The Myers Family Matt, Penny, Ethan, Zoey and Cameron

2008-01-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2008!

2008-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

What a year 2007 turned out to be! One of the most emotional years yet for our young family. In the first part of the year we learned that we were having twins, which was very exciting! But with that news came complications that landed me on and off bed rest for 12 weeks and was scary not knowing if all would be ok. In that same 12 weeks one of my dearest friends moved from San Antonio back to the east, Pennsylvania to be exact, to be closer to family. That was hard to say good-bye, but I know it was for the best for her family.

Then things normalized for 13 weeks and the pregnancy was business as usual for me and pregnancy. Couldn't eat a lot, was nervous I was not gaining enough weight, but all was well with the babies and we found out we were having a boy and a girl.

In April at 25 weeks big news came that the pregnancy was in jeopardy if I did not go on bed-rest immediately, so well.... I did as I was told. I got steroid shots just in case, but thank god they were just an extra boost that was not needed when they thought I was going to go into labor. It was really scary not knowing what the future held for the babies at that time, but I had to trust a greater power then my own that was to be, would be!

On July 12 we welcomed 2 new additions to our family, just 4 weeks early, Cameron Patrick and Zoey Makena joined their big brother Ethan Joshua and mommy and daddy to make the Myers Family Party of 5! They were little and sweet and just perfect!

In September the first light of my life turned 4. We are so blessed to be Ethan's parents and just when you think it's not possible to love him anymore, you can feel your love for him grow stronger and stronger each day. We love watching the joy in his face when he learns something new or laughs at an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that he has seen 30 times. He is such a sweet, caring, loving little boy with such a zest for learning, dancing, playing board games and loving his brother and sister, that we are truly grateful that he is the big brother and such a great role model for Cameron and Zoey.

In October I returned to work after 6 months off. That was weird. No matter how long your gone, things don't change much and there is always work to be done. Everyone at work was so supportive of us in our pregnancy and after, that we truly feel like we have a second family here in Texas.

Thanksgiving was spent at home with a special guest, Matt's second cousin who started her freshman year at UTSA this fall. Her mom is in the military and they were stationed in San Antonio for some time, so this feels like home to Ariel and she knows she is welcome at our house, laundry and all, anytime. Pictures:http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMvO&emid=sharview&linkid=link2

Pre- Christmas Pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMvs&emid=sharview&linkid=link2
Christmas was crazy for our family, but crazy fun. When you have three kids, you have to get things done whenever you can, so it took us only 2 days to get the tree up and decorated, but probably 2 weeks to put all the other stuff up. It was great to see the kids faces at the lights when they shined. Christmas really is a magical time for all children and should be enjoyed for as long as you can extend the season. Pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMwU&emid=sharview&linkid=link2

On December 29th, we took Ethan to his first college football game, the Alamo Bowl which featured the Texas A&M Aggies taking on Matt's Alma Matter- Penn State. Penn State was of course victorious and we had a great time, and were so glad Penn State came to Texas and that we could enjoy this time with Ethan. Pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMxQ&emid=sharview&linkid=link4

Well that brings us to the end of a crazy 2007, but a roller coaster worth the ride, even if I did get sick a few times :) We look forward to 2008 with Ethan starting Kindergarten and the babies learning to crawl, walk and turn 1. We hope you will check back and see updates as we can get them on the site.

Thank you to all of you for being part of our life and enriching us all the time with what you bring to us and the world.

Love the Myers Family!

I am the mom of a 4 year old and 10 week old twins-Yikes!

2007-09-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hello All- A quick update, well because that is all we have time for these days, but wanted to just fill you all in on the happenings with the Myers family.

Ethan turned 4 on Sept 16th. He celebrated with his friends on the 15th at a place called Big Top Kidz. He loved it. He spent much of the time there with his best girl Kyleigh, you will notice in the pictures! Afterwards we went out to lunch with grandma and our neighbors-Bill, Kathy and Makenzie. Makenzie and twins were born on the same day. On his actual birthday he opened presents and played while mom, dad and the rest of the family tried to rest. Link to the pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMtk&notag=1

Zoey and Cameron had their 2 month check up and are doing GREAT. Cameron weighed in at 9lbs 13 oz which is up 4lbs 3oz in 2 months. Zoey weighed in at 8lbs 12 oz which is up 4lbs 2oz in 2 months. They are both finally on the percentile charts for their actual ages vs. adjusted age. Basically what that means is they look at how they are progressing against kids their age and then against kids who are the age they would be if I can gone to 40 weeks in the pregnancy. Since I was only 4 weeks early they are not too concerned at all, but said they could do some things a month behind other kids or we may never see any difference. Since size wise they are both on the chart for their actual age they did not even look at adjusted age. Zoey is in the 5th percentile for both height and weight and Cameron just under the 25th percentile for both.

Please keep Ethan in your thoughts and prayers on Tuesday (9/25) as he will be put under to have his adenoids taken out and another set of tubes put in his ears. It is a fairly routine surgery for the doctor, but not routine for me to have my son under anesthesia. Please keep him in your thoughts!

We will update you after the surgery and let you know how it goes!

2007-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ethan started pre-kindergarten on Monday August 27th. He is so excited to finally move to the Purple room for 4 year old's and out of the 3 year old's Green room. "Green is still his favorite color and won't change even in the new room" according to him on the ride to the first day of school. He has many of the same kids in his class this year as last with some new additions. His teacher from the Green Room, Ms. Lori also moved up and is now teaching in the purple room. The other teacher in the purple room is Ms. Marti, who was his teacher two years ago. We love both of his teachers and know that he is going to learn a lot this year in preparation for Kindergarten in the fall.

Link to a few more photos of Ethan preparing to go off to school and one of the twins: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMtG&notag=1

Babies are good- Both are now on medicine for reflux, but are handling it well. They both had Upper GI's to check for the presence of reflux, but more to check the anatomy and ensure there were no obstructions. Both tests were fine for anatomy but we saw the reflux. Very weird to see your child's insides while they are eating and watch it all work. The babies handled swallowing the barium fine. They said infants do better then adults because they don't know any better, plus they only have to drink such a small amount and it's diluted.

At last check (6 weeks) Cameron weighed 8lbs 5oz and Zoey was 7lbs 8oz. That means in their first 6 weeks of life they have gained about 3 pounds each which the doctor says is great. They are finally on the percentile chart for their age. We will get official weights and percentiles at their 2 month check up on September 12th. They can actually wear size 1 diapers and no longer have to wear newborn size. Also all their preemie clothes are finally too small, however much of the 0-3 is still big, so it's tough to find clothes that fit, and we focus on the newborn size which is a little smaller then some 0-3 stuff.

We are looking forward to a visit from Aunt Trish and Cousin Sarah on Oct 3! They will be here until the 8th and I go back to work :( on October 9th.

Hope everyone is doing well and we would love to hear from you!

Links for More Photos

2007-08-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

Good Day Friends,

So many of our loyal readers have asked for more pictures!!

Here you go...

July 24 - August 6 (First Two Weeks at Home)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMr8

August 7 - 17th (Backyard by the Pool, Riding the Train - Post TS Erin/Flooding)

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMsg&notag=1

Enjoy!

Matt, Penny, Ethan, Cameron, and Zoey

Catching Up with Zoey and Cameron

2007-08-15T07:13:00.001-07:00

Good Day Readers!

We do apologize for the delay in updating our blog, but the two newest members of the family were very hesitant to give any interviews to the author. The editors of this blog have ironed out all differences (except for the sleep issue) and the "Stars" have since agreed to submit to interviews. The content of which formed the update below.

Our last update came on July 23 when Zoey and Cameron were released from the NICU and sent home. Since that time, both babies have done really well in terms of growth. At their last measurement (last Thursday), Zoey was 6lb 6oz and Cameron was 7lb 0oz.

Cameron has developed a bit of "silent reflux." His symptoms include reflux without actual spit-up, which sometimes results in some stomach aches/pains which interferes with his normal sleep/eating routine. He has been on Pepcid for the last 6 days or so and seems to be doing much better. He went on Tuesday (of this week) for an Upper GI scan. After not being able to eat for 4 hours, he gobbled down 1/2 oz of Barrium liquid and once the scan began, he promptly spit it up. The radiologist and doctor were able to see his reflux occur. Fortunately, his anatomy is correct and the issue isn't being caused by a anatomical problem with his Intestines, Stomach or other internal organs. We'll continue to monitor the situation along with the doctors at ABCD Pediatrics and hopefully we'll continue to see progress.

Zoey is doing well too. As you read, she has grown tremendously from her birth weight of 4lbs 10oz. In the past few days, she has started to show some similar symptoms as Cameron, but we'll continue to monitor them as well and hope that it is "just a phase." She is very alert and active and very vocal.

Both babies are very happy. They enjoy eating, sleeping, pooping (all of the normal stuff). They are practicing holding up their heads and are also masters of the facial expression. They give us all kinds of smiles, smirks, frowns and the such. Recently, both have discovered their little fingers. Just last evening, Cameron tried to put his whole hand in his mouth, but he eventually settled on eating just his thumb. The babies eat about every 3 hours, sometimes more, sometimes less. Generally, they sleep between feedings, but they are definitely more awake and aware of their surroundings than 2 weeks ago. Since they sleep together, we often have to calm Zoey and Cameron down quickly or we risk the other one waking up. They are still not a huge fan of their swings, but they are starting to warm up to their bouncy seats and other toys.

Grammy Janice (from PA) arrived on July 27 and has been a big help with the babies (allowing Penny to get some much needed morning naps) and with doing some yardwork despite the HOT Texas sun. Pappy Paul arrived from PA on Friday (August 10). They have enjoyed meeting and visiting with the babies and exploring the sights of San Antonio (and beyond). We'll be sad to see them leave on Saturday (August 18).

At this time, we are trying to keep the babies on a similar schedule so that we can maintain as normal a life as possible with us getting some sleep (about 4 hours a night now), Ethan going to school, etc. Sleep has proven to be the most valuable commodity. Matt doesn't often take advantage of his napping chances (during the day), so he is probably having the toughest time with the lack of sleep. On more than one occasion, he has awoken confused and bewildered. Once, he swore that a baby was hiding under the covers of the bed.

Since Grammy Janice was in town, Matt did go back to work for a few days (part-time) at the beginning of August to help extend his overall leave. He goes back to work on Monday, August 20, but will continue to take time off as needed for appointments and to help Penny when she needs a break, etc. Penny is scheduled to return to work on the Tuesday following Columbus Day.

Well, we hope that you feel updated and we do apologize for the lack of postings during the past few weeks. We'll try to do at least weekly updates so you can track the progress of our crazy family!

Congratulations to Michelle West on the birth of her little one and to Bill and Kathy Moore (our neighbors across the street) on the birth of Zoey's best friend, Mackenzie. She was also born on July 12...Look out next year for a big Chimayo Bend Birthday Party!!

Our best wishes to all, we send much love from Texas!

Penny, Matt, Ethan, Zoey and Cameron

Update to Welcome Home

2007-07-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Oops...While prepping for another blog update, I realized we forgot to include Lisa on the list of NICU staff...My Bad! Sorry Lisa! You know we loved you!!!

Look for another update on our adventures at home soon!

Love,

MPEZC and the Kitties

Welcome Home Zoey and Cameron!

2007-07-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends & Family,

Little Zoey and Cameron took their first car ride home yesterday morning! Everyone was very happy to be discharged and to come home.

On Saturday evening, both kiddos roomed-in again with Mommy and Daddy. They both did well, I guess you could say, although mommy and daddy only got a little more sleep than the night before. Zoey weighed-in at 4 lb 13 oz (4/10 at birth) and Cameron was 5 lb 3.5oz (5/2 at birth).

Mommy, Daddy, and Ethan are very excited to have our new additions to our family at home. We are happy that our NICU stay only lasted 10 days. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those little ones and their families who have to spend more time there. With that thought, we'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the wonderful nurses, staff and doctors who helped us along the way...You could not have provided better care to all of us:

Drs. Garza and Schneider for making our second and third miracles a reality!

Dr. Suris for his wonderful care throughout the pregnancy and for delivering our two little miracles. Thanks to Dr. Carroll for her assist in the OR!

Dr. McFarland and her staff for their expert care in monitoring the babies development in utero and for catching that "little cervix" issue.

And to the NICU staff for all of their love, patience and understanding...We hope we captured everyone...Thank you to Barbara, Rebecca, Mr. Bill, Linda, Nicholas, Anna, Kim, Patricia, Jessica, Aleda, and Brandie. You were awesome!!

Also, a special thanks to Grammy Miller for all her help with Ethan and the babies, and for doing so much laundry and so many dishes over the last 12 weeks!!! Another big thank you also to our friends from Booz Allen Hamilton and River City Christian Church for those tasty bedrest and NICU meals!

Be sure to check back every few days for an update on their progress. Their first baby well visit will be on Thursday July 26. We'll post an update shortly thereafter.

We are also expecting a visit from Grandma Janice on Friday!

Check out this link for pictures from their last week in the NICU and from their Homecoming!

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMre

Much love,

The TX Myers Family

NICU Update: Result of Room-In

2007-07-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Good Evening,

Here it is, Saturday Evening. Both Cameron and Zoey roomed with Penny and I in a Post-Partum Room at North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio last evening and all of today.

The goal was to remove them from their monitors and allow us to take over the role of being primary caregiver to both of them. At the beginning of the evening, the only wire or tube still remaining was Zoey's feeding tube.

Although Zoey was probably a step or 2 behind Cameron in terms of readiness, the NeoNatologist decided to go ahead and let her room-in as well since Cameron was already doing it. She had struggled on Friday evening with her 6 o'clock feeding, but we made the decision not to use the tube but to see how the evening progressed.

Zoey and Cameron both rocked last night with their feeding! They both took more than the required amounts for both (47 ml) at this point. Zoey is on straight breast milk, but Cameron is able to handle 1/2 of formula and 1/2 of breast milk. Zoey did so well that her nurse decided, with our blessing, to remove the tube entirely last evening around 1130pm. I am happy to say that she did awesome again today taking all of her feedings via the bottle.

It was interesting to finally see our babies at night time. Zoey clinged to her brother and only felt comfortable sleeping next to him in the crib. Unfortunately, he was too happy to be with mommy and wanted to sleep next to her (and I think Zoey's kicking and prodding him didn't help either).

Because of the 6pm Friday incident, the staff at the NICU determined that we needed one more 24 hour window to claim success and consider a full discharge for both Zoey and Cameron. Rather than kick Cameron out now, they have decided to keep both for another night. So, Penny and I will spend this evening again at the hospital.

Wish us luck and I hope to be updating our Blog tomorrow with word of our release and first introduction into the heat and humidity of San Antonio, TX! Of course, I can't wait to send you all pictures of little Ms. Zoey without her tube. What a doll!

All our best!

Love,

Matt, Penny, Ethan, Cameron and Zoey

NICU Update: End of Week 1

2007-07-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

Good Evening,

Zoey and Cameron have survived their first week of NICU Boot Camp! There they are learning the essentials of feeding and growing. They continue to receive excellent care from the NICU Nursing Staff at North Central Baptist Hospital.

Let's see what has happened since our last post.

Earlier in the week, Zoey and Cameron continued to flip-flop daily on which one wanted to step out and be ahead of the other. The staff continued to tell us that girls typically do better in NICU than boys and yet, here as of Friday, Cameron seems to be ahead of her. Neither really loves formula but both really seem to be into the taste of Momma's Milk. Cameron will guzzle his bottle feedings (in about 10 minutes). Imagine a little less than 2 oz taking 10 min to drink...

Cameron pulled out his feeding tube on Thursday afternoon and probably hasn't had a tube feeding since Tuesday (?). Zoey still has her tube, but she hasn't had a tubal feeding since Thursday. We convinced the nurse yesterday afternoon (Thursday) that Zoey was ready to try to have all of her feedings via bottle (at least to attempt it). The night nurse also agreed and today's nurse let us put it into action. Zoey did so well for being so small.

Each day they both progressed closer to 50 cc(s) of formula/breastmilk. Cameron got there on Thursday and Zoey hit the 50 cc mark this morning (Friday).

Penny and are about to head back to the hospital (we were there earlier today from about 830 am until 630pm) to "room-in" with both of them. This is their chance to be off all of their breathing, respiratory and other monitors and spend the night with us in a room. It will be Cameron's final test before he can head home. Yes, that is right, if all goes well, Cameron will be able to come home on Saturday and Zoey, maybe on Sunday if she continues to gain weight and take her feedings like a champ!

As of now, Zoey is weighing in at 4lb 11.3 oz (4lb 10oz at birth) and Cameron weighs a stout 5 lb 1.5oz (.5oz below his birth weight). They will be weighed again this evening and I expect that both will be over their BW.

Look for an update tomorrow morning on our "room-in" and perhaps also some updated pictures as well! Wish us luck!

Love,

Matt, Penny, Ethan, Zoey, and Cameron

ZoCam Day 3 Update

2007-07-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Friends,

For Penny, Day 3 started rather early at 430am with a visit from her Doctor doing morning rounds. Based on that discussion, it was decided that Penny would be able to come home tomorrow (Sunday) assuming that all was well during the Sunday visit. As of this evening, she is up and moving around and is walking, but she is definitely sore. She still doesn't feel as bad as she did with Ethan (thank goodness!). She was just excited to get a shower. Thank goodness for no hurricanes (this time).

As you probably read in last night's entry, Zoey and Cameron were put on feeding tubes yesterday to help them receive proper nutrition. Last night, the staff in the NICU upped their formula to a special higher calorie blend for premature babies. They are now on a proper rotation of breast/bottle feeding and tube feedings. Assuming they continue to progress appropriately, they'll continue to wean them off the tube as they get more used to breast/bottle. Unfortunately, that continues to be a challenge as Penny's milk comes in. Zoey seems to have the suck/swallow/breathing thing down quite well, but Cameron still struggles, despite being heavier still than Zoey. Even when they do get some of the formula through a bottle, they still get tuckered out pretty quickly and it takes much longer than it should for them to drink their required amounts. Then we are forced to pass the formula through the tubes in their nose which goes down to their stomachs. Cameron still seems to be having some gastro-issues, but we hope those will go away with time as well.

As of last night, Zoey was down to 4lbs 5oz and Cameron was down to 4 lbs 15oz. This weight loss is not unusual, but since their feedings are sketchy at best (unless via a tube), it is slightly a cause for alarm. Hopefully, their weigh-in tonight will produce no more lackluster news.

All said, they are quite cute and we can't wait to bring them home. The staff "guess" that will occur between 1 week and 2 weeks (after birth). These challenges to be expected with smaller babies born early. We are just thankful that they continue to receive loving care, they have each other, and that we are only 5 minutes from the hospital.

Please keep little ZoCam in your thoughts and prayers and please hope that they make a quick recovery and are able to come home soon.

Check out these links for photos of Zoey and Cameron from Thursday and Friday/Today's visit with Ethan & Grammy Miller.

Photos from July 12 are available at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMqa

Photos from July 13 and 14 are available at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IatGTZs5aMq4&notag=1

Love,

Matt, Penny, Ethan, Zoey and Cameron

Day 2 in the NICU and ZoCam Meets the Big Brother

2007-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Good Evening,

Day 2 has come and gone and our precious twins are still in the NICU at North Central Baptist Hospital here in San Antonio. We couldn't wish for better care for them both.

Penny is doing much better and has been officially unhooked from all machines (as of 8pm Friday)...She is still incredibly sore (like she just did 1500 situps), but she is recovering well and actually feels better than she did after Ethan's childbirth.

Friday the 13th started out with them in separate cribs across the room from each other. Both were doing well. All of their glucose and other tests were normal and there was some discussion of them coming home with Penny either Saturday or Sunday. It was not until we started to try to feed them this morning that we began to have a few challenges. Both were experiencing some gastrointestinal "distress." Despite our efforts to feed them every 3 hours, it became a battle to keep them awake long enough to actually get them to nurse or drink from a bottle.

During the late afternoon, the doctors and nurses determined that the babies needed to be fed

through a tube. Despite their best efforts to fight off the doctors, both babies succumbed to the

tubes which went through their nasal passage and down into their stomachs. To help ease their stress they decided to also co-locate the babies into the same crib (photo on the right).

We had promised Ethan a visit this afternoon to meet his new baby brother and sister today.

After I picked him up from school, I brought him to meet them. He was very excited to meet ZoCam. He was very fond of rubbing Cameron's head and letting him hold his finger. We think

he'll be a great big brother and he is very proud of his new role in our family. He was also very excited to take photos of his new baby brother and sister to school today to show all of his friends.

Keep checking back for updates. I'll try to upload all of these photos and more to Shutterfly soon and I'll be sure to post the link so that you can view them all!

Enjoy!

Penny, Matt, Ethan, and ZoCam

Welcome Zoey and Cameron!

2007-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier today at North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, we welcomed two new additions to our family. Ms. Zoey Makena (above) and Mr. Cameron Patrick (below) joined our family. Zoey was born first at 2pm CT and Cameron arrived shortly thereafter at 202pm CT. Despite being older by 2 minutes, Zoey weighed 8 oz less than Cameron at only 4lb 10oz. Cameron weighed in at 5lb 2oz.

Both babies and mommy are resting comfortably this evening after a long eventful day. Both babies did really well during the delivery and immediately afterward, despite their size. After they were whisked away to the Nursery, scrubbed up a bit, poked and prodded a little more, they received their first meal. Unfortunately, we learned that their glucose levels were below the normal range (39 when they needed to be at least 50). This is not uncommon with smaller babies and we had come to expect that it was a possibility. Just to be safe, the babies climbed into another cart and were carried down the hall to the Special Babies section of the NICU. The excellent care they received in the NICU had already sparked a tremendous comeback and their scores were up in the 60s only an hour or so later. Both babies nursed and took in some extra formula and were resting.

Of course, Ethan is very excited to be a BIG BROTHER. He also gave birth to his "baby Cameron" this evening as well. Thanks Grammy Miller! He is looking forward to seeing his new siblings tomorrow afternoon and he can't wait to show his classmates and teachers their pictures tomorrow at school.

Check back again tomorrow or Saturday for another update.

The babies are coming!!!

2007-07-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hello All- Just thought I would send a quick update to let you know that the babies are coming on Thursday July 12th. My c-section is set for 1:00PM Central Time. The babies are doing good. I have been a bit under the weather but on the mend.

There is a good chance that the babies will be small, based on ultrasounds and the fact that Ethan was small and he was almost 40 weeks when he was born. With that, they may have to spend a few days in the NICU because small babies have a harder time maintaining there body temperature and blood sugar levels and that has to be good before they can come hang out with us in our room. Either way, they will be in good hands and can get the care they need to grow big and strong.

We will be at North Central Baptist Hospital in San Antonio-not sure the phone number, but we will have both Matt and my cell phone in the room after the c-section, so you are welcome to call on those. If you are local and would like to come visit, Saturday would probably be best since hopefully by then I will be able to shower :)

My cell phone is 210-818-6791 and Matt's cell phone is 210-412-4157. We will of course publish some pics as soon as we can.

Thank you all for your support through all of this and especially the last 11 weeks of bed rest. We are looking forward to becoming a family of 5 :)

Love,
Penny, Matt, Ethan and soon to be born Cameron Patrick and Zoey Makena

Pregnancy Week 34

2007-06-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello All- Thought I would add a picture of Ethan doing one of his favorite things, typing emails on the computer. He also enjoys the Disney Playhouse website, but who doesn't enjoy a good Mickey Mouse encounter. Matt and I still can't believe he is going to be 4 in September. He wants to have another Mickey Mouse birthday party, which he also had for his 3rd birthday. Honestly Matt and I were not surprised, he has been in love the big mouse since our trip to Disney just over a year ago.

We are coming into the home stretch with this pregnancy and are very excited that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am 34 weeks and have 16 or 17 days to go. Yes days, not weeks, not months- but days!!! We saw my regular OB yesterday and he completed the c-section surgery request form for either July 12 or July 13. Now there is always a possibility with all that is happening that I could go before then, but I am hoping to make it to the day of the scheduled surgery. My OB is actually going to get the Fertility OB in his practice that was responsible for the Invitro process that got me into this situation :) to assist with the c-section. Matt I think that will be cool to come full circle with the person who helped make this possible from the beginning, to be there at the delivery.

The babies are doing well, we have one more ultrasound on July 3rd (35 weeks) to measure the babies with the high risk OB, then we see the regular OB on July 6 and we won't see him again until the day of the surgery!!!! Our last ultrasound at 33 weeks showed they were weighing about 4lbs 8oz and 4lbs 11oz. They each gained a pound from the ultrasound 2 weeks earlier.

We appreciate all of your support through this craziness and look forward to introducing you to Cameron and Zoey! We will let you know of course if anything changes, but look forward to hearing from us after our next ultrasound and then again after these babies are born.

Love,
Penny, Matthew, Ethan, Cameron and Zoey

P.S. Ethan figured out this weekend that we would all have E's in our names, but that he was glad he was the only one that started with a vowel :) Kids really are funny about what they pick up on!

Family/Pregnancy Update-31 weeks and counting...

2007-06-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hello All- We have made it to 31 weeks in this pregnancy and just hanging in there. We had an appointment with the high risk OB on Tuesday the 5th of June and things are good. Cervix is holding, so bed rest is working. Zoey and Cameron are growing 3lbs 8oz and 3lbs 11oz respectively. The doctor can't predict how long my cervix will hold because everyday as the babies grow it puts more and more pressure on it. I do know that we won't have to wait more then 5 and half weeks now to meet these two miracles. The longest they will let me stay pregnant is 37 weeks and I will be 32 this Tuesday June 12th.

Bed rest is boring but totally worth it. I watch the shows on TV with the preemie babies at 27/28 weeks and it just reminds me everyday how important these days of laying around are! Just continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we will continue to keep you updated on their progress.

Ethan is doing great. He is so patient with the fact that I can't help him a lot right now. He loves coming in to see me in the AM and then coming home from school and telling me about his day. We try to talk, play games and read books, stuff I can do, everyday.

He is still amazing us in school. The class has mostly turned 4 except for maybe 5 of the kids who have later B-day's, including Ethan who is the baby, but as his teachers tell us time and again he is the brightest. They are doing a lot of one on one work with him now, since he knows all his letters and sounds, which some of the kids still don't. He not only can write his name, but the names of every kid in his class. He is starting to practice reading by sounding out words with his teachers. None of the other kids have the slightest interest. He is also working on his math. The teacher will write out addition problems for him, simple ones like 1+3 or 4+ 5 and he will write the answer. He thinks it is so fun to do math. Again none of the other kids have any interest. We found out one of the other parents in the class actually got angry at the teacher and wanted to know why her son was not as smart and doing the same things as Ethan. I just laughed because you can't compare kids and we DO NOT push Ethan like this lady pushes her child and that has a lot to do with why he likes it, because we make it fun!

Thanks for letting me catch you all up and I hope you are well. I will send some pictures soon, I am having some trouble with this new software and uploading the pics to Shutterfly.
Take Care!!

Zoey and Cameron Week 27 Pregnancy Update

2007-05-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! Hope you all have a great day!

As many of you know, we have been experiencing some difficulties with this pregnancy. At 25 weeks I was in a position where I was told that there was a VERY strong chance of having these babies early, even before 28 weeks, which is scary. I was in the hospital and received steroid shots to help the babies lungs and brain mature. After another night in the hospital a week later for some mild contractions, I was sent home on strict bed rest. Only allowed out of the bed or off the couch to use the restroom and take a less then 10 minute shower daily.

We just had a follow up with the high risk OB at 27 weeks and things look pretty good. My cervix, which is very short for this stage of the pregnancy (cause for the doctors concern) seems to be holding! That makes the doctors very happy, but cautiously optimistic. I am home on strict bed rest until these babies are born, hopefully not before 34 weeks.

Every day-week-month that these two precious babies stay in my tummy, the better their chances. We hit our first milestone Tuesday 5/15, 28 weeks! Babies born at 28 weeks have an 85% survival rate. Some have long term issues, but some do not. Our next goal is 30 weeks, then 32 then 34. My doctors will be thrilled if I make it to 34 weeks and anything after that they say, is icing on the cake. 34 weeks is June 26th, so everyone pray that you don't hear about the babies being born before June 26th.

Thanks for all your continued prayers and support.

The Myers Clan-
Penny, Matt, Ethan, Zoey and Cameron

March 26 - Ultrasound Photos from March 2, 2007

2007-03-26T04:07:00.000-07:00

All,

These ultrasounds were taken on March 2 where we learned that Baby A and Baby B would be a Baby Boy and a Baby Girl. Shortly thereafter, Penny and I agreed they were to be named Cameron and Zoe.

We visit with the doctor again on Thursday (3/29) and we should get new ultrasound pictures then. Hopefully, it won't take us another month to post them!

Enjoy!

Penny, Matt, Ethan, Cameron and Zoe

2007-03-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our family blog!

2007-03-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Following in the footsteps of some good friends, we have decided to create a family blog to share our life in Texas with all of you. Please check back often to see how we are doing as a family of 3 and how we are preparing to be a family of 5. Well 5 humans and 2 cats!