Highlights from this week!

- Camden & Emma finally holding their body temperature, and allowed to be in the same bed! Yeah! It is so cute watching them interact with each other. They make all sorts of noises now! I think it is their way of talking to each other.
- Camden & Emma holding their food down better and increasing the amount of food they are eating. They are still getting all of their food from a feeding tube, but might graduate from the tube soon!
- Holding both of the girls at the same time! That is something I still need to master! But it was great holding them together!
- Watching my parents becoming such great grandparents! They love to come to the hospital and sing and talk to the the girls. So much fun!
- We had a great day nurse this week named Sonia- she helped me get footprints of the girls for their scrapbook. It was very difficult with Emma because she is such a wiggle worm!
- Emma is breathing better, but she is still on the oxygen through her nose! The doctor says her lungs are still just underdeveloped and need more time!
-Finally getting some medicine that will hopefully make my breastmilk come in better!

Those are just a few of the fun moments this week!

More pictures of the girls!

Quick Update!

Both babies are finally in the same room! I am so happy to have Emma out of the NICU! She is still technically considered a level 3 baby, but she is stable enough to be moved next to Camden in level 2. It makes it so much easier to watch them and talk to them when they are in the same place! We finally got to hold Emma on Wednesday! We have not been able to hold her since, but we were happy to finally get to hold her after a week and a half! Everyday is full of ups and downs right now. Emma still has an oxygen tube through her nose, and so far every attempt to ween her of the oxygen has failed. She isn't using very much oxygen, but she doesn't want to let go of what she has. Camden seems to be doing well with her feedings one day, and then the next day decides she doesn't like the milk so much. Emma is the same way with food. So for now, they are slowly progressing! I love when they are awake and looking at me. At those times, it makes everything else seem so minor! We are so lucky to have these sweet babies! They are just letting their parents know now that they will be going at their own pace. Mom is not in control! Which is has been a hard lesson to learn for me...I like to be in control. Thanks everyone for all your support! We love you! Check out the new pictures below!

New Pictures of the twins!

Pictures of Camden & Emma Finlinson

The Finlinson Twins have arrived!

So on Monday, November 19, 2007 our precious little daughters decided they needed to come into the world. Despite my best efforts of keeping them in my tummy (two long weeks of bed rest), I have learned that I am not in control. I woke up that morning feeling a little uncomfortable, but not really having what I thought were contractions. So instead of hurrying to the hospital I took a bath and tried to relax. About thirty minutes after my bath I decided I should probably just go to the hospital and get checked. I really did not think I was in labor at all. So my mom came over, picked me up, and rushed me to the hospital. She was driving so fast I think she made my contractions worse! While I was in the car, I decided I better time these "small cramps" that I was having. To my surprise they were coming about 5 minutes apart! I couldn't believe it! So when I got to labor and delivery at Summerlin Hospital I was happy to see my awesome perinatalogist in the hallway checking on other patients. She saw me come in and rushed over to check me out. I was dialated 4 cms and was in active labor! What! I couldn't believe it! At that point, the nurse was still trying to get the heart beats of the babies on the fetal monitors...after several attempts she could not get there heartbeats. At this point, I started to cry! I haven't really stopped since! Anyway, my awesome doctor came in again and kicked the nurse out and found the babies heartbeats on the ultrasound. She also discovered that the babies were totally wrapped around each other and needed to be delivered. So Dr. Pierce called Dr. Volker and I was scheduled for a C-Section in thirty minutes. Thank heavens Rob made it just in time. He threw on some scrubs and they rushed us into the operating room. I was still crying, and scared to death. The babies were so not ready to come! I was only 31 weeks and 6 days! They were not ready and I was not ready! How could this be happening!There were so many nurses and doctors in the delivery room for the babies. I have never been so scared in my whole life. And everything was happening so fast, I didnt even get time to think about what was going on.
Anyway, at 12:05pm little Camden May Finlinson was born, weighing 3lbs 12 oz, measuring 16 inches long. She was so little, and I only got to see her for a split second over the sheet. The only comfort I had at this point was that I could hear her crying...and that was a good sign! Then at 12:06pm little Emma Jeanne Finlinson was born, weighing 3lbs 12 oz, and measuring 17 inches long. Thank heavens she was crying too! I saw her for a split second before my husband and both babies were rushed to the NICU. I was left crying on an operating table, still wondering how in the world I got there. The doctor decided it would probably be a good idea to give me a mild sedative at this point. I think he was very wise. Needless to say it was a very fast and crazy delivery, but the girls are here! And they are beautiful!
Since the delivery it has been so many crazy ups and downs with each baby. Both spent the first night in the NICU being observed and checked. Little Emma was having a hard time breathing on here own, and was immediately put on a ventilater. Camden has been so amazing for how little she is. She has been breathing on her own since birth and was transfered to the level 2 nursery the very next day. Emma's week has been a little different story. After an x-ray the doctors discovered that she had PDA. Which means that one of her heart valves had not closed at birth. It is something that a lot of premature babies are diagnosed with. Because the valve had not closed fluid was going into her lungs, which was why it was hard for her to breath. Luckily, they could treat Emma with a three day dose of medicine to close it up without having to do surgery. It closed up right away and we are happy to report that she was taken off of her ventilater yesterday. She is still on some oxygen through her nose, but she is progressing remarkably. We are so blessed! Camden after a few days of fluids has started to process milk through her tube in her nose down to her stomach. It will be a long time before these little girls will be able to eat on their own...it will be a long time before they can do a lot of things! Our prayer for today is that Emma will soon be able to join Camden in the level 2 nursery. It is going to be a long time before they can come home, and we would just love for them to be in the same room with each other! My other hope is that I can hold Emma soon! She is one week old today and I still have not held her in my arms. I really have not stopped crying since they were born! No one should ever have to see their babies in the NICU! At the same time, thank heavens for modern medicine and all the wonderful doctors and nurses that have helped our daughters. Thank you all for all of your prayers and support. We love you all and ask you to keep praying for them to get better everyday!

So much has happened this week, what I have written does not begin to cover everything! I will try to be better about posting updates! But I make no promises! I spend my days at the hospital with the most beautiful baby girls ever born! We have been so blessed!

Happy Halloween!!

If you need a safe place to bring your kids to trick or treat, then come to the church bldg. on azure tonight! There will be a massive trunk or treat and chili cook off going on! The festivities start at 6:00pm! We hope to see you there!

We wish everyone a safe and happy HALLOWEEN!

The Finlinson Twins will be stylin' in these!

By far the cutest baby shoes ever! My dear friend, Mandy Barlow, gave these sweet shoes to me for our twin girls, and I just can't wait to see them on their little feet! You can't tell from the picture, but the Zebra shoes are bright green on the inside, and cheetah print shoes are bright orange on the inside! I absolutely love them! And if you come by my house anytime soon, I will not let you leave without seeing these cute shoes! Baby shoes are so tiny...it amazes me that they are really going to be so little! I can not wait from them to get here! Don't you just love them???!!!

Happy Birthday Melanie!

Happy 23rd Birthday Melanie!

The top ten reasons why we love Melanie:

10. She has an amazing smile that lights up any room! If she is happy it is contagious! Her teeth grew in completly straight and very white! I am totally jealous!

9. She is very objective. She can see a situation or problem for what it is and can sum it up for you! She might not know how to solve the problem on her own....but she can see threw the drama and pinpoint the problem! Especially when it comes to my problems...if I am little confused or upset, she can and will tell me exactly what my problem is!

8. For someone who was born bald, and remained that way for a long time...her hair sure came in great and always looks awesome! I am so glad she went to hair school and that she is sharing her talent with the family! She keeps us looking good and is always willing to come over a give me a makeover! Free hair cuts! Yahoo!

7. She is the best traveling buddy! She is always willing to drive and makes any car ride fun! I could talk to her for hours and not get bored...and at the same time, not talk for hours in the car and still be having fun! We had to learn to get along in the car with all the long cross country car trips we took as children! Thanks Mom and Dad!

6. She is very stylish! The girl can put an outfit together! If you can't find anything to wear- call Melanie! She will help you! She knows how to shop! I can't seem to find anything on my own anymore...I totally rely on her fashion sense!

5. She is a great friend. Extremely loyal! If you hurt someone she loves...watch out! She is the person you want by your side in any situation!

4. You might not know this, but she loves to be outdoors! She loves to get up in the morning and go hiking or biking! It's true- the girl loves to be dressed up...but she also loves to be in her sweats outside!

3. She loves to serve others! She is constantly helping me with things I can't get done! And with serving she as also learned to share! Finally! We could not share things when we were little, but now we have it down! And she is the first one to say, "what's mine is yours! Except for those boots..." (J/K)

2. In our family, she is the peacemaker. She is the one that everyone wants to talk to and tell all their secrets! It is not a fun family outing without her! I truly believe that she is the glue that holds us all together! I could not live without her! I think Heavenly Father knew that...that is why she came only 14 months after me! I needed her! I still do!

1. She is not only beautiful on the outside, but she is beautiful on the inside. She is kind, smart, caring, loving, and just plain fun! She is all I could ever want and need in a sister! We love you Melanie! Happy Birthday! We hope that you have a great year being 23!

Goodbye Harrison!

On Saturday, we said goodbye to our long time friend- Harrison. Harrison was our Ford Explorer that has been with us since Rob and I were dating. Harrison has been showing signs of death for the last few weeks and we knew it was time to get a vehicle that would be a little safer for our growing family. So we cleaned Harrison up and took him to the dealership to say goodbye! Rob and I were actually a little shocked at how disappointed we felt. I mean Harrison was old, and did not have any of the great ammenties of most cars today. Why should we feel so sad to say goodbye to him, when we were getting a new car!! The whole drive to the dealership we talked about all the great adventures we had with Harrison! Getting stuck in the stream in the mountains while doing some "light" off roading, going camping, long talks while driving to and from Las Vegas and Provo, these are just a few of the great times! And just because Harrison was going to leave the family did not mean that we would forget all the good times! So I was feeling a little blue....until we found the new car! We bought a new Ford Expedition with lots of amenties, and now I am not feeling so bad about Harrison! Ha!

The new car does not have a name yet...she/he has not been part of the family long enough! But we are very excited about the new vehicle, and all the precious cargo that it will be keeping safe in the very near future!

Do you guys name your cars?