Braegger

My favorite freebies page

2011-10-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite site to find deals. I found her website while looking through the weekly paper inserts that come in the mail and loved her blog. She always does giveaways and has the best deals. My favorite is the day before premier movie things she does. I am usually able to get tickets to great movies!

VACTERL association

2011-09-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had another ultrasound done on Monday. I always look forward to seeing the baby. However once again we weren't very prepared for any bad news. Over the last 7 weeks we have been wondering exactly what is going on with our baby. So far all we knew was he/she was missing the left radius bone and it is not a genetic disorder. Other than that all we kept hearing was "it could be this or that", "we will know more when the baby is born", things like that. The last Doctor said he thought it was an amniotic band. I was confused because what I knew about that, the entire arm would not have grown. But he is the Doctor right? So we really just thought this was a random thing.

The Doctor yesterday was the most knowledgeable we have had so far. During our ultrasound there was a lot of focus on the heart, never a good thing. After that, he said that the right side of the heart was a little more dominate than the left. Just one more thing to keep an eye on. He said as of right now he can't see any Major problems like holes or openings in the heart but until we can do a chest xray after birth we won't know for sure. Then he moved on to the stomach. He said he really can't see a left kidney or it might be a pelvic kidney (in the pelvis not upper back). He looked and looked but there was no definite kidney where it should be. As the baby gets bigger you can see things a little more clearly which must be why the other Doctors and techs always measured 2 kidneys. Unless they were all idiots :)

So the term for what the baby has it VACTERL association. It is not a syndrome or condition it is just a grouping of birth defects. Our baby has 3 of the 7, so far. It is really hard to hear. I don't want a long NICU stay which is what will happen if things are worse after the baby is born. I just hope they chest x ray shows nothing serious. The only thing we won't know is the kidney. You just can't tell how bad or not so bad something is from inside the womb. We really have no idea what to expect. We are so extremely lucky there is a Shriners Hospital here in Utah. That is where we will be sent for all future visits.

That is what we know so far. The baby is growing and developing normally expect for those few thing and as of now they are not a concern in the womb at this point. We have another ultrasound in 4 weeks. The baby will be much bigger by then and maybe we can learn a little more. I am grateful that it is not something worse. We could have found out our baby won't live past birth or have some terrible genetic defect.

Less than 3 months now!!

They are getting so big...

2011-08-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast kids grow. Where have the last 2 1/2 years gone? I remember when my nephew Nixon started talking and I thought I just couldn't wait until Kayden and Riley started talking too! Well now I find myself thinking, if I could just get some piece and quiet! :)

I do love this age though. It is fun I can carry on conversations with them. However the back talking and "NO MOMMY!" can get old.

We finished setting up the babies crib that used to be the crib that the twins slept in. I remember them in it, I had to clean off some old milk! Now they sleep in a bunk bed.

Riley still loves her baby and blankey but Kayden lost his taggy a while ago and we had to convince him he was a big boy and was okay without it. I think I had a harder time loosing it, I love to keep stuff like that.

Kayden know all of his letters. Don't know where he learned it but one day at Olive Garden he was looking at his kids menu and stared telling me all of the letters on the page. He doesn't know the order of the alphabet but he loves telling me all the letters he sees in words, the cereal box, netflix, and even the toilet. :)

They love Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse, Pirates, Word World and Blues Clues. If they could they would drag me to the park EVERYDAY! I don't know what they would do with out each other. They are their best friends. If Riley wakes up early she has to wake Kayden so they can start playing.

Kayden is all boy. He loves his cars and trains. Riley loves playing mommy with her baby and almost anything she can tuck into a blanket. However Kayden does like the occasional dress up game.

Missing bone...

2011-08-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

So here is the update on our little peanut.

We went in for a routine ultrasound almost 2 weeks ago, well what we thought was going to be routine. Everything was going fine during the ultrasound. The tech was very good at her job when she found a problem. She had the Doctor come in and he told us that it looks like our baby is missing his/her left radius bone. I never knew that could happen. So of course we had a ton of questions. The Doctor said he could not see anything more wrong besides that but he wanted us to meet with a genetic counselor at the University of Utah to rule out any other major problems.

Today we had our ultrasound at the University. It took FOREVER! The baby was as stubborn as could be! It would not move. They could not get a great look at its arm so they could not see if he/she has a thumb or not. If there is no thumb then we will need to figure a way after it's born to make a thumb somehow so he/she would have more use of the arm. If there is a thumb bone then it is just a little less visits to a specialist.

The heart and brain and other organs all looked good. According to the genetic counselor it looks like this is a sporadic thing that happened to this baby. That is great news. The only thing they could not say 100% sure was if the baby has the opening to its butt. Or as they called it the button on the butt. I guess with things like missing or shortened bones that something like no opening on the butt could happen. She could not get a great look today so she could not say for sure. If it is there and formed than everything is good but if there is no opening then that will be a whole list of other problems that I don't want to thing about.

I am hoping for the best of course and I know there are so many other terrible things we could have had happen but no one wants to see there baby go through anything like surgery or having to meet with different specialists.

So for now we hope for the best and try to get me to full term!

4th of July

2011-07-08T06:58:00.001-07:00

Going back for more!

Kayden had no fear of the fireworks. He just wanted more and more
Riley was happy just sitting back and playing with the pop its

I think this face tells you how much she liked sparklers
Kayden loved all the fireworks

This year we finally did fireworks with kids! The past 2 years they were in bed by the time we could do fireworks. Riley touched the end of the sparkler (her first one of the night) and it scared her because it was hot, it didn't burn her but she still freaked and would go near anymore. So she sat back and played with pop its. By the end she said "Mommy go inside. No more. Fireworks later." It was cute she would put her hands over her eyes during the bigger fireworks Zach lit off. Kayden on the other hand couldn't get enough fireworks. He loved them all. He would bring Zach the fireworks. He would run around holding 2 sparklers in his hands jumping and laughing. We had fun. Zachs mom (Opi as the kids call her) came to watch along with Zach's cousin Mandy.

Camping

2011-07-08T06:49:00.001-07:00

The kids loved roasting little weenies.

That is Riley trying to take off the helmet. She did not like it

A little while ago our friends, Brad and Jennie invited us to go camping at the sand dunes. We did not get there until 6 but still had fun. Kayden LOVED going on the 4-wheeler but Riley of course was crying in no time to get off. Kayden and Riley love playing with Paetyn and Drake. It was fun but it got so windy. I can't even tell you how horrible it is being stuck in a windy sand storm. Then it started raining. It was fun while it lasted.

Summer time fun

2011-07-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

The kids LOVE playing outside. That is all they want to do!

Cousin Cameron is getting out of the heat

Hello second trimester!

2011-07-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

I am in my second trimester and thankfully feeling much better! I still have bad days every so often and usually feel sick in the morning but for the most part it is nice feeling a little better. I am still tired all day everyday and I don't think that will change soon. :)

We moved to Layton over the 4th of July weekend. After we found out I was pregnant we needed a bigger place. Another baby would not have fit in our house in Bountiful. So after only living there for 9 months we moved again. Every time we have moved I have been pregnant. We moved to New Mexico when I was 10 weeks pregnant with the twins. We moved to Albuquerque when I was 7ish weeks pregnant with Alfie then Zach got the job back in Utah and we moved to Bountiful when I was 17 weeks pregnant with Alfie. Now this time around I am 14 weeks. No more moving I am so sick of it! The kids are great though. They love their new house. It is MUCH bigger than any other place we have lived. There is so much more room!

When we bought the kids their big beds we bought bunk beds just didn't set it up. Zach and his cousin Mandy set up the bunk beds in the new house. After a fun time of watching them set it up the kids were so excited. They love climbing the ladder and there is so much more room when they are set up as bunk beds. When I get a new memory card I will take pictures.

Gardens and Zoo

2011-06-02T22:16:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday the kids and I went to the Gardens at Thanksgiving point with Jennie, Paetyn and Drake. The kids had fun but all they wanted to do was play in the water even though it was FREEZING!

Today Zach and I took the kids to Hogal Zoo. They were not to interested in the animals because they weren't really moving. Kayden thought all the little furry animals were puppies. We actually got them to hold hands for a little while. It was so cute!

In the picture where Riley looks scared and about to start crying, she was freaked out because an animal came close to her.

Some fun pictures

2011-05-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

Kayden loves to help cook!

During one of the few nice days in May they were able to play in the water. Now everyday they ask if they can play in the water.

They love playing in Daddy's "jeet" (jeep)

Easter

2011-05-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

We went over to my moms for Easter this year. All the kids loved looking for eggs. For a while after if the saw a basket or went to my moms they would still look for eggs.

Vacation

2011-05-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

In April we went to Disneyland and the Beach. It was a lot of fun! The kids really enjoyed the beach. We went to a character breakfast with all the Mickey Mouse characters. They liked looking from a distance but of course as soon as any character came close Riley cried. Zach did get food poisoning from the sausage there. It was a very very rough night for him. Even though at the time we went the kids only knew about Mickey Mouse they still loved the rides. Riley loved the carousal and Kayden loved the rocket ride and dumbo.

They LOVED the beach!!

Mickey's house

Riley is very very shy, she doesn't look like she is having fun but she loved it! I just had to hold her the whole time!

They did so well waiting in line

Braegger baby # 3

2011-05-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well Zach and I are expecting again. Huge surprise! We were not trying trust me! One morning I woke up and I just wasn't feeling well. I realized my period should be starting and I thought "no way" So I took an old test I had from a scare a while ago and it turned out positive! I started crying and I ran down and woke Zach up. We wanted more kids but not until next year sometime. After the shock wore off we are very excited. Not to happy about giving birth only 5 months ago and I have this fear of delivering early again. Lets hope 3rd times a charm!

So me and my sister are only 4 weeks apart! My mom told us we are trying to age her. :)

Zach took the camera with him on vacation but when I get it back I will post pictures of our trip to to California last month.

Such a nice day

2011-02-13T20:07:00.000-08:00

It has been so nice the past couple of days. I am soaking up every minute of it!

Will it ever end?

2011-02-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

Kayden started getting sick 2 weeks ago

His nose is ALWAYS running

Riley has now been sick for almost a week

I am so sick of winter. I hate it when the kids have colds! We have been stuck in this house for soooo long I am going crazy! So are they. We can't go out because I don't want to get anyone else sick. They have also been so cranky. Especially Kayden. He will do anything to make me mad.

Something sweet though is at night. A lot of night we will bring Kayden in bed with us just to get some sleep since he has been sick. Really early in the morning I will hear Riley on the monitor on say "Kayden? Kayden where are you?" Then down the stairs she comes looking for him. Also a lot of nights I will go in bed with them for a little bit (3 of us on a twin ) And Riley has to make sure she can feel Kayden next to her. And most nights they are just snuggled up together.

I just want my happy healthy kids back

Making Cookies!

2011-02-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

It is hard to tell but there is a pile of sprinkles on it

They LOVED the sprinkles

Cousins Nixon and "Wawan" (Riley can't say Cameron) came over to make sugar cookies. They all had fun and made a big mess! I am pretty sure more of the frosting ended up in their mouths than on the cookie.

Thanksgiving point

2011-02-05T07:36:00.001-08:00

The kids and I went to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point with Paetyn, Drake and Jennie. They got to look at all the big bones. They really just liked running around. At they end the kids could play in a big sandbox and dig for bones. They weren't really sure what to think about the sand.

It's been a very long time!

2011-02-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Jennie said I needed to update my blog so here it is :) A LOT has happened since my last post so I will try to summarize best I can.

Back in April I started my journey as a surrogate. Zach and I went to Mexico City for 5 days. We went there for my IVF transfer and it was AMAZING. The hotel was wonderful and so nice. The area was beautiful. We went to see pyramids and of course went shopping. We also met the Fathers Avi and Alone for the first time. Unfortunately the transfer did not work and I had to go back in May for another one. That time it was just me for 3 days. The transfer worked and I got pregnant.

After that we moved from our house in Rio Rancho to a house in Albuquerque in June. In August we were given a great opportunity to go to LONDON! Avi and Alone invited us to stay with them for a week. It was extremely hard to leave the kids but we had fun. It was a very very crowded place but so full of history and the parks were so amazing and beautiful! We also got to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It was such a funny play!! We also got to see Mama Mia. Not as good as the movie but still fun to see.

As soon as we got home from London Zach was offered a job as Operations Manager back in Utah! I can't tell you how happy I was. So we packed up once again and moved to Bountiful. Actually Lowe's moved us to Bountiful. We did not have to load or unload anything! It has been soooooo nice being back here.

We celebrated Kayden and Riley's 2nd birthday. It was a lot of fun. They loved opening presents. And it was so nice to be able to have family there.

After their birthday we started getting ready for Christmas. By this time I was getting more and more pregnant. I started to have really bad back pain. It was so bad I had to be prescribed Lortab just to get through the night and day. At 2:30am on December 13th I rolled over in bed and my water broke. I just couldn't believe it. I started shaking and woke Zach to have him smell it (gross I know) he was wonderful and actually did it. I was fluid not pee. I started crying, I was only 28 almost 29 weeks. I was so mad this was happening again and confused on why I couldn't even carry ONE baby full term, I mean that's what women were made for! So I took myself to the hospital and was then transferred to St. Marks (a bigger hospital) by ambulance. I was given the normal drugs to hold off labor and infection so of course i was sick groggy and miserable. After many blood tests I ended of having HELPP syndrome, which is really high blood pressure during pregnancy and can only be cured by delivery. So Monday I was given steroids for the baby's lungs (hurt like HELL) and all this time I was having my blood drawn every few hours and on Magnesium for holding off labor and controlling my blood pressure. My arms looked like I was an addict because of all the needle pokes. It was soooo hard being away from Kayden and Riley and Zach. He couldn't really be there with me because of work and the kids and luckily my family and his family were WONDERFUL and really helped out. On Wed. December 15 the Dr. finally decided to deliver me. So I was wheeled in for a c section and it was a much much better experience than my first one. Little Alfie Shtruzman was born 2 pounds 6 ounces and came out screaming. He did amazing for being so little.
I begged my Dr. to let me go home on Friday the 17th. Zach's parents came with Scout to help out. It was nice to have food made and a clean kitchen :). The recovery has been long this time but I feel so much better. Alfie has been doing amazing and surprising everyone with how well and fast he is growing.

So that's about it for now. Sorry for the extremely long post but now you are caught up.

Weird boy

2010-04-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

Kayden came out of our room carrying on of Zach's shirts around him so I buttoned it around his neck then he put his helmet on (he loves that) and walked around like that all night. He just wend about his business playing with his toys.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-06T14:28:00.001-07:00

We did a small Easter egg hunt in our backyard this year. Luckily it was beautiful weather. The kids did not really understand what they were supposed to do. They just went from one egg to the other. But they loved being outside. We had to go inside for them to each the eggs with the chocolate because it was melting outside. After they realized there was candy in the eggs they went around and opened each egg to see if it had candy then threw it on the ground. After that we had some friends over for a BBQ.

Funny things

2010-03-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

The first picture is of Riley playing video games. Every time Zach sits down to play a video game Riley will climb on the couch and get a controller and start playing. She really thinks she is playing and it is so cute!

The next few pictures are them wearing Zach's hat. They loves putting things on their heads. It

Easter 2010

2010-03-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

We had some Easter pictures taken today. It did not go so well. They kids did not want to sit still for one min. and Riley was so afraid of the photographer. She thought we were just going to leave her. Luckily we managed to get a few good shots.

A few recent pictures

2010-03-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Nixons birthday party!

2010-03-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Utah and it happened to be during on Nixon's birthday. We went to a jump house. They kids had a lot of fun. It was nice because they wore themselves out running around.

Things I don't want to forget...

2010-03-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Kids grow so fast. Kayden and Riley do and say so many cute things that they will soon grow of of. So I have decided to write them down so I will never forget.

Riley Ann: She is a little chatter box. Her favorite thing to do is to talk on a phone. She will hold it to her ear and just start babbling away like she is really carrying on a conversation with someone. It is even funnier to hear when she thinks no one is looking. She loves sucking on the top of a medicine bottle dropper. She loves "itty" (kitty) That was one of her first words. In the car she will look over at Kaydens seat and say "kaykay" and hold out her hand to him. When we go grocery shopping she loves standing up in the cart. She dances up and down. She cannot go to bed or down for a nap without her blanky and binky.

Kayden Floyd: Kayden is the typical little boy. He has always done things first. He is not afraid to get hurt. He can say "kiki" for kitty and sometimes he will say "yiyi" for Riley. He loves putting things on his head. If it is something that can stay on his head he will bring it to me so I can put it on him. If he finds of Rileys hats or bows he tries to put it on her head. If we go to the store he has to try to drop everthing on the floor. When he is hungry he will push his highchair into the kitchen. He cannot sleep or nap without his taggey. He will take his favorite corner of it and suck his thumb.

They both love each other even if they fight a lot. If Riley finds Kayden's taggey she will go give it to him, same with Kayden, if he finds Riley's binky he will go put it in her mouth. If one is awake while the other is sleeping they are lonely all by themselves. They are both so smart. When I say bath, diaper change, brush teeth, nap time or bed time they both know what to do and where to go.

Kaydens beloved taggey. The tag on the bottom right is his favorite.
Riley and her blanky and binky.

Kayden loves putting on these old 3D glasses.

Riley is walking!

2010-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Riley has been taking little steps here and there for a while but now she can get up all by herself and walk without any help. Any day now and she will be a pro just like Kayden!

The Park

2010-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty nice day today so we thought we would get out of the house and go to the park. They had a lot of fun outside. There were steps that led to the slide and they cimbed up and slid down and did that over and over. When we got home they went down for a very nice nap.

Kayden loves walking around the park. He did get a little ahead of himself and fell on the pavement and scraped his nose but he was such a big boy and did not really cry.

He tried so hard to climb back up the slide and this is his frustrated look because he could not do it.

the park by our house is set up like a fire station and Kayden loved playing with the steering wheel.

14 months

2010-01-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

I realized how many pictures I used to take when Kayden and Riley were little. It is pretty hard to make two 14 month olds to sit still. Kayden is walking everywhere he is a little pro. He does not like to walk in his shoes though. Riley loves trying to walk, she gets so proud of herself when she does it. She is close to doing it on her own.

Kayden wanted somthing Riley had and she ran off, that is his mad face.

Yes those are scissors.

This is a classic Riley face.

Finally walking!

2010-01-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago both Kayden and Riley took their first few steps. And tonight Kayden stood up all alone and started walking. He is still really wobbly and can only take a few steps before falling but he is so proud of himself and gets so excited when he does it. I know Riley is not far behind.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T13:31:00.001-08:00

Our friends got Kayden this helmet as a joke because he fell off the counter earlier in the week

Riley was not sure what to think

boys will be boys

2009-12-23T23:23:00.001-08:00

Today Kayden decided to launch himself off the counter. When Kayden and Riley eat we have them in their Bumbo chairs on the counter. As Zach turned around to get some milk from the fridge Kayden fell off the counter onto the tile floor. He seemed a little out of it and threw everything up, needless to say we were really scared so we took him to insta care and before we knew it our little boy was back to normal. He was perfectly fine he probably just had a little headache.
The funny part about the whole thing was when he fell on the floor Riley leaned over and looked at him and kept saying "uh oh!" (that is her new favorite word when anything falls or gets dropped)

Happy Holidays

2009-12-08T20:17:00.001-08:00

Birthday party in Utah

2009-12-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

After we spent a few days in St. George we headed north to Spanish Fork for another little party with my side of the family and some of Zachs friends. Kayden and Riley were a little overwhelmed by having so many people around but they loved the Angel food cake and presents.

1st Birthday in St. George

2009-12-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Kayden and Riley had a little party in St. George with Grandma and Grandpa. We had fun watching them try to open presents. (they did not quite get what to do) they had really yummy cup cakes but unfortunately it made them a little sick later but it was still fun to watch them eat it.

One year ago today...

2009-11-14T13:38:00.001-08:00

I absolutly HATED these monitors!!

I am so glad I was able to use my computer. It made the 2 weeks a little easier.

One year ago today I was admitted to the hospital because my water broke. My Dr. was not going to induce me until Jan. 4 2009 but I was in the hospital in November. This was the post Zach posted when I was in the hospital last year. I can't believe how fast a year has gone! I spent 2 weeks on hospital bed rest before they were born.

THE BIG SCARE!!!!!
Well Friday morning at approximately 12:30 in the AM. Cassie got up to use the "facility" after returning to her most comfortable bed she realized that something was different and that the wetness now flowing was not supposed to be there. You guessed it her water broke at 30 weeks and 5 days! She then proceeded to disturb my slumber and awkward dreams with panic and mayhem. Needless to say a what should have been a twenty minute drive to the hospital turned into a flying ten!! long story short she is now looking at spending a minimum of a week to a maximum of three weeks on bed rest in labor and delivery with little to no amniotic fluid to keep Riley afloat. But do not fret she and the babies are doing well with minimal contractions and a dilation of 3 cm. Two things have been learned: 1. Women really do scream when they are having babies, and 2. amniotic fluid is really just baby pee!!!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Zach had to work a lot and we decided I would go spend a week in Utah. I went to the store on Halloween and found a little costume for Riley and Nixon let Kayden use his Wolverine costume. We went around our old neighborhood to let Nixon trick or treat.

2009-10-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

She has so much fun playing with Daddy.

Kayden crawled in there all by himself. He could not figure out how to get out but he had fun getting in.

We all had a very late night.

Playing nice with eachother.

2009-10-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

We spent an afternoon at the ABQ Aquarium. Last time Kayden and Riley were there was when they were about 4 months old. This time they got to enjoy it. They like looking at the all the different fish. We also walked around the gardens. Riley likes the grass but Kayden is not a fan. Although he did find a leaf.

Looking at the Fish

2009-10-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Kayden is now pulling himself up on EVERYTHING. Nothing scares him.

10 Months

2009-09-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Kayden and Riley are now 10 months old. They are getting so big and so smart. Riley finally started crawling almost 2 weeks ago. The thing that finally made her crawl? Kayden was playing with an old nintendo 64 controller and her was crawling off with it and the cord was trailing behind him and I look over and Riley is crawling after it, it was very cute. Now they are both really mobile. We have to gate off our living room so they cant get into everything, even though they try. They are both down to one bottle a day. I can't wait to get rid of formula and save money. They are both trying to pull them selves up, Kayden does really well he can get to the standing position even though he falls a lot. Riley is not far behind him.
Today Kayden flopped himself out of his chair and landed on a glass and cut his knuckles. The were bleeding but he was not bothered. Poor kid has battle wounds all over him. :)

*PREPARE FOR MANY PICTURES*

Kayden has found a new way to escape!

They both try to crawl up me!

This is Kayden trying to make Riley mad

This is what Riley looks like after Kayden has taken something away from her (it happens quite often).

They now get into everything!!

Nine Months Old

2009-08-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Our little babies are growing so fast. They turned 9 months on 8/27/2009. Kayden is 18 pounds 11 oz and Riley is 16 pounds 7 oz. Kayden has been crawling for almost a month now. Riley is close, she just prefers sitting. I guess nothing has caught her attention enough to crawl for it. They are both doing really well especially for them being preemie babies. I cannot believe in three months they will be a year old!

2009-08-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Kayden and his pill bottles full of beans and rice.

it stuck to his head, is was so funny

my men!

8 months old!!

2009-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well Kayden and Riley are 8 months old (on 7/27). I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Kayden has been able to sit up all by himself for almost a month now. Riley was having a hard time and we realized she was spitting up a lot especially when she was trying to sit up. We finally took her to the Dr. and she was diagnosed with acid reflux. After 4 days of being on the medication she was able to sit up all by herself. They are catching up to kids their age fast now. They are eating so much now. I am feeding them solids 3 times a day now so that is more work for me since I am making all their food. Kayden is close to crawling, he is very mobile when on the floor, he rolls and turns himself everywhere so we have to be careful with him, he LOVES cords. Riley is content just sitting up playing or just laying on the floor, she does not have much interest it going anywhere yet.

Kayden 1 month old

Kayden 8 months old

Riley 1 month old

Riley 8 months old

Enjoying bath time

SWIMMING

2009-07-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today we took them swimming in a big pool and they LOVED it. Zach dunked them underwater and that scared me but they liked it.

It has been a while...

2009-07-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

The babies are doing great. They are a little over 7 months old now and learning a lot of new things.

They were fighting over the keys but Riley won

Kayden made a big mess with spaghetti

Riley loves playing with daddy!

Kayden has many toys but chooses the diaper!

Kayden always picks on Riley.

2009-04-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures from our day out to the Abq. Aquarium! As you can see the babies took turns sleeping, thus the lack of a real family shot!! Kayden got to experience all the big and UGLY fish along with his cousin Nixon. Riley was awake for the out doors part of the park. She was fascinated with the Giant ANT. Cassie's mom came and claimed to love taking care of all three grandchildren.

LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURES!

2009-04-08T20:37:00.001-07:00

First Solid Foods

2009-03-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

They had their first taste of solid food today. They seemed to like the carrot baby food, they weren't quite sure what to do they pretty much licked the spoon but I think they will catch on quickly.

They had their 4 month check up and are doing very well. They are in the 10th percentile for their age(not adjusted) so they are not far behind their age group.

Look how far we have come

2009-03-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Riley 4 months old

Riley in the NICU

Kayden 4 months old

Kayden in the NICU

2009-03-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Zach and Kayden at the park

Me and Riley at the Park

Yes that is Kayden in Riley's pink Pj's. I was really tired that night. :)

Bath Time

2009-03-07T17:08:00.001-08:00

Kayden had discovered his thumb

3 Months old!

2009-02-27T18:39:00.001-08:00

Kayden and Riley are 3 months old. They have grown so much, Kayden is our little chunker weighing 10 pounds 14 ounces and Riley is our petite little girl weighing 9 pounds 8 ounces. They have come along way from their 3 pounds 10 oz and 3 pounds 8 oz.

Kayden trying to lick the birp cloth

Riley trying to eat the blanket.

We think Riley is getting a little sick. Kayden is just getting over a little cold and an ear infection now Riley seems to not be feeling so well. She is a little happy when she is in her swing but a lot of the day she is sad and just wants to be held.

We are glad kayden is now feeling better. For about 2 weeks now they have been smiling at us. We were so happy when they finally started doing that, not just the usual gas smiles.

Braegger Family

2009-02-27T18:17:00.001-08:00

Zachs dad, step mom and sister Scout came to visit while we were in Utah.

Lyle and Wendy. This was the first time they have seen the twins since they were 1 day old in the hospital.

Aunt Rachel, Me and Riley, Zach and Kayden, Uncle Adam and Aunt Scout.

Zach's Grandparents also came to visit from Ogden.

Scout loved Adam and Rachel's dog Maddie.

Trip to Utah

2009-02-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Utah to visit family and for my nephew Nixons first birthday. It was fun to see everyone. Nixon loved his birthday cake! He is getting so big, I can't wait until he can play with his cousins.

Land of Babies

2009-02-09T19:02:00.001-08:00

Sorry there are so many pictures but when I am home all day with them I take pictures!

Kayden had such a long day!

More Pictures!

2009-02-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

Riley likes looking in the mirror that is on her toy. I guess she knows how cute she is!

His cheeks are so kissable!

Picture Day!!

2009-01-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today we went and got our 1st family pictures. The babies were quite cooperative for the most part. But i must say it is really easy to get good pictures when your kids are as cute as ours! And no we are not cocky just confident.

6 weeks old

2009-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

kayden did not want his picture taken today!

Riley likes sitting on dad!

I can't believe they are six weeks old. They are getting bigger everyday. We have Riley off the oxygen most of the day, she does great! We have to wait until Wed. for the Dr. to give the OK to go completely off.

Another day in the land of Babies!!

2009-01-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well all is going great the chitlins are growing rapidly, they both now weigh a little over six pounds. Both have personalities that are definatly beginning to show through. Riley is our little drama queen that lets out a defiant yelp when ever she feels that attention is being placed else where. Kayden is his fathers son and just goes with the flow as long as his butt is clean and tummy is full "He likes to grunt". Our new goal is to try to get them to realize that night time is for sleeping not the complete reverse!

More Pictures!

2009-01-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

They love eachother

Kayden Sleeping

2008-12-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today was the first time that both got to take a bath together, surprisingly they love bath time! Now the getting out part is not so enjoyable. All is going well and tomorrow is there first doctors apt.

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

Bath time! We gave Kayden and Riley their first baths at home. As soon as Zach took Riley's cloths off she peed all over him! She loved the water! Poor Kayden can't have a full bath yet because of his circumcision so we gave him a little sponge bath and he was not happy!

Kayden

Riley

having to take care of two is exhausting!

They sleep pretty well during the day but not so well at night. Because they were in the NICU they are used to having light and noise all the time so as long as we have the lights on and tv or music they sleep pretty well, so of course we don't get much sleep. Me and Zach now sleep in shifts, it is the only way we get any kind of sleep.

The 1st night

2008-12-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

The picture you see here is Rileys' at home monitor for her heart rate and O2 level. This WONDERFUL piece of machinery has two volume levels when either her heart rate or her O2 drops, LOUD and O.M.G. the kid needs a transplant! Needles to say the first night. . . . not soo much sleep. They are both doing great. Riley just needs O2 for a little longer and Kayden, well, lets just say that he no longer has the protective sweater around his tallywacker.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

They are still in the hospital but they come home Saturday!! Riley is on the right and Kayden on the left.

So Close...

2008-12-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

Kayden and Riley are doing so well! They are days away from coming home. Riley had her feeding tube taken out the other day and kayden is having his taken out tonight. They are both taking a bottle at every feeding now. They just need to watch them for a little bit to make sure they take the bottle and gain weight. It is looking like they will be home by Christmas.

This is Kayden waking up looking for his bottle.

Hello everyone! Kayden is on the left and Riley is on the right. She was not very happy about being woken up.

Feeders and Growers!

2008-12-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Riley

Kayden

Riley

Kayden

The Babies are doing really well. Still off oxygen and feeding 2-3 times a day by bottle and usually take the whole thing. They have also moved to the feeders and growers side of the NICU. And yesterday were put into open cribs instead of the isolettes. Both weigh over 4 pounds. Kayden is just a little bigger than his sister.

IT has been a while and they are awake!!!!

2008-12-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the gap in postings but all is going well. Kayden now weighs 3lbs 15.8 oz and Riley now weighs 3lbs 12.4 oz. both are now off of oxygen and have no IVs' !!! all that is left is their feeding tubes in case they don't finish their bottles.

ONE WEEK OLD!!!!

2008-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well the Babies are now one week old and they are having small improvements every day! Cassie's life has changed, she now spends a good portion of her day making and harvesting food for the wee ones. The nursery is almost done and we put up a plethora of Christmas lights! Just keeping our fingers crossed that they will get to come home sooner than later.

Improved photo oportunities

2008-12-03T01:06:00.000-08:00

Well they are doing great, they both have small improvements every day!

Our new family from 2 to 4!!

2008-11-30T22:12:00.000-08:00

If you can not tell by now the top one is Riley and the second is Kayden!! By the way, Riley Ann Braegger was born on 11/27/2008 at 11:26am weighing 3lbs. 8oz. and measuring 16 inches. Kayden Floyd Braegger was born on 11/27/2008 at 11:27am weighing 3lbs. 10oz. and measuring 161/2 inches. Cassie was discharged finally after ONLY 16 days in the hospital. Now we spend our nights at home and parts of our days at the hospital with our babies, but our thoughts are always there with them.

2008-11-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

Riley and Kayden are both doing great they have been taken off of the breathing machines and are just on a light flow of o2. Today around 1:30 we will get to hold them for the first time! Riley is the one with the binky in her mouth and Kayden is the peacefull sleeper.

Small but doing great!!

2008-11-27T20:47:00.001-08:00

Don't let the wires and hoses fool you they are doing great

THE BABIES ARE HERE

2008-11-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

The top three pictures are Kayden and the bottom three are Riley!!

Almost There!!!

2008-11-25T01:12:00.001-08:00

Well today I put in another eight hours on the crib and yet we are still not done with it, although close!! We managed to include the one feature that Cassie really wanted, the ability to raise and lower the front end. It took at least three hours just for this accessory. Due to the holiday I wont have it finished until just right before the babies get here, which by the way is the 8th of December.

WHAT IS SPARE TIME?

2008-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Between visiting Cassie in the hospital, working, being the delivery boy, personal shopper, and stressed soon to be father I decided to build the babies crib in my "Spare Time". After starting at 6:00 am and having to be at work by 12:00 this is how far my friend and I got today. Hopefully we will have it built by tomorrow night. Cassie is still the same old same old getting room service and getting to lounge around all day, but we all can't just let life pass on by.

MOVE?

2008-11-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

All is well, the only news is that cassie has been moved to the fourth floor to make more room in labor and delivery. The room is smaller but at least there is closet space. She is still doing the same old thing of just hanging out and growing babies.

Cassies life line!!!

2008-11-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Well Cassie had another ultrasound today. The babies are growing and Riley has now filled her sack with enough urine to make her comfortable. More good news, Cassie also now gets to wear real clothes instead of the revealing hospital toga that she loved so much. Tomorrow we will move out of our week long home of a hospital room to another floor, to allow more room for the moms who are "Actually in labor". Two more weeks to go until the glorious induction. Also we are inviting everyone to our house for thanksgiving, seeing as we will not be there please feel free to make your selves at home, And by this I mean , laundry, dishes, paying my rent, feeding the cat or disposing of it, and any other maintanance needed.

GOOD NEWS

2008-11-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

This is Cassie with all of her monitors on. The top and bottom monitors are for the babies heart beats. the middle one is to monitor her contractions. She now only wears them twice a day for thirty minutes due to the fact that Riley's fat head plugged the whole causing the leak in her baby pee water bead!! All major contractions have stopped and the ultra sound shows that all is well. Cassie now gets to spend the next three amazing weeks in the hospital on mandatory bed rest. And back to work for me........

THE BIG SCARE!!!!!

2008-11-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

Well Friday morning at approximately 12:30 in the AM. Cassie got up to use the "facility" after returning to her most comfortable bed she realized that something was different and that the wetness now flowing was not supposed to be there. You guessed it her water broke at 30 weeks and 5 days! She then proceeded to disturb my slumber and awkward dreams with panic and mayhem. Needless to say a what should have been a twenty minute drive to the hospital turned into a flying ten!! long story short she is now looking at spending a minimum of a week to a maximum of three weeks on bed rest in labor and delivery with little to no amniotic fluid to keep Riley afloat. But do not fret she and the babies are doing well with minimal contractions and a dilation of 3 cm. Two things have been learned: 1. Women really do scream when they are having babies, and 2. amniotic fluid is really just baby pee!!!

Stubborn Babies!

2008-11-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

We had our 30 week ultrasound today. Everything is still looking good. Just the normal pregnancy aches and pains. When the tech did our ultra sound we tried to get some good pictures but they would not cooperate. Riley is back to being head down which is good but she had her feet resting on her head and her cord across her face so we could not get a good face shot of her. Kayden is up in my ribs and is facing my back. We tried to get him to move but he just kept kicking us away, his feet are also on his head across his face. They are measuring right on time even a couple days ahead. They have both really grown in 4 weeks, they went from being 2 pound to being 3 pounds 9 oz and 3 pounds 7 oz. It is scary to think i am only 30wks and I have 7 pounds of baby in me.

I now go to my OB every 2 weeks and starting at 32 weeks I go to the specialist every week. I will be getting a biophysical of the babies during that time. Basically i will go in every week and they will see how and if the babies are making breathing patterns and a NST (non stress test) to see how their heart rates fluctuate when they move and how they deal with my contractions.

Zach is working hard to get the nursery ready. I will post some pictures of his hard work this weekend.

Just some pictures...

2008-10-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like i am getting huge and i still have 9 weeks to go!

Zachs sister as a cute lady bug
My nephew Nixon as a cute dalmation

Me and Zach at 28 weeks.

It is coming along...

2008-10-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

don't mind all the cords, Zach is putting a small tv up in the corner.

thanks to aunt rachel and aunt whitney we got some really cute decorations for the room. We will be getting a futon to put in there so one of us can sleep in the room with the babies if we need to. the nursery is coming along slowly but it will get there.

My Trip to Utah

2008-10-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

I had my monthly check up this week and everything is going so well with my pregnancy. She said she is very happy with my progress, no swelling, great blood pressure and no diabetes. So far nothing is off limits, but i still need to take it easy, which I do and that is hard sometimes because I am starting to nest and I get so tired doing things. Zach is doing good. He is working hard at Lowes and likes it. He is getting anxious for the babies to get here. Only 10 or less weeks left! This is Riley, she has now turned from head down to butt down. She is sitting on my cervix.
This is Kayden and those legs in the picture are his sisters. Space is getting cramped in there and they are constantly competing for space.
Things are getting a lot heavier in there. I can't stand for too long because it is so uncomfortable but sitting is hard too because Kayden is right under my ribs. So I am always uncomfortable.

I had my baby shower October 11 in Utah. It was really nice to see all my family for a couple of days. I did fly down there which is better than driving but flying when pregnant is soooo uncomfortable!! I also got to see my very cute 8 month old nephew Nixon and my very cute 10 month old sister in law Scout (zachs half sister).

Scout and Nixon at the baby shower

Nixon loved his little bit of pizza!

The Babies at 22wks

2008-09-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today we had our 22wk ultrasound. Everything is looking great. The babies are growing beautifully and weigh 1 pound each. I feel them kicking all the time. The girl is head down in my pelvis with her feet up and the boy is streched across my belly so they are in a t-shape. Riley kicks kayden and shoves her butt in his stomach and face, it is pretty funny to see.

This is Riley our little girl. She somewhat cooperated this time.
This is Kayden. He still did not like getting his picture taken.

As the tech was trying to get a picture of the boy our little girl decides she wants in also. If you look you can see her butt come into the picture. So she is invading Kaydens space right now.

We painted the nursery

2008-09-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

As the babies are growing I get tired doing most things so we decided to paint the nursery. We did one wall pink (for the girl) the other green (for the boy) I turned out pretty good, it will look better once we get furniture in there.

Luckily we had friends that helped us so it did not take too long.

I am getting a little more uncomfortable as the days go by. I usually spend my days at home unless I need to go to the store. I get really dizzy so it is better to be at home when it happens. Everything is going well.

2008-08-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

We had our first appointment with the prenatal specialist ( i am high risk because of twins). We were there forever. She drew a detailed picture of our family history! Luckily we are both healthy and have healthy families. The Dr. said everything looked great. I am healthy they are healthy. Both babies are positioned great they have their own sac and placenta. They are only measuring 1 day apart(the girl in the lead). I will be induced if they don't come before 38 wks but she said she would be surprised if i made it that far, more likely 35-36 wks. The only thing they are watching right now is my weight. They want me to gain 40-50 pounds and I have only gained 4 1/2. So I was given permission to sit on my butt and eat. Nothing is off limits although healthy high calorie foods are the best.

This is our little girl. She did not want to cooperate today. She curled into a tight c shape. Her head is down and her chin is tucked into her chest.
Here is our little boy. He stuck his arm right in front of his face when she took the picture.
I know it is hard to tell but those are four little feet. The big blob on the left is the placenta of the boy.

2008-08-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well I am just about half way there. 18 wks! Time is really flying by. My shirts are not fitting well anymore. Zach is getting more excited now that i am really starting to show. He can't wait until he can feel them move.

We were at the mall and saw these and had to get one for each. They look a little big but fit 0-3 months so they will fit well soon enough. This is our first purchase for the twins.

2008-07-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is our house that we are living in here in Rio Rancho. It is in a quiet little neighborhood. The only bad thing is we live so far away from town.
I started taking belly pictures now that i am starting to show and I am sure I am only going to get bigger with twins inside me! So this is me at 15 1/2 wks.
I am glad I am in my second trimester. At least I don't feel sick all day and night. I am starting to eat more, since i need an additional 600 cal a day! The only thing that gets me down is when i get dizzy, which does happen a lot. Zach is really excited and supportive, he can't wait till the day he can hold one in each arm.

TWINS!!

2008-07-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well today Zach and I went in for my first sonogram. When I was eight weeks the Dr. showed me a heart beat and at my last visit he let me listen to the heart beat, well i guess he should have moved to the other side because today the women showing me said "Oh twins" Zach and I were like WHAT!! We had no idea. Well this changes everything. We are really excited especially since she said she was pretty sure it was a boy and a girl. Ya one of each.

The weeks are flying by!

2008-07-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am already in my second trimester. Things are still going well. I am starting to feel better and my pants are getting tighter! We find out what we are having in 5 wks. I am so excited!

New Mexico

2008-07-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well we are finally getting settled in to our new life here in Rio Rancho, NM. It is definetly different from Utah. It still has the same desert feel as St. George just not the 110 degree weather. We can during the rainy season but at night the thunder and lighting storms are so beautiful! Zach has been working hard to help interview people for the opeing of the new Lowes here. The store is behind schedulal and he won't be able to go into it until the end of Aug. so he is trying to stay busy with his 8-5 mon-fri schedual.