Checking in...

We arrived at the hospital at 4:30 AM on Thursday 9.24.09  for a scheduled induction.

Of course we had to take one last belly pic…

Now, time to model the hospital attire!

Gary donned his garb when we headed to the OR for delivery.

‘Twas the night before, when we were a family of 4!

We are home and surviving! We are so in love with Finley and Zane and  are just trying to adjust to our new wonderful life!

I want to thank Sarah and Amy for doing a fantastic job of blogging and notifying friends and family of all the adventures from the hospital!  I have just today read all the posts and am so impressed with all of the updates! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

This is the first time I have turned on my computer in 6 days…I will hopefully get a couple of posts in today with pictures galore! I will be working on the birth story as well.

We took our last family of 4 picture the night before we left for the hospital. They are already a great big brother and sister!

A Few More Pictures...

These are just a few more from Aunt Sarah's camera. The new and improved Perez family went home from the hospital yesterday and spent their 1st night at home last night! The babies are doing great, but no one else is getting much sleep, as you can imagine! Finley and Zane had their 1st pediatrician appointment today, and I will have to get more details on that from tired Mommy and Daddy later, but they both got great reports!

Here is Suzanne before the birth (but after the epidural!)...

Mommy holding Zane for the 1st time...

Aunt Sarah with sweet Finley...

Aunt Sarah's view of Finley...so beautiful!!

Zane (on the right) checking out the babe next to him...

Finley and Zane's Nursery Debut

For all the crowd waiting at this hospital, this was our first introduction to precious Finley and Zane! The narration in the video is mostly done by the proud grandmothers. :-)

Meeting Zane (little Gary)...he has Gary's dimples!

Meeting Finley (little Suzanne)...

Proud papa showing off his little man...
Meeting Finley...
Finley after her bath...

Grammy and Papa Tank with Zane...

Grammy and Grandma Grace(not sure of her grandmother name yet) with their grandbabies...

P.S. This is a post from Aunt Sarah, and I will try to get try to get some more pictures up soon! We have been taking them with so many different cameras, and this is all that I had on mine!

Happy Birthday sweet babies!

First family photo

Zane (left) Finley (right)

Zane Elliott

Finley Grace

Waiting...

Guest post from Amy! Here is the scene in the waiting room! :)

C Section!

Doc came in and just made the call for a c section. We should have babies very soon! Since Suz checked in at 4:30am this morning, we are thinking she is probably pretty tired from pushing and will be happy to just get these babies in her arms!

She going to the OR now!!

Because it is twins, she delivers in the OR regardless of whether it is vaginal or a section. Here we go!!!!!!!

9.5 cm!!

Baby is very low, and contractions are coming quickly! Suzanne is feeling lots of pressure, and it could be soon!!

Update...

Doc just checked on Suzanne, and she is still 6-7cm dilated. As Gary said, they are "upping the juice" now, and hopefully this will get things going a little faster. Suz is still feeling good. In other news, we just ordered a pizza. We fortunately have the hospital expert, Amy, here with us, who knows the ins and outs of the hospital and all surrounding areas. I completely recommend her company during any child birth!

Finley and Zane's Birthday Party - Part 1

Aunt Sarah here, updating for Mom and Dad to be! At last check, Suzanne was 6cm dilated and 100% effaced. She is resting comfortably, and hopefully we will know more soon!

The soon to be family of four...
Most of the waiting gang (Amy King is here, too!)...

We will post more once we know more!!!

Going the distance!

Looks like  those of you who voted “induced at 38” weeks were right! I NEVER thought I would need to be induced and was hoping to just go into labor on my own, but F and Z  had their mind set to stay put! I am moving slower and slower each day and grunting louder and louder, but I will get to meet the babies this week!!! I cannot wait!

Here are some pics I took tonight of the belly…

My sister will most likely be updating some from the hospital if she can! We will do our best to keep you posted!

Walk this way…

It seems so weird to me that for so long we did everything to keep these babies in, and now that we are at 37 weeks (on Friday) I am doing everything to try to coax them out! My mom talked me into a walk (aka modified limp), so I got the biggest t-shirt of Gary’s I could find and off we went from one corner of my block to the other! Whew! I think I may be sore tomorrow!

I am so grateful for everyone’s support  and encouragement while staying off my feet.  I could not have done it without my friends and family! From visits and phone calls to meals and helping keep the house in order, it was such a tremendous help and is the reason we have made it this far! THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Cankles…

I thought I had miraculously escaped the swollen ankles…one symptom that I had not experienced yet.  Not so much.  I now have cankles (my right foot is worse)! I have had super blood pressure my whole pregnancy, so at tomorrow’s appt I’ll find out if it is just regular pregnancy symptom or if my blood pressure has gone up. 

I am still taking my bag hoping that they will admit me! Will keep you posted! Tomorrow will be 37 weeks!!! WOW!

36.5 weeks and still cookin’…

It has to be any day right?!?! The pressure is so intense that I just can’t imagine going another day, but somehow I keep doing it. I am having contractions/Braxton Hicks that are about 12 HOURS apart (lower back pain, menstrual like cramps, and super tightening of the tummy).  I keep hoping that they will become closer, but not yet. Or I’d be okay if my water just broke and then go into labor.  See, I am trying to be flexible!!

Anyway, everyone seems to be ready except for F and Z! I know that each day is precious and the longer they stay in the better, but all my docs have said that they should be just fine if they were to arrive now, so come on out!!!

My next doc appt is Friday and if I make it till then, I may tell him that I am not leaving until I have these babies! We’ll see how that goes!!

Progress report…

Progress has been made! At today’s appt, it was determined that I am 3-4 cm and 90% effaced!  The babies movement, breathing and fluid all looked good.

My doc said that he “was on call tonight…if I wanted to play!” I said I would see him tonight, but doesn’t look like I will.

We look forward to continued progress!

Good company

Sarah and Blakeley came over today  and it was so fun watching Blakeley play! She enjoyed breaking in the nursery!

I can’t believe we were able to squeeze Miss B into this chair with me!  If you haven’t seen me,  my belly is lopsided.  You can kinda tell that it shifts to the left. It  does look pretty funny!

Blakeley put “Tank” to sleep in the swing.  She just loved the swing!

She tested out the crib and the changing table!  It all works! I think we are officially ready!

Very early on in my pregnancy, my doc said I “most likely wouldn’t make it to my due date so let’s shoot for 9-9-09. Good date, huh?”  Sounded like a good date at the time…sounds like an even better date right now!  Oh well, no news yet.

Ready and waiting…

It is 35.5 weeks and I am ready!! I am finding myself begging Finley and Zane to come out when I am up in the wee hours of the night!

In my ample free time, I made this wreath that we found online (The Long Thread)! It was pretty easy as Sarah got all the materials, my mom cut the ribbon, and I tied them on! And thanks to Grace for the ornament! And now we just wait!

I go in on Thursday for another check up, so hopefully we will see some progress!

35 weeks and 2cm!!

(I think this is a really good angle…I am so much bigger than this picture makes me look…I am keeping the bare belly shots for myself now as I think they may frighten some of you!!)

I can not believe that we are at 35 weeks today!  I remember when we were praying to make it to 27 wks.   I had 2 appts this week where they did a Biophysical profile and a growth scan.  All looks good with the babies.  Here are the latest stats:

• Zane: 5 lbs 8 oz Head down and kinda moving towards a transverse position.
• Finley: 5 lbs 11 oz.  Still head up in a breech position.

Poor Finley is getting kicked in the head by Zane, but then again she is kinda sitting on his head…so I guess the sibling rivalry is in full force already! Here is a pic of the “battle in my belly.”

I have graduated from the perinatologist and will continue seeing my OB on a weekly basis for Biophysical profiles and BP checks and cervical checks.  I was so happy to hear that I was 2cm dilated yesterday…I would love to go into labor on my own rather than being induced. However we did set a date if I somehow make it to 38 weeks!

Here are my furry babies…even though I’ve been telling them all about the newest additions to our family, I don’t think they have any idea what is about to happen! They really enjoy lounging on the rug in the nursery…how sweet are they!!