The Dudes

After 3 1/2 weeks at home with the boys I can tell you Nicholas doesn’t mind letting us know he wants his diaper changed the minute he goes No. 2. Alexander, meanwhile, isn’t shy about informing us that his little belly is empty.

At 9 weeks old it’s clear our boys are a lot alike and very different.

Nicholas is a dream feeder. He eats calmly, quietly and quickly. He burps on command. Alexander is a very different eater. He’s messy, squirmy and often extends himself straight as an arrow and screams in pain because he can’t get a burp out.

Nicholas poops several times a day and whenever he does he wants his diaper changed immediately if not sooner. I have to say, I respect that. Alexander poops once a day at most.

Life with the boys is a lot of things, but mostly it’s wonderful. When I’m not with them, I’m thinking about them. They’re the best little guys I’ve ever known. Each day they seem to become more alert and aware of their surroundings and we love hanging out with them.

We have thrown ourselves into their care. One of us is always with them and it’s often Elizabeth since I recently started working again and she’s still on maternity leave.

We split the night shifts. I take 9PM to 2AM and she takes 2AM to 7AM. It means one of us is always in the nursery with the boys at night. A cot is stretched out between the two cribs (so far, we’ve only used one of their cribs) and you can get a little rest between feeding and changing the boys. The shifts can be tough but we like it because it gives each of us 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

The boys sleep at most 4 hours at a time, usually it’s 3 and sometimes it’s 2. We’ve noticed if we take Alexander out of the crib and into our room or the living room that Nicholas will start to cry within minutes, even if he had been sleeping. Alexander, on the other hand, sleeps just fine on his own.

We’ve also noticed Nicholas can get spooked pretty easily and usually on the changing table. Alexander never gets spooked. We call him The Big Chill. He’s super strong but so mellow most of the time. They each grunt and stretch a ton, especially Alexander who often sleeps with his little hands stretched out.

Both boys are over 8 pounds and Alexander is closer to 9. They each have light hair and blue eyes and we’re not sure if that will stick. Nicholas has olive skin and looks more like me. Alexander is more fair, and looks a lot like his mama.

We feed the twins at the same time, which is much easier when we each have a baby in our arms. When you’re alone feeding both boys at the same time in the middle of the night — well, it’s one of the more difficult things I’ve done. That said, when both boys are fed, burped and back in their cribs sawing wood I feel like Super Dad. Too bad, I think, no one is here to appreciate my skills. ;)

Elizabeth is Super Mom all the time. I’m beyond impressed. She is a natural and I love watching her with the boys. We’ve had very little help since the twins have been home but you wouldn’t know it because everything around the house and with the boys and Natalie is great.

My brother visited briefly last week and the boys were really drawn to him. We had a great visit and hated to say goodbye. My sister and my niece arrive Friday for a week and we’re looking forward to seeing them. After that, Elizabeth’s mom and step-dad arrive, then her dad and step-mom, and then my parents. Plenty of help on the way! Here’s Uncle Mike with Nicholas:

We’ve taken the boys to Balboa Park and Mission Bay and Natalie and Elizabeth took them to Fashion Valley today. We have two massive double strollers, including a jogger that we use to take the boys on long walks. The strollers are really something. One of them collapses and opens with little effort and within seconds the boys are cruising along because their car seats snap right into the stroller. Genius.

Lately, we’ve been researching daycare options (Elizabeth will return to work in the fall), so if you have any suggestions please send them our way. We’ve also been shopping for 3rd row SUVs. We bought a crossover a year ago that we absolutely love, but it barely has enough room for Natalie in the backseat, and our collapsible stroller doesn’t fit in the trunk of Elizabeth’s car. We’ve decided not to go the mini-van route. I figure if we don’t love our jobs, our home and our cars…what’s the point?

The other day I took Elizabeth to check out an SUV and while she took it for a test drive I stayed behind with the boys at the dealership. Of course they both woke up about the same time. Eventually I had to pick Nicholas up and I rocked Alexander’s car seat with my foot. Three people walked by and said: “You have your hands full."

I should be sleeping. The boys have been home for two nights and I've slept a total of 7 hours. They're sleeping now and so is Elizabeth. The dogs are passed out too, and Natalie is at camp. Glorious. ;) 

Needless to say, the boys bring out a lot of emotion in us. Elizabeth told me the other day, while holding Nicholas for the first time in our nursery, "I can't tell you how happy I am right now." Natalie runs to the nursery to see the boys as soon as she gets home from camp.

There are a lot of emotional triggers for me, including music. Whenever I hear Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin -- a song my parents introduced me to when I was a boy -- I think of my Dad, who always found time for me.

These days whenever I hear Home by Phillip Phillips -- a warm and inspirational tune that debuted on American Idol -- I think of my boys. In fact, a day after they were born I heard it on the radio and started to cry. Fortunately, I was in my truck.

Sunday was an emotional day for us and one we will never forget. That's the day Alexander and Nicolas left the NICU at Sharp Mary Birch, where they spent the first 5 weeks and 5 days of their short lives.

Elizabeth sat between the boys on the way home. True to form, Alexander slept and Nicholas fussed and cried. Not coincidentally, Alexander enjoyed his first bath at the house and Nicholas screamed through his. Elizabeth says this is Nicholas's theme song and this is Alexander's. I completely agree.

The boys were supposed to come home Monday but their doctor looked in on them Sunday morning and said: "These boys are ready to go home -- today." Talk about a rush. I immediately called Elizabeth, who was out getting formula and other supplies, and started texting family. At times, we still can't believe they're finally home. 

They're 6 weeks old today, and they're doing great! Alexander is almost 7 pounds and Nicholas is nearly 6 pounds. When Alexander was born he was 4 pounds/6 ounces and Nicholas was 3 pounds/12 ounces.

Because of Elizabeth's difficult pregnancy and the boy's premature birth (they were born at 33 weeks), we've been at Mary Birch just about every day since the end of April. We miss the boys' primary day and night nurses, but we don't miss the schlepping back and forth or the NICU. That's not to say we didn't like the NICU. It's an amazing place staffed by wonderful people, but it's short on space and privacy.

The twins had four primary nurses -- Lara, Kristi, Joyce and Phyllis -- and they are like family to us now. We miss them and have already exchanged photos, texts and emails with each of them. They're lovely people and we will always be grateful for their care, kindness and support. I think of them often, especially at 2:30 a.m. while giving Alexander his bottle. ;)

I'm off the next couple weeks and Elizabeth is on maternity leave. We don't expect to do much besides feed the boys and change their diapers, and that's just fine.

When we're not holding them we love watching them. Listening to the sounds they make is a favorite pastime. Both of the boys whimper a lot and Nicholas occasionally lets out a noise while he's sleeping that prompts us to say, "Baby pterodactyl!" 

Life moves slow in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, everything is recorded and if you want to keep up you need to learn a new language.

We had no idea, for example, that "MLs" (pronounced Em-Els) or "gavage" would become part of our vernacular. 

There are about 30 MLs or milliliters in an ounce, and the tiny bottles used to feed the boys when they're not breast feeding hold 50 MLs. Alexander, the bigger of the twins, gets 45 MLs every three hours and Nicholas gets 40. They're not taking all of it by mouth yet because they're still so small they tucker out quickly. So the 10 or so MLs they leave behind after falling asleep are given to them in a tiny feeding tube.

That process is called "gavage" and you can occasionally hear nurses in the NICU saying to a baby: "Good boy! Good job! I'm going to gavage you now." 

I of course like to tell Elizabeth, Natalie and the dogs: "I'm going to gavage you now!"

This brief conversation between Elizabeth and me is typical of our NICU chats:

"Guess how much he took?" she said Tuesday while cradling a sleeping Nicholas.

"35 MLs?" I said.

"40!" she said.

"No way!? Wow. That's a new record. Way to go, Nicholas!"

Clearly, our life revolves around the NICU at Sharp Mary Birch, where the boys have been since they were born 3 weeks ago.

Someday someone will tell us that one, or both, of the boys is ready to come home. We're probably a couple weeks away from that - they're still a month shy of a full-term newborn - but no one can say for sure when the boys will master the art of sucking, swallowing and breathing at the same time. 

We are thrilled with the progress they have made and are soaking up all the precious moments we get with them. We spend hours there every day. Elizabeth is usually there all day and I'm usually there at night, but we also visit the boys together for long stretches. 

I found out recently that every visit is recorded. Nurses track how long you're there and what you do, so I just started changing diapers. I'm kidding, of course. I've been doing that all along. We both have.

Both boys go through plenty of diapers, and they're finally gaining plenty of weight.

Nicholas weighed 1,690 grams at birth, or 3 pounds and 12 ounces. He dipped to 1,500 grams after four days but is now up to 2,072, or 4 pounds and 9.1 ounces. Alexander weighed 1,990 grams, or 4 pounds and 6 ounces when he was born, bottomed out at 1,750 a few days later, and now is 2,370, or 5 pounds and 3.6 ounces. All of this is recorded on Daily Weight Cards kept cribside.

It's easy to get caught up in feedings and tracking weights, but the best moments with our boys are the quiet ones -- listening to them whimper as the lay on your chest or watching them look up at Elizabeth when she's talking to them.

We're very fortunate they're doing so well and are only left with feeding as the last hurdle between home and the NICU.

There are 80-some cribs or isolettes in the NICU and the most common problems among preemies in the unit stem from a lack of lung or brain development. Fortunately, we didn't have to face either issue.

The NICU can be as quiet as a nursery and as loud as a busy operating room. Every baby is hooked to a monitor and most of the time you can hear a monitor or two or three going off. One signal -- for a brady or bradycardia -- indicates the heart rate has fallen to a dangerous level. This brings all nearby nurses to your baby in a hurry, with the first one to get there usually yelling: "I got it!"

Most of the time preemies bounce back on their own, but sometimes when they brady they need some type of stimulation to rebound. A baby isn't allowed to be discharged within 5 days of requiring stimulation to rebound from a brady.

Bradies were maddening at first, especially when you see the color in your baby's face change from pink to gray and nurses hustling to get to your little one. They still can be unnerving, but we're used to them nowadays. It's also becoming rare for the boys to have one, and when they do they bounce back on their own. 

The differences between the twins were noticeable from Day 1 and that hasn't changed much. Elizabeth likes to say Alexander is going to run a yoga studio one day and Nicholas is going to be a successful Wall Street trader. This picture perfectly captures that:

Elizabeth is doing much better, which is the best news of all. She looks lovely in short hair - she cut it all off about a week ago. She fought through an incredibly difficult pregnancy and if I didn't know any better I'd find it hard to believe she was actually carrying twin boys a few weeks ago.

It hit me Friday when Elizabeth walked into the NICU. I've seen that face before, I thought. I saw it the last time Elizabeth saw our boys, and the time before that. I'm also certain I look the same way whenever I see the twins.

Our little guys weigh less than 5 pounds apiece, but they already know how to make us swoon.

A lot has changed since my last post and all of the news is good.

Nicholas and Alexander will be two weeks old on Tuesday. They've been in the NICU since birth and are expected to be there another 2 to 4 weeks. A lot can go wrong with babies smaller than dolls, but these two have made tremendous progress.

Alexander was moved from an isolette to a crib a few days ago and Nicholas is expected to make the same transition today. Their IVs were removed several days ago and they're maintaining their body temps and breathing well with no assistance. Their doctor told me the other day feeding is the only remaining issue.

Sucking, swallowing and breathing is difficult to do for a lot of babies, especially ones born 7 weeks early. A feeding tube helps the boys finish meals they can't always get through. They tucker out after 15 minutes of feeding (more starts and stops than a chug fest) and after 30 they burn more calories than they add. 

A NICU nurse pulled me aside recently and showed me two brain images I'll never forget. The first was a picture of a 35-week brain. It was smaller than my fist with only a handful of the grooves that give us our senses. The next was a brain at 40 weeks. It was much larger and lined with grooves. It looked like a normal brain.

"Your boys aren't here yet," the nurse said, pointing to the 35-week brain. "But they're doing great - much better than a lot of babies in here."

The twins were born at 33 weeks and I credit Elizabeth, who carried them until her doctors ordered an emergency surgery, for their strong start. If they have half the strength of their mama they will be just fine.

Their nurses and grandmothers tell us Alexander looks like his Mama and Nicholas like me. I feel terrible for Nicholas. ;)

Elizabeth spends her days in the NICU and I take the night shift. We feed the boys, hold them, watch them and take photos of them, which we look at when we're not feeding, holding and watching them.

Elizabeth came home Monday, six days after the boys were born. She's doing much better. It's nice to see her improve instead of watching helplessly as her struggles intensified with each passing day.

We had a lot of support along the way. Her mom was the first to arrive from out of town, helping Elizabeth through a difficult 3-week hospital stay. Her dad arrived next and basically built our nursery and assembled all of our strollers, swings, etc. Like rotating surgical residents, my mom relieved Elizabeth's dad and she filled our deep freezer with 14 home-cooked meals. She left Monday after a 2-week stay and Elizabeth's mom returned Thursday.

We owe each of them so much. When we needed them most they were there. Several other family members and numerous friends stepped up, too. So many of you called, texted, helped us with Natalie and sent cards, flowers, gifts, etc. Your kindness helped us through the darkest days and changed us forever. We will always be grateful.

Elizabeth's doctors and nurses at Sharp Mary Birch also deserve a million thank you's because they treated us like family, something I wasn't expecting. They returned our calls and emails within minutes and conversations with them never felt rushed or awkward. These are special people who care about their patients.

If you are searching for an OB look no further than West Coast OB. Dr. Kim Goodwin, Dr. Craig Saffer, Dr. Lauren Bales, Dr. Amy French and Dr. Daniela Meshkat - Dr. Meshkat delivered the boys - are beyond excellent. If you need a perinatologist make an appointment with Dr. Joanna Adamczak (Dr. A to us) or Dr. Sean Daneshmand at the San Diego Perinatal Center. I must have emailed Dr. A a dozen times the past few weeks and she answered every one of my emails, usually within minutes.

It seems odd to no longer be in daily contact with Elizabeth's doctors and nurses. We miss them.

I wish I knew the names of all the wonderful nurses who cared for Elizabeth. We will never forget them or the care they provided. Those who provided exceptional care include Kristina, Melissa, Alana, Theresa and Tine.

Our long and difficult journey ended with a screaming baby, and just as quickly a new chapter filled with promise and happiness began.

As expected, our new storyline didn’t start without problems, and the end of our last chapter was difficult at best. More on that in a moment. For now, I want to proudly introduce our beautiful baby boys:

Alexander George was born at 4:15pm on Tuesday and weighed 4 pounds and 6 ounces.

Nicholas Wesley was born less than a minute later and weighed 3 pounds and 12 ounces.

Alexander came out screaming and that made his mom and me cry. Less than a minute later, Nicholas came out sounding just like his twin brother. Someone in the cramped operating room said, “That’s a good sign.” Soon I was off to the NICU with the boys and Elizabeth was wheeled to recovery.

Elizabeth had a feeling Tuesday would be delivery day. She hardly slept Monday night because she had difficulty breathing. By Tuesday morning she was telling me this was the worse she felt. We arrived at our scheduled antenatal testing Tuesday a few minutes late and waited 45 minutes to be admitted. It was now 12:15pm.

I asked the nurse if they were going to do labs, knowing Elizabeth’s doctors wanted lab work done to gauge the severity of her preeclampsia. Labs were done at 2pm. An hour later, with only half of the lab results in hand, a nurse told us Elizabeth was going to deliver.

“Tonight?” I asked.

“No, sooner than that,” the nurse said.

“So late afternoon/early evening?” I asked.

“No, in an hour,” we were told.

This came as a surprise, especially since nothing up until this point happened quickly.

Elizabeth was more than a little anxious as her doctor briefed us before heading into surgery. We were told her preeclampsia had morphed into something called HELLP Syndrome, a life-threatening disorder. The babies, meanwhile, remained active and strong. Nothing bothered these little guys for 33 weeks and yesterday wasn’t any different.

After the boys were born the nurses had me say goodbye to Elizabeth and sent me to the NICU with a team of medical professionals and both boys. Looking back, I can’t believe I stayed as calm as I did.

In the NICU, both boys received help opening their lungs — they were quickly strapped to a machine a lot like those used for sleep apnea — but neither needed oxygen. A huge early win. By the time Elizabeth came down to see them, on her way up to her room following a 4-hour stay in recovery, Nicholas was breathing without any assistance. My mom and me actually watched the little guy rip his nasal plugs from his nose a couple hours after being born. He also strongly resisted just about everything his nurse tried.

“Are you going to stop beating me up now so I can do my job?” his nurse said to him at one point.

His nurse today described him like this: “He’s a firecracker.”

All of the x-rays and lab results on both boys have come back with flying colors, which is stunning to me considering how small they are. Alexander still requires a tiny bit of help keeping his lungs open but both boys are doing great and should be home in 3 to 4 weeks, which would put them a couple weeks short of a full-term baby (40 weeks).

Holding them, and seeing Elizabeth do the same, is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It’s incredible.

Tuesday evening was long on happiness. The joy shared among total strangers (mostly fathers) in the recovery room is something I’ll never forget. I saw smiles on grown men that would make a child’s Christmas grin look weak. I, of course, had no idea we were going to spend four hours in recovery because Elizabeth’s blood pressure was spiking.

Elizabeth continues to struggle, but she should be back on her feet in a few days. Her blood pressure finally seems to be falling back in line.

A nurse in the NICU told me last night some women give up and decide the pain of a difficult pregnancy is just too much. Their babies are born against the advice of their doctors. Elizabeth took the tougher road. She battled all the way and never gave up, even after a 3-week hospital stay that seemed like 30 weeks. None of her doctors thought she would make it to 29 weeks. Yesterday she was exactly 33 weeks.

Natalie met her brothers for the first time today and she was smitten. When Natalie is really happy she smiles with her tongue out. Her tongue came out repeatedly in the NICU.

“Hi babies. We have two dogs — a big one and a little one,” she said. “You have your own room but you have to share it. I love you.”

Well, we're back at Mary Birch. Elizabeth was admitted to Labor & Delivery Thursday afternoon and it looked like delivery was imminent. 

In an effort to keep things light I kept saying, "The storm is brewing!" It reminded us of the time when one of Elizabeth's perinatologists said: "This storm has been brewing for a while, Elizabeth Darling."

That was a month ago at the beginning of what became a three-week hospital stay. Back then, like yesterday afternoon, we thought we would meet our boys soon. Well, just when we think we're headed one way along this journey, we're reminded there really is no plan to any of this and anything can happen.

Elizabeth's preeclampsia is worsening, so the concern is mostly with her condition and preventing her liver and kidneys from failing. The babies, who are 32 1/2 weeks, aren't at ideal weights yet but they're doing great and are expected to be healthy when they enter the world.

Elizabeth isn't sick enough that the docs are ready to deliver -- every day pregnant is equal to three days in the NICU -- but if she's not in the red zone she's pretty close.

These new twists are no fun, especially for her. As I type this, Elizabeth's nurse came in to tell us her swelling is so bad her doctor is sending her to the main hospital soon to get scanned for blood clots. The contractions and general aches and pains don't help, and her feet and legs are so swollen that walking has become a challenge.

My mom has been a big help. She arrived about a week ago and has been cooking ever since. She's also been helping me take care of Elizabeth and Natalie. She made us bigger-than-my-fist stuffed artichokes today. Elizabeth said it was the best artichoke of her life.

Elizabeth's mom entertained us tonight with a Facetime call that showed her looking like she was wearing a giant hat:

I also was able to spend a little time with our friends, Jason and Veronica, and their beautiful baby girl, Delilah, who was born Tuesday at Mary Birch. They're two floors up from us and Jason and I plan to meet soon at the rooftop bar. ;)

  In addition to taking our mind off things, the breaks from the drama have been a lot of fun.

We sure wish we could tell you we will be home soon, or we will meet our boys in three days, but we don't know much more than you do. We will keep you posted.

Good night and God Bless!

Mother's Day at Sharp Mary Birch? Nope. Elizabeth's journey took yet another unexpected turn Saturday, but this one was divine.

Hours after I posted this - "You're Here for the Duration" - Elizabeth's doctors decided it was time for me to to lose all credibility. They discharged her.

She called me with the good news. We both cried. So what the hell happened? If you've been following, we were told a few days ago, after a round of tests that produced a troubling result, that Elizabeth wasn't going anywhere until the babies were born, despite showing signs of improvement. It was tough news to take.

Well, her perinatologist told her Saturday, the doctor who did the ultrasound days earlier obviously did not get a good read because the twins are incredibly healthy and their Mama is doing pretty darn good, too. The boys, Elizabeth was told, each scored a 10 out of 10 when their activity, heart rate, etc. was measured and analyzed. We were over the moon.

None of this good news would have happened -- and Elizabeth would still be at the hospital -- if not for the scare we experienced Friday night when the heartbeat for one of the boys dipped to levels that concerned everyone, especially Elizabeth's on-call doctor. So a new round of tests, including an ultrasound, was ordered Saturday. The expectation was the results wouldn't be good, but instead we were rewarded with terrific news, and the perinatologist told Elizabeth the heartbeat scare was likely a fluke.

We were stunned and overjoyed and I couldn't believe it as I watched a nurse push Elizabeth down the hallway and toward the elevators that I had used dozens of times over the past few weeks.

  I'm happy to report Elizabeth is doing great at Mill Peak. She's wiped out, which I attribute to coming down from a 3-week hospital stay that was emotionally exhausting.

But she's eating home-cooked meals again, thanks to her Dad, and she's back in her bed surrounded by our dogs and Natalie.

She's on strict bed rest and has to go through rounds of tests at the hospital twice a week to monitor the babies and her preeclampsia, but I know she's doing better because she's cracking jokes again.

"I love cilantro so much I'm going to spread it on my toast tomorrow," she just said.

We're tired this morning at Mary Birch. Last night was a long one but we're sipping lattes and sharing a blueberry muffin, so all is well. For now.

While I was downstairs picking up breakfast Elizabeth was talking to one of the boys (the one who made us a little nervous last night), asking him to wake up and give her a kick so she knows he's ok. He listened.

Now to what happened and what's been happening.

  The heart rate for one of the boys dipped last night whenever Elizabeth was having a contraction. This was new. The boys have never shown any signs of distress, even during contractions. So the monitor stayed on for longer than normal, one of Elizabeth's doctors was called, meds were ordered and we prayed the dreaded magnesium could be avoided. It was and we anxiously watched the baby monitor until 2am. The heart beats for both boys stayed strong, so the lights eventually were turned off and we fell asleep.

As I write this, Elizabeth just told me with a smile on her face, while referring to the son who gave us the scare last night: "He's rocking and rolling."

Elizabeth's nurse, noticing the movement, added: "Oh my goodness. He's doing his little sit-ups or something. How cute!"

The week, overall, was a good one for Elizabeth, but she was reminded the roller coaster she's been on for a few weeks isn't over yet. She continued to show signs of bouncing back but just when it looked like she could come home, there was another setback.

"You're here for the duration," one of her doctors told her yesterday.

For me, the most amazing thing to watch has been Elizabeth's comeback. Her preeclampsia was supposed to get worse, and likely will at some point, but she's actually shown some improvement. This, we've been told, almost never happens.

She's 31 weeks Tuesday -- another miracle. When she came in at 28 no one here thought she would get to 30 weeks. We're hoping she gets to 32. Her condition and the condition of the babies can change in a moment, so there's no way to know for sure what's ahead or when the babies will be born.

Passing time is becoming Elizabeth's greatest challenge, and I'm amazed at the strength she's shown day after day. Your visits are helping and so are your texts, emails and prayers.

I was telling a client yesterday how much the support has meant to us, which I wasn't expecting. For me, the stress doesn't surface, or only in small doses, because of the encouragement and support I've felt from others. I can handle a difficult development after I've just heard from an old friend who wrote to tell me that he, his wife and their young boys "pray for Miss Elizabeth and the boys every night at the dinner table."

I seem to end ever post the same way and this one is headed in the same direction. But before I sign off I need to share a blog post from my mother-in-law. She called it "Right Here Right Now" and it's worth a read.

Sharp lines have never divided work and home life for Elizabeth and me. Work always has been more than a paycheck for us. I attribute this to our Midwestern roots and our journalism backgrounds. 

We met at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where we were reporters. We left the newspaper business years ago. A quick Google search tells me we shared one byline - a 2008 story I don't remember.

Nowadays, we often bounce ideas off each other and whenever I'm writing something I want to sing I make sure she edits it before I hit send. She's the best editor I've ever worked with, and I've worked with some good ones.

I run my own communications firm, By George Strategies. She came up with the name, which plays off a few things, including my middle name - George. Elizabeth is the Senior Director of Marketing & Communications at Rady Children's Hospital.

She loves her job and the people she works with, many of whom are like family to her. I was reminded of this when scrolling through photos and seeing us at some of her work events.

The first set of photos in this post, including a shot of Elizabeth with San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and his fiancée, is from June 2012 at Rady Children's annual fundraising gala. We volunteer as door greeters every year at this event.

The last two photos were taken in October 2012 at the annual Rady Children's Shamu & You Family Walk at Sea World.

One of Elizabeth's doctors, who had not seen her in several days, stopped by yesterday and said: "You're still pregnant!? None of us expected that."

No one can say for sure why Elizabeth is doing a little better, or if the trend will continue. In fact, we're told her preeclampsia will eventually worsen and force an emergency birth. 

For now we'll take the good news and hope for more. Your prayers have certainly helped. A friend of ours sent me this yesterday:

FYI, since I only do Jewish prayers, I thought you and Elizabeth might want to know the words to what us Members of the Tribe refer to as the Mishaberach, a prayer we've been saying for Elizabeth. Our rabbi recites it daily during morning services in the chapel at our synagogue. Here is a rough English translation....

"May the Holy One who blessed our ancestors - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah - bless and heal Elizabeth Fitzsimons. May the Holy One overflow with compassion to restore her, to heal her, to strengthen her and to enliven her. May the Holy One soon and speedily send her and her babies a complete healing, a healing of the soul and a healing of the body, along with all who are ill among the people of Israel and all humankind. And let us say, Amen." 

Please give Elizabeth my best. Looking forward to seeing your sons soon.

I guess it was only a matter of time until I switched from email updates, which you'll find below, to this neat new tool I've never heard of before...a blog. ;)

I've done my share of blogging, but it's always been work-related. Until now.

This is an easier format to share updates, photos, replies, etc. I'll post when I can, but mostly when there's news to share. 

Elizabeth is doing better. She's not coming home anytime soon, but she's not in as rough shape as she was a couple days ago. Things can change by the minute, so by the time you read this she could be in the delivery room. That's a stretch but things are just about that fluid for her. 

Earlier this week the docs thought the babies would come in days, but Elizabeth's lab results have actually shown improvement (which, we're told, rarely happens when things turn south like they did for her the other day). So she may have bought another week or more. No one can say for sure.

The babies continue to show us they're tough little guys. They're doing excellent and really don't seem bothered by any of this. I don't know how or why this is, and I keep waiting for it to change, but it sure is nice hearing every day that the twins are doing great.

We've certainly experienced a lot of firsts the last couple weeks, and lately when I reflect on things I come back to something I mentioned to Elizabeth last night.

Neither of us is from San Diego. She moved here more than a dozen years ago and I arrived eight years ago. We don't have any family here or lifelong friends. So we thought our San Diego network was thin. Boy were we wrong.

We have so many close friends, more than we thought we had. I can't tell you how comforting that is to Elizabeth and me, especially now. So many of you have stepped up in so many ways. It really has made a big difference. So thank you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!