Eating from a spoon and playing in the pool

After the okay from our pedi, we finally tried rice cereal of oatmeal-like consistency with Serena and Edwin. Serena didn't know what to think at first, and didn't really swallow it at first, but then got the hang of it and ate quite a bit.
Edwin ate it up and also proceeded to smear it over his entire body, face, and hair. It was funny!
They then tried banana yogurt baby food and both seemed to like it, although Serena made a funny face at first, but then realized it was yummy...see pictures.
We went to my mom's house and put the babies in the baby pool for a couple of minuts. Serena sat there looking around, Champ almost cried but didn't, but looked slightly concerned about the whole thing.
Of course I took pictures. I can't believe how much more alert/social/interactive/adorable/cute/amazing/big, etc they are becomming every day!

Picture post time

Time for a picture post. I will posting pictures of their first experience with rice cereal on a spoon and in a swimming pool tomorrow. For now, here are some hanging out pics of Beanie and Champ!

Our weekend away...Edited

Serena is not back on O2 while awake, she had just woken up from a nap and we didn't take the cannula off before this cute shot.

***Edit*** I forgot to mention that the twins saw the pedi on Wednesday, and I got some numbers.
Serena- 13 lbs 2 ozs and 24 inches long
Edwin- 13 lbs 12 ozs and 24 and 1/4 inches long
We're still not on the charts, but they're gaining weight!

I planned on blogging last week to let you all know we were attemtping our first trip away from home, but between work and packing/panicking I got too busy.
Well, we had a wonderful time and nothing terrible happened!
We went to Maine from Thursday-Sunday. My sister lives on Sebago lake in a home my step-mom and Dad bought a couple of years ago. They come up and stay quite a bit, and my sis lives there while working as a police officer in a nearby city.
Edwin had a fight in the city, so we stayed at the lake house and went to his fight on Sat night. He won by knock out...well, it's called RSC Ref Stopped Competition. Edwin was hurting the other fighter, so the ref stops it to ensure that the other fighter didn't get seriously injured. Sometimes I can't believe this is what the father of my children will be doing for a living. He is going pro very soon, and this will provide a portion of our income...crazy.

So we had a nice time visiting with my family who came on Sunday and who had never seen the twins. Everyone thought they were so cute and LOVED how much they smile and interact.
Edwin and my sister enjoyed the jet ski, and I enjoyed bring the babies down by the water. My little brother was so sweet and helped watched and care for the babies, and of course introduced the babies to everyone. He is such a proud uncle and it is a joy to see how much he loves his neice and nephew.
We plan to go back up to Maine twice a month for the summer. It is a 3 hour drive and of course we have Champ who is completely O2 dependent, and it can be a chore to pack all of that medical stuff, but it went so well and we had so much fun, I know we'll suck it up and pack up everything time and time again.
I have pictures, but have yet to upload them. We also took a family photo for my Dad for his upcoming birthday, with myself, my sis, my little brother, and the twins, and those came out great! I will scan them and post them as soon as I get the chance.

Other than that all is well. July 9th seems right around the corner, and I am hoping the bronchoscopy goes well and we can see what is up with Serena Beana's vocal cord. I hope everyone is enjoying summer! I know we are!

Happy Father's Day!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

24 week quints revisted on Discovery Health

FYI I am currently watching Dicovery Health and it looks like they are doing an update on the 24 week quints they featured. It says first three years with quints, so I'm pretty sure it's a new one.
Check it out.
*EDIT* They are doing a show on the quints at 4 years old on Tuesday on Discovery Health at 9pm eastern time.
If you read TPE this is why I wanted to bring people's attention to this show, and also because I find other people's stories of life with preemies so interesting.
And Anna I didn't ever think you wouldn't be happy that the quints were doing well, I just mentioned it because you wondered why there wasn't an update on them, while there was on the older gestation quints.
So tune in if you're interested. From what I saw, they are doing very well.

Rambling thoughts...

So, I found out that my vaginal swab from September 26th, 2006 (the day I was admitted to labor and delivery at 3 centimeters dialated) came back normal. Nice way to start off a public post huh?
I don't know why no one told me this before, or perhaps they did at some time while I was in the hospital, but I honestly can't remember. I remember asking my OB at my 6 week post natal follow up why she thought I delivered so early, and she said she thought it was because I was carrying twins. I remember asking if it was due to an infection because I spiked a 101.4 temp a day and a half after delivery that took the rest of the week to come down. She wasn't sure, (because no one bothered to grab a sample of the amniotic fluid and test it...thanks Docs), but she didn't think so.
Well, I wish she had told me about the swab which came back normal. I was conviced I had some sort of infection there. I couldn't think of any other reason why they would have come early. Well, apparently I was Group B Strep negative, and everything else was normal. I didn't even have a UTI. My membranes never ruptured, I just dialated and dialated and delivery was inevitable. So, I still don't know why they came so early, and I probably never will.

But it does lead me to ponder these sextuplets that have been born this past week. Now, I don't want to be overly controversial, and many things I have read have been a little too harsh for my liking, but I really can't help think about it.
My body naturally produced two eggs that were both fertilized, creating my fraternal twin babies. Then for some reason, my body made them come out way too early.
So, I wonder, what would happen if for some reason I was carrying six?
There is no way. If Edwin and I had to seek fertility treatment, I would only consent to treatment that would ensure that I did not carry high order multiples. I did not say selective reduction, but rather, any procedure that implants only one at a time, even if that meant the chances of a successful implantation were extremely reduced.
This is partly because of my personal experience where having two went so poorly. (plus, I can't imagine caring for six babies at once, or paying for them.)
I know next time I will be followed closer (what's closer than seeing a high risk OB from 5 weeks on? I guess they'll be checking my cervix and possibly giving me a cerclage).
But, I probably won't have to seek fertility treatment, and yet this doesn't mean I would only carry one. There is a chance I could become pregnant with twins again. But, I would not chose reduction, no question, no doubt. I probably wouldn't ever move, and go to the bathroom in a bed pan, but I couldn't chose reduction.
So when I think about these mothers who had to make a decision to reduce or not, it seems easy to criticize at first. How could you take that risk? Delivery at 22.6? Oh my goodness...
But then, I put myself in their shoes. Like I said, if I naturally produced two, with my history, it may be a medical suggestion to reduce, but I would not. So maybe, without really believing they would ever become pregnant with six, they just couldn't consent to reduction once they discovered they actually were carrying sextplets.
It's a scary thing...but then again everything related to pregnancy now produces fear in me. There is no longer any 100% excitment. Forever, pregnancy is a scary thing to me, where every thought centers around premature birth. I guess I probably do have some form of PTSD.
Which brings me to another question. What would I do if I delivered again at 23 weeks? Would I chose resuscitation again?
Yes. Yes I would. As hard, scary, and devastating as it was, I would try and save my baby again. I, however, think I even have to evaluate how early is too early. Where 23 weeks seems to be the extreme cut off, and it is that way with the NICU my children would be treated, I would not push for resuscitation before 23 weeks. This is not because I wouldn't want my child to survive, rather, I respect the medical driven reasons for why our NICU does not go any earlier. I can't even imagine missing the cut off by a couple of days...but I also have to think about how hard it was for my two at 23.5 with the two doses of prenatal steroids; I just can't imagine them surviving much earlier. But, I pray to God, I don't deliver early next time.

My heart really goes out to Mrs. Morrison, she is my age, and like me, and many of my readers, is now facing the devastation of extreme preamturity. Two of her sons have already passed away, the rest are clearly very critical. I can't say too much about it...just that I feel so incredibly sad for them.

Pictures taken by the newspaper

Daddy's Home

All has been well here, minus some health issues my mom has been suffering with. In spite of that, she was a HUGE help while Edwin was away.
But thankfully, he suprised us on Thursday and came home 2 days early, which was a blessing for everyone! He did it in a cute way as well. After work, I went to run a couple of quick errands. When I returned home I said hello to my little loves, and went into the kitchen. All of a sudden Edwin jumped out of the bathroom! It was a great surprise!
Sunday, Edwin played softball with 3 of his brothers (there are 6 boys in all!!!) and the babies and I hung out on the grass enjoying the nice weather. We then decided to go to the EcoTarium, where we saw the polar bear, some birds, and looked in the museum. It's not the greatest place, (I can't wait to go to the Aquarium in Boston), but it was a nice trip and a way to enjoy the weather and be outside with the kiddos.
This week we are watching my 4 year old brother while my Dad finishes up his last week of school (he's a teacher) and Allison is working. We had a blast yesterday taking walks and Ethan riding his bike, and Edwin and Ethan playing in the slip and slide and in the blow up pool. Serena and Edwin sat in one of those plastic baby swings shaped like an airplane. They did so well. Serena actually held onto the cables and sat up (its attached to a tree in my Dad's backyeard) and stayed like that for the entire time she swang! Edwin would let go with one hand and try to balance but I held my hand behind his back. They both thought it was great! I wish I had my camera with me!
SO all in all things are going well. Both are so social and happy, although they still refuse to smile when I take out the camera! But ask anyone who sees them, these little ones are easy to please, and they show their happiness in their big toothless grins; so adorable!
We have a few appointments this month (pedi and opthamologist) and then July 9th is the big bronchoscopy where we will spend the night at the hospital. Hopefully that will give us more info on how their airways look, and maybe they will be able to fix whatever issue Serena has with her vocal cord. Other than that, we are loving the nice weather, and enjoying this amazing time with our babies who will be 9 months actual and 5 months adjusted at the end of this month!













p.s. there was an article in our Sunday Telegram highlighting Edwin. There was also a photo published of him and Champ smiling at each other, but you can't view that on the electronic version. I will post it once it gets emailed to us! For now, here is the link to the article for all interested. if that didn't work, here is the link, just copy paste on your browser http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070610/NEWS/706100547&SearchID=73283849742791

Daddy did not win

Last night, Edwin's Olympic dreams came to an end. He lost by decision to a very talented young boxer in the second round of the preliminaries.
Edwin worked so hard for this, and by a stroke of bad luck, or perhaps because this is what fate had in store, he will not have a shot at the Olympics. His amateur career is over. Being a 2 time national champion will help him as he now looks to go pro, but it must be so difficult to end his amateur career this way.
Of course he is devastated. He was pretty much inconsolable on the phone last night.
While we were both in tears, I couldn't help think about Serena and Edwin.

Sometimes, things don't happen the way we wanted them to. Sometimes, we hope and dream, and honestly really deserve something, and it just doesn't happen.
Life is full of unexpected and sometimes heartbreaking events. Often times there is nothing you can do but accept it.

Perhpas if Edwin and Serena were born healthy, and we didn't undergo all we did with witnessing first hand how delicate life is, I would beside myself with sadness and concern. Of course I feel awful that Edwin lost, and I hurt because he is hurting. But I have learned so much. I no longer stress as much as I once did. Life could be so much worse, oh life could really be so much worse.
A few weeks before Edwin and Serena were born my uncle passed away in a motorcycle accident. A couple days later my sister's boyfriend died in a car accident. It was terrible. So much hurt and so much sadness. My sister will never be the same, and it hurts to know a part of her heart is forever broken. Then we almost lost Serena and Edwin when they were born so unexpectably early. We witnessed a couple lose their twin daughter to prematurity.
I can't deny that I felt angry. Why are all of these horrible things happening to good people? How is this fair? I would scream at God, or at that time whoever I thought might possibly be up there, because I honestly wasn't too sure if anyone was. I would beg, I would plead, I would demand.
"Don't take my children." " I won't let you take them!!!!" "Please, please, please...I'm begging for a miracle....let them live."

I've learned a lot. I see now that things happen, and they are terrible sometimes, but we have to be thankful for what is good. We have to focus on the positives, or life really isn't worth living. You can't let circumstances, as difficult as they may be, deter you from other important things in life. You have to keep going, for the sake of your children, partner, family, friends, and also for yourself.
I'm trying to come to a place of acceptance (***please read my previous post if you have not already***), and I feel more at peace.
I am worried about our future now. I am concerned about Edwin and how low he is feeling. I am worried about what the next chapter brings. But I will face it, I will accept it, and I hope Edwin comes to this place as well.


At the end of the day, we have two beautiful children smiling at us, and really, to me, that makes everything okay.

My reaction to Billie's post

I was very moved and inspired by Holland and Eden's mom, Billie's, post on having a child with CP.
As I commented on her post, I have many fears about Edwin and Serena's future and what we will learn about their deveolment as time goes on.
It is a very difficult and different parenting experience when you have a preemie. Most parents take so many things for granted, and of course before I was unexpectedly put in this position, I did as well. I just assumed everything would be fine. My children would talk and walk early...of course they would, I talked at 4 months and was walking by 10 months; they'd be the smartest kids in their class, and go onto a great college. They would probably be star athletes like their father, and would be the envy of all people. Of course I didn't really think like this, but to some degree, I just assumed everything would go perfectly fine and we would never have to worry about developmental milestones.
I certainly never expected that there would be a possibility that they wouldn't be able to do things I used to see as simple things.
I look at life and my children so differently now. I am a parent who appreciates EVERY little thing, and worries about a lot too. Do they open their hands enough? How are they doing with head control and tummy time? Are there signs of something wrong at this time?
I won't even request an MRI for them because I don't want to know.
I want to enjoy them for who they are and what they are doing now, and I don't want to get news that will tell me something I'll never be prepared to hear. Because, although I am semi-preparing myself for news of CP or other diagnoses, I don't think as a parent you can ever 100% prepare yourself for this type of news about your child(ren).
I don't want to ever get bad news about Serena and Edwin's health. I pray to God all the time that they will be able to walk, talk, and one day live an independent life. These are prayers I never thought I would need to make. These are wishes and dreams I have for my children that I never thought of before September 29, 2006.
But the fact is, no amount of worrying is going to change anything. There is no reason to stress and obsess about CP or anything else.
Whatever happens, we will face it head on. We will love our children the same way Billie and John love Holland and Eden. We will try to help others just as they have by sharing our children's lives with the world. We will never give up and never abandon them. And most importantly, we will never, ever regret our decision to save their lives and continue care.
Each day with Serena and Edwin is a blessing. Those parents who have lost preemies would probably give just about anything to have more days with their babies. I hurt deeply for those parents, and I wish things were different for them.
We are so blessed, so very lucky, so honored, to have our miracle children and we will take them however they come.
I love you Serena Lynn Rodriguez and Edwin Kelly Rodriguez, Jr. you are the lights of my life.

Daddy won his first fight

Hello all.
For those of you who are interested in Edwin's boxing, I thought I'd keep you updated on this weeks tournament.
Just to recap, Daddy is fighting for a spot in the 2008 Olympics in China. The top 8 finishers in this tournament (called the USA Nationals which Daddy won in 2005) will go onto the Olympic Team Trials. The winner of that (to take place in August) determines the 2008 Olympian.

Here is a small bit on USA Boxing website highlighting his fight last night:

"2005 Middleweight National Champion Edwin Rodriguez (Worcester, Mass.) won his opening bout of the tournament, taking a 17-5 decision over Jimson Adebusoye (Washington DC). Rodriguez controlled the contest from the second round on, holding a commanding 14-3 lead at the end of three. He went on to take a 17-5 final decision to move on to the second round."

He continues to fight all week as long as he keeps winning.
We are hoping and praying that he wins this tournament. Please pray and root for Edwin!

Update

Edwin's echo went fine. They confirmed that his right ventricle is enlarged, but the pedi cardiologist agreed with the pulmonologist, that Champ will need this amount of O2 for a steady few months with no weaning. So now when people ask me when he'll be off I say "probably for quite awhile longer, and that's okay because I'm just greatful he's alive." It's so true.
Champ is the most "talkative" baby I've ever met. He babbles constantly and is so interactive!
Beanie girl is my angel. She is SUCH a mellow lady. She is such a joy and smiles whenever anyone smiles at her. Serena has great head control and observes on her tummy for LONG stretches of time before needing a break. She is now holding toys more and more and bringing them to her mouth. She can be found sucking on her fingers with a smacking force! She is so stable off O2 during the day, and is on it while asleep, which does make life much easier in terms of being more mobile.
I have just recently successfully taken the kiddos out and about by myself, only places that take 5 minutes or under to drive to though!
Both kiddos smile ALL the time, only when I bring out the camera they seem to focus in on that and their smiles cease to exist. I need to get pics of their big smiles, hopefully I can capture some soon.
For now here are a BUNCH of pics from the past week!
p.s. Daddy is in Colorado Springs boxing for the USA Nationals. Top 8 in each weight class move onto the Olympic Team Trials in August. The winner in each weight class is our Olympian for next Summer's 2008 Olympics! Pray for Daddy to win here and then win in August! I'll keep you all posted. For more info Google "Edwin Rodriguez boxing" in the news sections and read recent articles about him!