Joanna would have left the house and not been back since. The house will have had a significant makeover, two beautiful girls will have been born, parents moved back into the province, really good friends moved out of the house, and life as we know it will have changed forever.

These past few days have been encouraging, Joanna's ultrasound has had positive results, as expected the fluid level for baby 'A' is low, but the doctors are not concerned that it will have any lasting effect on her. Boy oh boy they are growing though, almost 3.5 lbs for one and just under 3 for the other. The tech commented on one of the girls rolled back fat….. nice! Heartbeats continue to be stable and strong, and we have some really cute ultrasound pics of the girls chubby cheeks! ;-)

Saying by to Jo's parents was tough as they have been a huge help and comfort for me knowing they were within close proximity when I couldn't be. I had a particularly nice dinner with Rob in which I backed out of a dare to try goat meat… looking back I kind of feel like a wuss, as there is not much that I won't eat, but I had a hankering for lamb and wasn't deviating from my plan. Rob stepped up to the plate and the goat meat with jackfruit turned out to be a winner.

There are a few theories out there when comes to the saying 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. In sports its my experience that this only lasts so long, a winning formula is kept together too long and the opposition figures it out only to make you look foolish in your static state. I have learned over my short almost 30 years that not all sports analogies fit neatly into the real world. Many do and I have benefitted greatly from them, but this one doesn't. Joanna has a really good formula going; it's working and repeating it day after day is something that is going to produce two of the greatest joys of my life. Doctors have asked if she would like to go 'home' to participate in home care due to the stability she has exhibited over the course of the last 5 weeks. As tempting as this may seem, please refer to my explanation above. We have a winning formula going here and why would we mess with it. Secondly we don't meet the necessary criteria due to us living in Abbotsford, and not having 24 hour supervision available; yes I have to work…. I think her mental fortitude is to be admired, and she is quickly showing me the willingness to do anything for these girls.

I dislike traffic quite a bit; I resisted using the 'H' word there as it would have been easy to do, because gosh there are a lot of goofs behind the wheel. Now it would be easy to go off on one of my tirades about lower mainland traffic, road construction, the price of gas etc, but my mind is quickly drawn back to the selflessness that we are learning as a couple. 'This song is not about us'; is a phrase we have continually joked together about many times over the weeks in response to feelings of frustration or pity seeking. Being DINK's' 'duel income no kids' for the last 6 years has a way of permeating your lifestyle, I thought it had sunk much deeper. I am learning that some of the most profound joys in life come not from satisfying my own needs, but those of another; even if they aren't born yet!

Continued thanks go out to the many offerings of assistance. Each week brings new blessings most of which blindside me like a lottery win! Our hunt for quality tenants continues so if you live in the Fraser Valley and have an avenue to post an ad (i.e. church, school or work bulletin board) please let me know and I would love to send you the info.

Blessings,

Ryan

Shoes and their Lessons. - Update #8

2009-09-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

It was a rough week. Let's call spades, spades. Joanna had a number of blood tests that resulted in her being almost/minimally gestationaly diabetic. I guess the combo of Snickers and slur-pees earlier on wasn't the greatest idea after all. But who am I to say, just the husband carrying out his duties for a loving, hormonal wife. (Men, this is not the point at which you interject the "I told you those weren't a good idea" phrase) Unless of course you seek the wrath.... Just for the record, and because I know Jo is reading this, I have never uttered those words. Now you may think cmon you're a trainer, how could you knowingly bring that stuff into your home. Wasn't it only a sentence or two back I mentioned the 'Wrath', please, I do at some point in the near future want to sleep in the same bed again. ;-)

Jo has a new appreciation for diabetics, and the bodily abuse they take on a daily basis. Finding out that fasting for 8+ hours, drinking a disgusting sugar syrup solution and then giving a bunch of blood will result in vomiting, tiredness, lack of appetite and a general feeling of crappyness. We self taught the difference between the glycemic index, and glycemic load. 'Index', taking 50gr of any food and testing its effect on blood sugar and 'load' taking the effects of an actual average serving size on sugar levels. Take for example carrots, higher on the index scale but you would have to eat an unreal serving size to have an appreciable spike in blood sugar.

As we inch towards a great milestone of 28 weeks, your thoughts, words of encouragement and prayers never get old. I like repeating important facts, I find that if I read the same thing again by an author he/she probably feels passionate about it. Your thoughts, words of encouragement, and prayers mean the world to us right now. I wish I could respond to all of you individually, gosh knows I have sent many a 'virtual message' back as we read and receive all kinds of encouragement. Just know we treasure it all.

Joanna's parents have been in town, using a well earned vacation to spend in Vancouver and the hospital, rather than hitting the beaches of Hawaii or some other long pined after vacation spot. This sacrifice hasn't gone unnoticed. It has allowed me to stay on top of work and even get a conditioning class organized for the very near future (1-2 weeks away). As well I have picked bathroom tiles, regained vision of the family room floor, thanks to my family and spend time with my favourite dog Bishop. Even though we have established a routine, it still doesn't feel normal. Our house seems like it is taking a giant deep breath, almost psyching itself up for the inevitable onslaught of estrogen in the coming months and years. This routine feels surreal. Almost as if I am walking a mile in anothers' shoes, as the saying goes. Don't get me wrong, and if you subscribe to the theory that all things happen for a reason, which I heavily do, this experience of someone else's shoes will come in very handy somewhere down the road. The crazy part is, it might not even be my road, or even Jo's, it could be one of our offspring or one their friends for all I know. My hope is someone will learn/be inspired by these shoes.

Another thing I would like to mention, our great friend Deb has volunteered her wonderful organizational/scheduling skills (she has 5 @ home+ Joel ;-) ) to help schedule visitors and Jo has enough on her plate as it stands. So please send your requests to thegirls@coastalfitness.ca and Deb will get you in at a time that is best suited for everyone.

I wish there was more to update, but other than my improving skill of putting on Jo's T.E.D stockings, and us now finally watching the first season of Prison Break, my hope is 28 weeks will soon be 34 and my wife and I can jump headfirst into parenting.

In Health,

Ryan

School of Life - Update #7

2009-09-08T22:45:00.001-07:00

School is in. This used to be a busy and exciting time for us. Jo going back to work, eager to meet her students for the year, yet tons of work to be done and meetings to attend. Its funny how life's lesson plan sometimes has a whole different idea of what we are going to learn come this September. Instead of meeting new parents/kids/friends Jo has met and befriended almost every nurse in the ward. My psycology would be to be extremely nice to my nurses, be their easiest patient for their shift, complain as little as possible, if at all, all in an effort to see if I could score some extra food. But that's just me, and for my learning outcomes for the month, taking a page out of my wife's manual is top priority. She does all the aforementioned things minus the reverse psychology 'must get more food' mentality. She just does it because that is just who she is. (Man I love her for that!) I am writing this point down, for the sole purpose of being able at a later date to recall her amazing attitude in the face of adversity.

One of the areas in life that I think I have tried and hopefully get better at as I age is; learning from others experiences. Now this may sound simplistic almost to the point of obvious. But how often do we find ourselves being defiant and seeking our own path, just because its 'our own'? Hypothetical Example: Be demanding, quick to anger, short in compliments and overall just a jerkto be around and see if the waitress spits in your food. My point is this not every server will react in this manner, but is it worth the risk? Joanna's experience has taught me that no one is going to spit in my food if I am genuine, patient, complimentary and overall a pleasant person to be around. This is a learning outcome that I can apply not just in restaurants.

A few rough days have past, Jo has had multiple blood tests for anemia, gestational diabetes, and a couple other tests that I probably shouldn't attempt to spell. Her red blood count is improving with a doubled dose of iron. Who knew that all the dairy that she has been craving has been inhibiting the absorption of the iron pill? The diabetes thing seems like it is dragging on, she is on the cusp and the docs haven't come to a conclusion as to the course of action..... I say stop having the carnation breakfast shake ordered first off, I mean c'mon the second ingredient is sugar for crying out loud, 30 + grams!! The second would be to at least have the food appear to have been made/cooked on the premises and not in Prince George and then scooted down here in the Flinstone mobile. Now before you all get those ideas in your head like "I bet Jo is just accepting the food for what it is and is a super trooper....." you need to come down and take a look at the excuse for a chicken breast salad. Jo has had some fine words for the 'special of the day'. So let me take this opportunity to once again thank those that have contributed wonderful meals for us to substitute any time something unrecognizable shows up.

As I home school myself in the field of renovations, I feel that I am around a 'B' cruising into the midterm. Nursery has only two shelves to go up, a dresser to move in (thanks Jeanine), and a womens touch to finish things off. Cribs are done, glider/ottoman set up, floor replaced, and walls/closet painted, I think the bathroom midterm will test my reno fortitude. Furthermore as a complete aside, we are looking for new tenants come Oct 1st, Our good friends Kent and Kara are moving on to get settled for their new addition and we are going to have a huge hole to fill down there. Not a real hole just one from having really good friends move on, (probably didn't need to write out that explanation....) So if you know of any friends or family looking for a suite in Abbotsford please send them my way.

Class Dismissed.

Ryan

Ultrasounds and New Perfume - Update #6

2009-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

With more than a handful of ultrasounds completed we have become, dare I say, savvy, with the whole process. There are a few rules to follow, they are simple in theory but yet almost impossible to carry out. These are in order of importance from least to greatest based solely on my opinion. #3) Drink enough fluid to allow the tech to see things well; a full bladder allows things to be more visible. Problem is if you have a full bladder inevitably the lab will be behind and it is next to impossible to keep the bladder engorged; leaving you with successively worse pee shivers until the scan is complete. #2) Don't lay completley on your back, this is the easiest to follow. We learned this the hard way during a recent and particularily long ultrasound. Joanna looked over at me and it wasnt the 'look at our sweet children swimming inside me' look. It was more of the 'my blood is not returning properly back to my heart from my feet and legs via my inferior vena cava' look. Solution; ask the tech to put a foam wedge under your side and everything will be hunky dorey. Finally #1) Under all circumstances never ask the tech questions. Let me repeat that, don't ask anything. They are techs, not doctors. They are paid to scan not to interpret what they see. Now as a pregnant women you want to know what every little thing that is going on the screen. Resist the temptation because they dont know your circumstances and may say something that is no big deal but you will over analyze that little phrase every agonizing minute until the actual doctor comes to your room many hours later to relieve your clearly unfounded fears.

We have had some good news with regard to the recent ultrasounds. It seems as if the babies are growing quite well. Our doctor confirmed yesterday that the girls are at the size that a singleton would be at 29 weeks! The girls weigh in the neighbourhood of 2.2-2.4 lbs. The fantastic news was kind of short lived though, as the docs were in dissbelief of our relatively ginormous babies. Subsequetly Joanna was promtly tested for gestational diabetes. This test came back negative, and just to be sure this morning Jo had to chug the glucose drink for the second time. Can you say 'delish!'

The eternal entreprenure I am I was wondering what that wonderful smell was as I was driving home last afternoon. It then occured to me it was 'insta-tuitionelle', my latest addition to the already saturated fragrance market. Since smell is the number one marker for memory this new fragrance will allow us to................HOLD THE PHONE, BACK THE TRUCK UP........this perfume should under all circumstances stay at the hospital. I actully think that they make it smell like they do so you fight hard/comply to orders so you can get the heck out of there as fast as possible!!

Joanna got to soak in give or take 3 minutes of sunshine yesterday. 1 minute to the patio, 3 minutes outside, and 1 minute back to the room. A highlight forsure. My highlight was the food order blunder today. Jo chooses her food for lunch, dinner, and the next morning; she does this all on one sheet of paper that is seperated into 3 colums, 1 per meal. Today breakfast came and the accompanying order sheet. Something was off though, the indicator may have been the fact that there was nothing on the tray that Joanna had actually ordered. Not to mention, and this is by far the best part, a new sheet had been printed off and new items had been circled, compounding the hilarity it was in ink and Jo always circles the items in pencil. Are you kidding me..... anyways if this is the worst part of the day then we are having a wonderful day. Ill take more of those days with a touch less 'intsa-tuitionelle'.

Ryan

P.S.

Once again here is the contact email info for visiting Joanna.

thegirls@coastalfitness.ca

Another week of elevators - Update #5

2009-09-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

When you lay horizontal for weeks on end you become acutely aware of every little thing your body does, good or bad. The even worse part is there is very little one can do to distract oneself from it for long enough to forget it. This is the life my wife is living. Braxton Hicks, tight trapezius muscles, super active babies... the list goes on. None of which she probably would notice had she been preparing for another school year. Now this may sound like a pity cry, its not. The reason; the outcome. All of these minor occurrences will be a distant memory when both babies are wailing their heads off (simultaneously) for food or a new diaper or both. We'll soak in every moment and be thankful and tired, but thankful for every minute of our new life, crying or no crying.

Now your wondering why the title: '...elevators'. Well as some of you may know I have a few things that can get on my nerves. I am getting much better in most areas but others....not so much. Not for lack of effort though. One such thing that drives me nuts is the person waiting for the elevator, we've all encountered him/her. Basically the world is in their way. I am inside said elevator and patiently waiting to get off at one of two floors.(Remeber this point) As the doors slide open, at least 50% of the time I am greeted by one of these over zealous 'elevator waiters'. Ok, so there two floors in the hospital so one could deduce very quickly, hopefully in a single trip, that if someone is on the elevator when the door opens, 98+% of the time they are getting off. It is more than widely accepted protocal that individuals getting off the elevator has the right of way. So why am I greeted with this indignant look on their face as if they have been wronged, as we awkwardly pass each in the still opening door?

Crazy....my apologies for my rant, there are three ways to look at this either I'm off my rocker, we don't have much new to report on the baby front, or I have far too much time on my hands. A)Partially correct, B)Correct, C)Very False

As you are reading this we have reached 26 weeks today. Fantastic! Another milestone. Joanna is responding well to this round of antibiotics; what I mean is the small infection is not growing, although her upset stomach doesn't appreciate them much. Maybe this is a good time to mention that if you are planning on coming to visit Jo, please don't have a cold, the sniffles, a sore throat, the flu, or brown hair. Ok I was kidding on the last one, but Jo has slightly compromised immune system right now and I would be super appreciative if she didn't get sick.

Joanna received wheelchair privileges today. Before you all get excited and have visions of me peeling around the ward racing other ante-partum patients, she only gets 5 min. Basically enough time to relieve some of the tension in the previously mentioned trapezius muscles. (Upper back/lower neck, I'm a kinesiology grad; sorry...)

Please continue to pray that the fluid levels around baby 'a' continues to replenish, any infection goes away, and that Jo continues to feel His strength in an other wise helpless situation.

RD Captured Memories

That's a real nice couch.... oh yeah and mega hot pregnant wife!

Ryan.

P.S.
I think after writing this I will resolve to take the stairs, to avoid 'awkward elevator guy' altogether. I mean I am a personal trainer after all, seriously, c'mon, that's just lazy Ryan!

NICU and You - Update #4

2009-08-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

After a slightly avoided/delayed appointment with the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) we managed to get our schedules to align. More mine than Jo's ;-) What an absolutely amazing place. We got to do the whole scrub up to your elbows like they do on tv thing before we went in, thats pretty much where the goofy grin that I normally carry around left my face. The scene was out of a Sci-Fi movie, more machines hooked up to lines and ultimately little ones that a person could take in at first glance. Quickly my shock transformed to awe. These machines and uber attentive nurses/doctors were on full alert keeping these vulnerable brand new beings alive and growing. As I wheeled Jo around almost bumping into computers and various other equipment because my full attention was not on driving; Jo would say that not much is different than when I am behind the wheel of the car. Our nurse/guide was very positive yet realistic. It was neat to see the quiet confidence that the staff walked around with, knowing that they are very good at what they do and they work at a top notch facility. I guess this is as good a place as any to mention how my attitude has shifted a little and my appreciation for socialized medicine was really galvanized. I don't mind in the slightest paying a little more tax to support the miracles that are going on at that place. Unfortunately taxes don't cover everything, so what better charity to give to? I have heard some really great stories this week of parents who have asked kids and families coming to birthday parties and in lieu of gifts everyone has donated to the Children's hospital. The child whose birthday it happens to be is given one slightly more significant gift rather than a ton of $10-$30 gifts.

As the days roll on, we have our ups and downs. This is to be expected, you just hope and pray that when you are in a valley you have the strength to keep looking up at the peak in order to stride on. Obviously me working both on the house and at the gym my mind can often stay distracted from the situation. What I pray for most is Joanna and her ability to know that the cause is worthy and for a peace that supersedes all doubt. Driving back and forth is the easy part, my respect for her fortitude in laying there is reaching epic proportions. That may sound like a bit of hyperbole, but in all honesty its probably even an understatement!

Please pray for Joanna's continued abilty to fight infection, today she has had to go back on a one week cycle of antibiotics, as a small infection has revealed itself on some tests. They aren't great for her digestive system and produce other less than desirable reactions thoughout, although if effective the ultimate goal of keeping babies inside longer term can be achieved.

I feel as if I am on the Grouse Grind for the very first time and having no idea what to expect, my place now would not quite be at the 1/4 mark and definitely suckin' wind, wondering why I am here. Obviously the metaphor breaks down a bit here but the point is the goal is worthy; seeing that view, breathing that air, holding those girls and walking through my front door.

Ryan

Base of support - Update #3

2009-08-29T01:07:00.001-07:00

I really feel like a pyramid these days. The cheerleading kind more
specifically. Joanna and I being held up by a fantastic group of
family and friends. We have no weak links. Tons of people filling
places, devoting time, cooking meals, lending things, supporting in
any way they know how; and most importantly prayer. At times like
these it's difficult to appreciate everyone. I want to, don't get me
wrong; although it's somewhat overwhelming at times. So thank you all
and please continue because it's working, jo is still there and the
babies are still inside!

Feeling those girls kick my hand I can't help but think to myself that
the miracle pregnancy and kids gives us a different prospective on
life. One that has made me realize life is very much NOT about me. I
would not be who I am without that base of support, my family would
not feel the support we do without everyone around us. I ate a meal
tonight that was prepared by someone I have never met. I wasn't at a
restaurant... I didn't pay for it.... It was just given without any
strings. So just when I think that all compassionate acts deserve a
tax receipt; something like this reminds me how the pyramid of my
family is being held up.

Joanna is doing well, adjusting to the ups and down of having her
water broken and the life of hospital bedrest. She finally knows where
she is in the hospital after a brief trip down to ultrasound
yestrday. Baby 'A's fluid is as expected; still low. Not of huge
concern to the docs though. We had a date night tonight with some good
friends, a movie, popcorn, ice-cream, carnation meal replacement, and
ice water. Today was the first day that I was truly excited to be
back at work. Let me clarify, I would be with Jo 24/7 if possible but
as I posted before, and as is the case for most of us, work is
necessary to earn a living. I happen to love what I do and today
reminded me of that.

One last thing. I think today we named the girls. Pretty cool.....
It's a secret so don't ask. ;-) I want to meet them, but not yet.

25 Weeks - Update #2

2009-08-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Well here we are at 25 weeks and counting. I would have never thought this was going to be part of our story. Living in separate cities, wishing things were different but knowing that this is the best situation for my girls. Joanna is a strong women. I think that deserves repeating, my wife Joanna is a strong women. I don't know how she does it quite frankly, well that's not quite true, I do know, she has an amazing support group of friends and family and an even more amazing faith.

The doctors tell us that every morning we wake up and those babies are still inside, we have increased their chance of survival 2-4%. That is amazing. So is the fact that the steroid shot that Joanna received the night we were admitted to LMH has only been widely used for the last 10 years. Its primary goal is to develop the babies lungs to a point that they can be useful outside the womb. If the babies stay in long enough, Jo will be getting another shot if they think the babies are coming soon.

I am pretty sure that this week has been what I call an adjustment week. As many of you know I am a huge dog lover and this has also been a tough thing for me as our dog is living at some friends of ours, due to the fact that I have erratic hours and I am traveling all the time. I really appreciate you guys (Terri/James, Ashlynn(sp?) and Christian).

House renovations are coming along, we set out to redo the 3 upstairs bedrooms with paint, flooring, baseboards, new bathrooms (en suite and main), as well as new flooring in the front entrance and rental suite. Gosh, what was I thinking...... anyways my Dad has moved back from Alberta and has been a God send. The baby room is 90% complete save for a painted closet and a few pieces of furniture to be delivered (cribs/shelf unit). Flooring will be completed in the rooms by Saturday and then we are looking square into the eyes of a bathroom reno.....

Joanna continues to occupy her time with, books, movies, magazines, email, craigslist, phone calls and of course visits. Thank you all who are emailing to schedule in visits, it really helps to keep the visit load at a chewable pace. Again the contact info is thegirls@coastalfitness.ca, Deb will get back to you with a day and time that will work best.

Continue to pray that 'baby A' produces enough amneonic fluid and that no infections pop up at all.

In Health,

Ryan

P.S. Thanks to all who have given your time to cook meals and deliver them, this little selfless act is very much apprecited. I wish I could give tax deductible receipts...... Cheers!