I have tried to figure out how to explain this last two days but Ryan has explained it so well in his blog that I will quote him:
"Hey, this is Ryan with some very crazy news. Christy and I were sitting in the hospital on Sunday when we were asked whether or not we wanted to attend sacrament meeting here at the hospital. We thought it would be a great idea, seeing as we can only escape the room once a day for a half-hour wheelchair ride. So Christy got some makeup on really quickly and went to use the bathroom when I heard her yell frantically for me. I ran to the bathroom to see what had happened. Christy told me that she felt something bulging down below. I hurredly called the nurses over and we loaded Christy up on a gurney and ran down the hall to the labor and delivery section of the hospital.
Right away we knew these babies were coming out a little earlier than anyone expected. The decision was made by the doctors to deliver the twin via C-section ASAP. I was rushed out of the room (fighting and screaming) and Christy was given general anasthetic, knocking her completely out. I paced back and forth in the recovery room for the next hour. It was easily the longest hour of my life. I kept going through it all in my mind trying to understand what was going on and what were the possible outcomes.
Soon the delivering doctor came in and told me that Christy was doing really well (she's a little doped up, but she's doing just great) and both the twins were in critical but stable condition. We are a little stunned and shocked right now, especially not knowing how thing will turn out with the twins. We named them Emily Jean Hodges (1 lb. 4 oz., born 11:08 am April 19th) and Ethan Ryan Hodges (1 lb. 7 oz., born 11:11 am April 19th). We are grateful for the time we have with them and hope that we can have many years to come with them.
We also wanted to express our love and appreciation to each of you for your prayers and thoughts. We plead with you to continue praying for the sweet little twins and for Christy."
Ethan Ryan Hodges (1 lb. 7 oz., born 11:11 am April 19th).
Emily Jean Hodges (1 lb. 4 oz., born 11:08 am April 19th)
Aren't they beautiful! We are just taking one day at a time and are grateful for any progress the babies make or problem that is solved. Those are Ryan's fingers holding Emily's hand and as you can tell they are so tiny. I thought 3 lbs. 6 oz. was small but these two together don't weigh as much as their father did!
Needless to say, I will be here for a little while. Ryan is going back to school tomorrow afternoon and I will stay here with Christy and the twins. The Doctors say not to expect the twins to come home until their due date which is August 13th so we will all be taking turns helping out and traveling a lot. I apologize for being so late with an update but as you can see we've been a little busy. Thank you for all of your well wishes and support. We love you.
Each day as we go in to check on the babies we learn a whole new language. There are blood gases, heart problems, case studies, etc. So much to try to understand and many things that Ryan and Christy have to make decisions on. One of the blessings of being in a University Hospital is that they have learned so much that can benefit your children. One of the downfalls is that they also want to study your children. I guess you can't have one without the other. When I was here 30 years ago they did the same thing only it was me and my pregnancy they wanted to study. Knowledge can't be gained without observing. Here one of the excellent nurses explaines how Ethan is doing.
I thought that this was a cute picture of Ryan and Christy as they check on Ethan. It is so hard to only be able to look but not touch.
Emily has several different machines hooked up to her incubator. The nurses are so diligent in their care and we are so thankful for their expertise and compassion.
Here I am with Ryan and his father Dennis by Ethan's incubator. We are so blessed to be able to help each other through this time.
Christy is so cute. She is up walking around, visiting the babies, chewing on lots of ice and blogging it all for her family and friends. She and Ryan have remained so strong throughout this time. Of course they are scared for the babies and don't know what the future holds but they have faith that Heavenly Father knows what is best. I admire how they rely on each other and remain strong in their faith.
