Ryland Douglas Johnson

Photos: compliments of Jenn Boughey

Roddic Jacob Johnson

Photos: compliments of Jenn Boughey

Merry Christmas

It has been a tiring week to say the least. Each day has brought unique challenges, but all the while we are still experiencing such joy from these little ones.

Yesterday was the greatest Christmas of my life. Roddic and Ryland dressed up as Santas and brought great cheer to all who saw them.

Hiccups

One thing our boys continue to do well is have the hiccups.

See what I mean in this video.

Ode to Patsy

In a world where in-laws normally stir up similar feelings to a trip to the dentist, I am pretty sure I have the coolest mother-in-law around. I have known this for years, but over the last week of my children's life it has become even more obvious. After serving us as we were in the hospital last week, Kelly's mom, Patsy, has been staying with us at our home since we returned. She has jumped in head first to feedings, changings, laundry, meals, middle of the night chaos, and pretty much anything else that we need at this time. The best part is that she does this all with such a joyful and selfless heart. Her love for us and for these boys is evidently displayed in her peaceful attitude as she helps out with all the craziness around here. I wish I could give her a medal, or better yet, a vacation for all she has done for us. But I can't give her a vacation, because then she wouldn't be here to help. :)

The boys say "Thank you Nanny!"

Home Sweet Home

Yesterday (Saturday), the typically long process of being discharged from the hospital was made even longer with two babies. What was initially suppose to be an 11 am departure turned into a 2:30 departure. We arrived home at 3 and 24 hours later we are finally getting a chance to put some stuff away. Because we took the advice of many of you and put an extra effort into looting all that we could from the baby carts, our house currently looks like a Babies-R-Us. We feel well stocked with towers of formula, diapers, changing cloths, milk bottles, etc. And it should last us all of 2 and a half days at the rate we are flying through supplies with these two little guys:)

This morning I woke up with what I will call a "baby hangover." It's the massive headache that you get when you sleep for 23 minutes, 4 different times in a night; totaling a whopping hour and 45 minutes of total sleep. I feel like Will Ferrell from the movie "Elf" when he said, "I slept great. I got a full 45 minutes." I am guessing I better get used to those mornings.

I love having these guys home. It will take a few more days to settle in and get a system with how to care for these little ones as efficiently as possible (as if efficiency is even remotely possible with two babies).

We love you all and covet your prayers during this time. We hope to see you in the coming weeks. More pics to come, but for now here is a pic of Roddic getting ready to leave the hospital.

Santa Has Come To Town!!!

Gram and Pa Jacob came to the hospital today.

So did Santa:)

The Boys First Fight

Well, it took all of 2 and a half days for the boys to start throwing fists. Here's the play by play.

"Ryland lands a left!"

"Ryland throws another left, but Roddic blocks it!"

"Roddic counters with a straight right hand!"

"Ryland goes in with a head-butt!"

In the end, mom got them straightened out and all was at peace:)

Super-Dad

I've read about it. I've talked to numerous parents about it. As we moved through this pregnancy, I've been the butt of jokes for other people who have already experienced it. I've known it, but at the same time I haven't really known it.

It is the fact that raising a child is the single hardest job on the planet. And it is made even tougher when you add in a second child. :) While I still have an infinity to travel down this road, I got my first real taste of it last night.

With all of our family gone it was just the four of us. Feeding time was upon us, and even those with a little experience with it know this also includes changing, swaddling, and soothing. Most also know that Mom really can't do anything in the first couple days as she is confined to the bed from the surgery.

That left just me.

Just me to handle it.

Now let me set the record straight, I have always considered my self extremely below average when it comes to handling babies. I always feel like I'm gonna be the one who drops the baby, sits on the baby, or does one of the other 761 things that can bring a baby harm.

But last night brought something out of me that I never knew was there, or better yet, wasn't ever there until last night. I hadn't slept. I hadn't eaten (which for those of you who know me, that's normally a deal breaker). And I was doing something that no book, no class, no one can prepare you for. Yet, in the midst of it, I was in the zone. The adrenaline felt like the old football days. It kicked in. I dove into dirty diapers. I obeyed all the instructions. I took care of these two little guys and my amazing wife. And at the end of the night, which came in the early hours of the morning, they were happy, warm, and well fed.

In the middle of the craziness I felt God saying, "I have given you these two sons. Now, I'm gonna give you the strength to raise them up." It was encouraging. It was humbling. It was amazing.

God says, "I'm gonna turn you into Super-Dad." I say, "bring it on:)."

A Visit from Great Grandma

It has been an amazing couple days. Today, my Grandmother came to visit with my dad. She is the only living Grandparent between me and Kelly. She got a chance to hold both of her new great grandsons (her 9th and 10th great grandchildren overall!). She is 90 years old, and still as sharp as a tac. She is one of the funniest people I know, and has not lost a step when it comes to humor.

Here is a picture of a pretty cool moment: four generations of Johnsons.

Ryland (2009) being held by Pauline (1919). Roddic (2009) being held by Adam (1982). Stuart (1979) and Hugh (1947).

New Lives

After waiting all day yesterday, Ryland was moved from the transition nursery into our room at about 8pm last night. It was a sweet homecoming, especially for Kelly who did not get to see him after he was born. The four of us got some good time together, and then we sent them to the nursery so we could get some sleep.

This morning brought our boys' first sunrise, and first photo shoot together. We dressed them up in one of the outfits Kelly brought them and snapped some shots. This was the first time the two of them had been this close since they were in the womb.

Check out the photos below. Brotherly love. Ryland is on the left, and Roddic on the right.

Two Boys!

At 9 am sharp we were rolled down to the L&D OR for our c-section. Surgery started shortly thereafter and our boys were brought into this world. Here are the stats on our two little guys:

Ryland (baby A)

Born at 9:22am 12/15/09

7lbs 1 oz

19 1/2 inches long (with a stoutly 12 1/2 inch chest)

Roddic (baby B)

Born at 9:23am 12/15/09

6lbs 9oz

19 1/4 inches long (with a manly 12 1/4 inch chest)

Ryland had some issues with his oxygen level and they took him to the transitional nursery within minutes. He is still there now (4 hours later) being monitored. I (Adam) have been in to see him several times and he seems to be doing fine. We really do have two amazing little guys on our hands, and we can't wait for you to see them.

We would like to have a picture of the two of them together to send out to everyone, so we are waiting to post any pictures until Ryland returns from the transitional nursery.

Thank you for all the texts, tweets, and prayers. Please continue to pray for Ryland, that his levels return to normal and that he can come to our room soon.

Birth Day

Moments ago we were informed that we are on the schedule for a 9am c-section. That means that in 3 hours from now we will be holding our boys!

Please pray for a smooth delivery. We are soooo excited! What a day!

Change of Delivery Plans

It has been an emotional evening.

From the moment we arrived at the hospital this afternoon, it seemed that everyone who came in our room was encouraging a c-section over a natural delivery. This was a first during this pregnancy, as the multiple doctors we visited over the past few months were all in favor of a natural delivery because both boys were head down. So needless to say, the feedback we were getting while prepping tonight was a little unnerving.

You see, the problem is that our main doctor is out of the country, and choice #2 is not on call for another 7 days. We knew this going into this week but didn't think it would pose a problem. However, the doc lined up to deliver us tomorrow caught wind of our concerns and called our room. "It's risky," was her description of a natural twin birth, and she then told me she had delivered two sets of twins naturally in the last FIVE YEARS. Wow. Another doctor currently on call (from another practice) told us she always delivers twins via c-section, and has not done a natural twin birth in years.

Rattled by all the new information, we were then put on the spot to decide whether to try and grab the 8:30am c-section slot or wait all day trying to induce, with a high likelihood of a c-section being the result anyways. We had minutes to decide. Wasn't quite fun.

We prayed it through, and decided if the doctor delivering us is not comfortable with a natural birth, we need to, for the sake of our boys, go with the c-section. Still hoping the 8:30am opening is a possibility and that should be confirmed around 6am. The good news is we get to meet our sons even sooner, and that puts us at peace as we try to rest tonight.

Thanks for all of your calls, texts, tweets, etc!

Oh, what tomorrow will bring...

At The Hospital

It's Monday evening, about 6pm. We checked in at Northside at about 4pm, and quickly settled into our room. It's a spacious corner suite with a nice view (of the parking deck). The plan is to spend the night here and they will induce us in the morning. There is no telling how long labor will last, but we should have these two little ones sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for all the prayers, texts, tweets, and calls! We will keep the blog updated with the latest, so check back regularly.

Still Waiting...

Well, I guess the Eggplant Parm is only a myth for us. It's been 48 hours since we ate it and still no labor. We will be checking into the hospital tomorrow afternoon or evening, and we are looking forward to the scheduled induction on Tuesday.

STAY TUNED :)

Scalini's Eggplant Parmesan: Fact or Fiction?

There are many urban legends about what can induce labor. From Primrose Oil, to a bumpy car ride, to eating spicy food, it seems like everyone has an idea of how to speed up the process. However, none is more talked about or has received more publicity than eating the Eggplant Parmesan from Scalini's Italian Restaurant in Atlanta. Previously featured on Good Morning America and countless print articles, Scalini's has a wall of pictures of babies that have been born from mothers who had recently eaten their popular dish (they actually give gift certificates and onesie's to mom's who deliver within 48 hours of eating it!!). Many claim this to be a marketing stunt, but when the doctor told Kelly she'd have to wait until Tuesday to be induced, we decided to try anything...

Check out this video of our trip to Scalini's.

Induction Date Scheduled!

Well, we gave our plea with legitimate tears for an induction tomorrow but after testing me and the babies "we are too healthy" to induce before our 37 week mark on Tuesday, December 15. With that said, we will check in the hospital on Monday and start induction first thing Tuesday morning. We are thankful for such a healthy report and still hopeful something happens naturally between now and then!

36 Weeks and Ready!

Today we hit the infamous 36 week mark. If only we knew months ago we would make it this far! We spent the night making final touches to the nursery and we are so ready to meet our sons!!!

False Alarm

Here's a quick video update from Adam, including the scoop on
why we were at the hospital all day today...

Christmas Wish

Big Boys

The boys weighed in at 6 lb 2oz and 6lb 6 oz today. That is 12.5 pounds of baby and they are expected to grow a half of a pound a week. Are you doing the math with me? They may both be at or over 7 pounds on December 18th if I make it until that induction date! WOW. That is the average size of a singleton baby.

Baby A was precious. He kept opening his mouth, sticking out his little tongue and hitting the wall of the sack with his fingers. Baby B was quietly sleeping face down (as usual) and didn't seem to be bothered by his brother.

Lord, you are amazing. Despite the pain I am in I will continue to praise your name for this blessing!!!

35 Weeks

Here we are - week 35! Praising our Heavenly Father for getting us here. The boys received another wonderful and healthy report at the doctors office today.

Last week our OB said there was no need to schedule an induction because I would never see 37 weeks gestation with these guys. Today she changed her mind. I must admit this causes conflicted emotions for me. The discomfort is causing my emotional strength not to hold up as well as the overall strength of my body. Keeping my focus on the joyous ending! We cannot wait to have these guys in our arms!

With our doctor leaving the country next Tuesday, we have requested our next favorite doctor in the practice to deliver us if we make it to induction. The first day past 37 weeks that he delivers is Friday, December 18. Looks like our sons will be arriving 7 days before Christmas if not sooner. I may start running the stairs, doing lunges and eating spicy foods between now and then!