Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone! This year is pretty special at the Palmer house! :) We were able to bring Carson home with us on Monday afternoon!! :) Yay!! He is doing so well! We think he likes his house...(more than he liked the NICU). Having him home and taking care of him has been wonderful. We can't wait to do the same with Majkin. We met with a Neonatal doctor today regarding Majkin's dischange from the hospital- and it looks like we may get to bring her home on Saturday!!!! We are anxious to have all of our family together and see how these two babies will be changing our lives forever!

Mike and I are so blessed to have my mom staying with us for awhile to help out with Carson- especially with Majkin still in the hospital. Mom stays with him during the day so that Mike and I can go visit our little girl. It will be a different year- not being in Colorado for Christmas- and not having my dad, brother, and sister around- but they will be coming out to Kansas later next week to spend some time with their grandbaby's/niece and nephew! We are also blessed to have Mike's family so close- and get to spend our first Christmas in 9 years with his side of the family!

We hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas! As we hold these precious babies in our arms- we remember Christ's birth in a manger stall. What an awesome Christmas gift! God is so good! Love to all!

Carson Joe Palmer

Carson Joe

What a stud! Carson is doing very well in the NICU! When he was born, he spent some time on a warming bed to help him maintain his temperature. A few days after birth he was moved to a crib. The Doctors have taken blood to test him for Jaundice- and each time he has been just a touch above needing to be placed under lights. He started breast feeding at the beginning of the week and has done very well! He is given a bottle after nursing to "top off" so that we know he is getting enough to eat. One thing Mike and I have learned about these tiny babies is that they expend A LOT of energy doing easy things- like being changed, held, or fed. We didn't want Carson spending more energy than he was consuming- so the Doctors left the NG tube in his nose for feedings in case he tuckered out after bottle or breast feeding. Each day/night he has needed fewer feedings in the NG tube- meaning he was filling up on the bottle or breast. This morning when we were updated we were told that the NG tube has been taken OUT! :) He now gets bottle or breast only- so long as he can show he's eating enough and gaining weight! If he is able to keep eating well and gaining weight- we may be able to bring him home SOON! (This weekend maybe!) His weight last night was 4 lbs 10 oz- which was his birth weight. We are so proud of our little man!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, love and support! We would not be able to make it through this time without the love of our family and friends! We feel incredibly blessed to have these two precious babies in our lives. Life as we knew it has changed forever! We love these babies so much and can't wait to show them off to all of you!!

Majkin Linnea Palmer

Sorry this is so late! We have been a busy bunch this past week! Majkin Linnea and Carson Joe arrived on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009. Because they were a few weeks early- and small in birth weight, both babies went to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) immediately after birth.

MAJKIN LINNEA

Right after birth, our precious little girl needed some help breathing so they gave her a CPAP to help regulate her breaths. The CPAP stayed on for the first few days- but then was removed when Majkin was able to breath on her own.

The Doctors also noticed a heart murmur, a "broken collar bone", two ribs that had fused together, dialated kidneys, and an anal opening that is closer than normal to her girl parts. Over the past week this poor thing has been poked and proded by several specialists and come through with shining colors! Mike has nick named Majkin- "Tough Stuff". The heart murmur is something we will see the cardiologist for after she has been discharged from the unit. The collar bone that we once thought was broken (thanks to either the Doctor's, or to her brother!) is not broken- but never fused together inutero. Again- not something we are to worry about now, but we'll need to watch as she grows. The kidneys are still being watched- but she has no trouble peeing! :) The anal opening again is something we will continue to watch and we will see the general surgeon again in about a month. She poops like a champ- so that is a good thing! (I guess when you become a parent- you realize the importance of pee and poop! Mike and I were THRILLED when she pooped for the first time!)

Along with all the other issues this "little bit" faced, Majkin was treated for jaundice the first few days of her life. In her isolet, she layed under what looked like tanning bed lights. (She is already trying to be like her Aunt Katie!)The lights were turned off early this week- and she remained in the isolet for temperature control. She was put on oxygen for a few days when they saw that her breaths were still very shallow and very often. The oxygen helped- and now she is off of that as well and although she still has some periods throughout the day that her breaths are shallow and often- it seems to be much improved!

Last night was a big night for Majkin! She was able to maintain her temperature and breathing on her own so the nurses moved her into a crib! :) She is now out of the isolet and looks so much more comfortable! Her feedings go through an NG tube in her nose until she stablizes her breathing. As soon as that is stable- she will start taking feedings through a bottle or breast! We are so excited for all of the amazing things that are happening! Her weight last night was 4 lbs 3.1 oz. She is SO close to being back to birth weight!

To sum it all up- Majkin has had quite an entrance into this world! She is a beautiful little girl and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Dec. 8th - BABY DAY!

Here they are.......Carson and Majkin were born this morning at 10:48 and 10:49 (She's older). Carson weighted 4lbs 10ozs, and Majkin was 4lbs 5ozs. Both the babies and Mom are doing well. The babies are being monitored through the night given that they were premature, and Kirsten is trying to get some sleep??? These pics were taken right after they were born, and we will be sure to update these tomorrow.

PS - Carson is wearing his hat.

Tomorrow is Meet the Babies Day!!!

We have survied 6 weeks in the hospital! What a crazy time this has been. It is amazing how fast the time has gone (more for me than for Mike!). Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support through this time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!! We are scheduled for a c-section tomorrow morning. Mike will be sending an update at some point with pictures of our little ones!! (When he's not busy feeding, changing, holding, rocking babies, or sleeping!!!) Love to you all!!

33 Weeks!!

We've made it another week in the hospital! Everything is going well. The babies continue to look great on the monitors! My contractions are far apart and not big (so not big that I don't feel them at all!). :) We had a growth scan this morning and were blown away by how much the babies are growing! Last week- our little boy was 3 lbs 1 oz and our little girl was 2 lbs 8 oz. Today- the boy is 3 lbs 12 oz. and the girl is 3 lbs 9 oz!! Our Dr. said that many times when a mom of multiples is on bed rest, the babies grow more. It doesn't always seem like it- but I realize now this "laying around" is an important job. We have 3 weeks to go before the babies come- and hopefully lots more growing to do in that time frame! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! We are so thankful for you!

From the Hospital...

A week ago tonight we checked into the hospital when we had a little scare with the pregnancy. Today everything looks great with the twins. They are growing on schedule, their heart rates are good, and they are moving like crazy. The doctor's made the decision to keep us here at the hospital until delivery, which we hope won't be for another 5 weeks. Although we would probably be much more comfortable at home- we take comfort knowing that help is right down the hall here if we need it-rather than 25 minutes away. Mike has been staying at the hospital every night on the pull out chair (it's a tight fit- but he's managing!!) and going home during the day to work. My mom came in today- so she is helping me get things done at school and at home. Thank you to all of you for your prayers! We can feel them working!!

Halloween Update

Greetings to all - This is Mike, and for the time being I have taken over the Palmer Pages updates. As you may know, Kirsten and I have the privilege of spending the weekend in the Hospital due to some minor complications that took place this past Thursday. Everyone is fine, and the babies are doing well, it is simply not the best circumstance to be in. Food is terrible, monitors keep beeping, and even though you are in the hospital to reset, you get no sleep. We may be here for at least a week, as our "vast" team of doctors want to monitor the progress. We hope that everyone has a great Halloween, as Kirsten will be going as the feared irritable pregnant Kindergarten teacher whose last Parent-Teacher conference is running late, and as always, I will be her humble servant.

Nursery Update...

My mom has been hard at work on the babies bedding. She has finished the bumpers and crib skirts for both beds! They look awesome!!! I'm super impressed with her work!!! Now she is working now on quilts for each of them. I can't wait to see those! Also, my brother Matt has mounted and framed nursery rhyme pictures to hang above the cribs. He's done all the work himself. He's pretty awesome! So...here are a few photos of what the room looks like now. We still have lots to do, but it is coming along!! We are excited for the babies to get here!!!

Our Little Girl's side of the room...

You can't see the fabric in the picutres...but just imagine super cute pink and white stripes on her bedding!!

Our Little Boy's side of the room...

Again...just imagine the green and white stripes on his bedding. It's so cute!!

Family Shower in KC

This past weekend, my family here in KC had a shower for the babies! We had a wonderful time! The space was beautifully decorated and the treats were very yummy! Thank you to all who were able to come! I am attaching some pictures from the shower. Enjoy! (I was 29 weeks at the time of the shower.)

Me and the baby clothesline the girls made with Mike's and my baby clothes! So cute!

Me and Mom

Me, Paula, and Henry!

Me and Meg (28 weeks Prego with baby boy!)

Me and Mary (Our cousin who just had twin boys 20 days ago!!!)

Me and Katie

Me and Grandma Jo

Me and Alyssa

Shower Day!!!

27 Weeks

It's our first Baby Shower in Colorado today! Unfortunately, our Dr. did not want us to travel at this point in the pregnancy. So...I thought I'd at least update with a picture from today. We miss everyone...and wish we were there!

A Work In Progress....

Here is our Work in Progress! Matt came out in August and painted the room for us. It was a big job- but he managed to do it all. I am SO happy with the way it turned out. He's the best! Mom and dad were out a few weekends ago, and we were able to get the furniture put together in the nursery. We don't have the bedding, or room decor up yet...but here are a few pictures of what we have so far!

Growing...

Here are a few pictures of my growing belly. I have to admit, although I love being pregnant and know how amazing it is to be growing two tiny babies, I haven't adjusted to the changes that my belly/body are going through. I guess it's time to suck it up. (not in....I can't do that anymore!)

16 Weeks

22 Weeks

Guess What????

Well, I guess it's time we caught the world up on our latest news. Mike and I found out in April that we are expecting twins!! They will be arriving in late December or early January. Now....the news gets even better....we are having a little boy AND a little girl!! Yay! Everything is going well so far. I'm feeling pretty good (just tired after working with 20 five year olds all day!), and Mike seems to be doing well (minus being yelled at for no reason by his over emotional/critical wife!). Oops!! We are anxious to join the ranks of our family and friends with little ones. I will try to update this blog as often as I can- and post pictures for those of you that are far away. I'm new at this- so please be patient with me!