The girls had other plans...

Avery Fern 2lbs. 3 oz.
Matilda (Tilly) Jane 2lbs. 7 oz.

First of all, many thanks to all those who have shown your love and concern for us during this time. We have so appreciated all of the thoughts and prayers that have come our way.

Alright, here goes...

On Friday night we went to the Stutz family reunion at Grandma and Grandpa's farm here in Provo. It was very fun-- and at the end of the night we had a mock drive-in and against the old red barn. When the movie ended at about 11, Jordan and I went home while everyone else stayed at the farm to camp out.  When we got home I went to the bathroom (and sorry if this is gross) but there was a little bit of a "gush" as I sat there. Hmmm...

So I called a nurse and asked if I should go to the hospital or not. She said that I should wait and see if cramps follow. Anyway, sure enough....the cramps soon began. At about 4:30 in the morning I started timing them at about 8 minutes a part and decided that we should go in. So we were put in a delivery room and they hooked me up to a bunch of monitors to watch heartbeats etc. They started me on some medication to try and stop the contractions... and told us that I would most likely stay on bed rest for the remaining three months of my pregnancy--Nooooo! Anyway, obviously our main concern was the babies and their well-being, so we prepared ourselves mentally for what was to come as best as we possibly could.

At about 4:30 Saturday afternoon, the medicine stopped working and my contractions were getting really intense, really fast. I told the nurse and she said that she didn't feel like she should check the dilation because it might induce labor. At this point pretty much all of the amniotic fluid had leaked out, which wasn't helping with the intensity of the contractions. After about an hour of contractions I told the nurse "I feel like I need to push--" she asked me to hold on as long as I could.

At about 6pm there was a shift change and I told the new nurse the scoop. She checked the dilation right on the spot and said--"Yikes! You're at a 10, we've gotta get you in for a c-section right away!" At that point we already new that Avery was breech on top of Matilda so a c-section would be our only option if they were to come that day. So, they pretty much just whisked us down to the operating room and 30 minutes later they were here! They were pretty beaten up... especially Matilda since she was head down on my cervix, with no fluid to cushion her, with Avery sitting on top of her. But we were so relieved to have them here and to know that they were okay.

The nurses rushed them to the NICU and after they had finished all the procedures, they wheeled me up there so that I could see them. They were so beautiful! They looked absolutely perfect... just really tiny. Avery was 2lbs. 3 oz. and Matilda weighed in at 2lbs. 7 oz. -- both about 14 inches long.
Both started out on ventilators but the day after delivery Avery was taken off, and Matilda the day after that, which was great! They had brain scans yesterday, and everything checked out to be okay. Right now our prime concern is a little bit of a heart valve problem that they are both having. They started them on some medication to fix it yesterday, but if it doesn't work they might have to operate-- which we are hoping can be avoided.

The projected date for their release from the hospital is their original due date, so there are going to be lots of visits back and forth within the next few months. The nurses in the NICU have been great and we feel so blessed to have such wonderful, qualified care for our girls.

Again, we are so grateful for the outpouring of love we have felt from our dear friends and family. Please continue to keep Avery and Matilda in your prayers and we will do our best to keep everyone up to date on their progress.