A year ago today our lives as we knew it..... changed forever. Our family of four became a family of six. Our family of 1 girl and 3 boys became 3 girls and 3 boys. And our family with lots of love had even more love. It is amazing to me how fast this past year has gone. I told myself to savor every single minute....good, bad, happy, sad, stressful, because it would be the last time we would go through the baby stage. It's one reason I started this blog to be able to go back and remember because you say you won't ever forget, but the sad truth is you do. Especially when there are two. So with videos, pictures and journaling we will never forget. As I worked on their first year video I got to go back in time and remember their first smile, how amazing the boys were and still are with their little sisters, how cute they looked with a no teeth smile, how little hair they had and Zoey still doesn't, how we went to Houston when they were 2 months, I could go on and on about the past year but what I mainly want to share is the day the girls were born. I wasn't blogging until the girls were over 2 months old so I never got to write about it and I want it written so I don't forget that amazing day.
On Thursday, August 7, 2008 it was official I had developed a condition called Cholestasis. It is pretty rare but the side effect I had been showing for a week was INTENSE itching all over my body with no rash. It is basically when your liver stops processing food correctly and it begins to build up bile salts. I was 35 weeks and 3 days. I had joked with Dr. Reue the whole time during my pregnancy that I thought the girls birthday would be really cool if it was on 8-8-08. He would just laugh. My good friend Sarah had taken me to the doctors and while we were there my good friend Debbie was there for her 6 week post baby check up and so we all were in the room trying to talk him into it. I was done! I was fat, itching, uncomfortable, had been in bed since beginning of June, swollen and could barely move.
So there we sat with the news that we needed to get the babies out (stillborn can result from this condition) He really wanted me to wait until Monday the 11th when I would officially be 36 weeks. My fear was they would come on there own over the weekend and he wouldn't deliver them and the doctor on call would make me do a c-section which I really did not want to do. So after discussing it with my perinatal specialists they decided the next day would be fine. I had already had the steroid shot for their lung development back when I was 32 weeks and in the hospital for a week. I will save that for another post.
My mom had already planned to have the boys Thursday night and on Friday just to help out since I was on bed rest. So it worked out PERFECT!!! Here is a picture of me at home on the way to the hospital.
Troy and I arrived at Seton Hospital at 7:00 that morning to check in. By 8:30 I was prepped ready and they started the IV with medicine. I was only dilated to a 2-3cm. Since Parker came soooo fast we expected that we wouldn't be long. Boy were surprised. The rest of the morning was spent turning from one side to the next because one of the girls' heartrate kept dropping. And not much change. Around 9:30ish the anthesioligists came into give me my epidural. I had already had 2 and wasn't nervous about this one UNTIL he started. Here is a picture me before.
For one thing he had no bedside manner. He kept firmly telling me to bend over more, more, more. Dude have you seen the huge belly in front of me??? He poked me THREE times. He blamed it on my skinny back. Pardon me, but there wasn't anything skinny about me at that moment. It was so bad I began sweating like I have never sweated before, completely drenched and almost threw up. Here is a picture of me right afterwards. Not pretty I know. Unfortunately I still, a year later, have pain in the puncture site.
I had Troy take this picture because of the insane amount of "stuff" they had hooked up to me. I had to have oxygen, three monitors on my belly, one for each baby's heartbeat and my contractions, an IV, bloodpressure cuff, and oxygen monitor on my finger and not to mention the 5 bands on my wrist. It was crazy!
By 2:35 I was in the OR room. Even though I did not have a c-section they always deliver twins in the OR room in case something goes wrong and they need to quickly do a c-section. While we were at Seton there was lots of construction going on because they were in the process of building a really nice maternity ward that was opening in January 2009. So while we were in the OR room, right above us was some serious jackhammering going on. No one could hear what the other person was saying. It was pretty funny actually. I started pushing around 2:50ish and Berkeley was delivered at 2:54. 
Berkeley Ann Kennedy - 5lbs 10 oz - Born at 2:54pm
The jackhammering finally stopped and then Zoey was born 13 minutes later at 3:07pm. Troy's mom was able to see the girls as they wheeled them down the hall and cleaned them up in the nursery. The boys were able to make it to the hospital about an hour or so after the girls were born.
Zoey Elizabeth Kennedy - 5lbs - Born at 3:07pm
Here is there one year video that I really wanted to post today so it isn't as great as I would like it but trying to do something like this and entertain and take care of 4 kiddos is say a little hard to do. I hope you enjoy the walk down memory lane of our last year with the girls. They have brought so much joy and excitement we couldn't imagine our family with out them!
Click below to see our First Year Video.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1200018643696&ref=mf
Happy first birthday Berkeley and Zoey!!!
We thank God everyday for your safe delivery and how we have been doubly blessed!!!! We love you!!!!
If you would like to go down memory lane some more click here to see all the posts I did on their "months" birthdays!
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