Oh, herro there!

I am still alive! But to be honest, friends, it was a very close thing. Very close indeed.

To make a long story short, on Jan 4th I went to the hospital with mild contractions. My doctor did a blood panel, and I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome - something that affects 0.2-0.6% of pregnant women and is characterized by renal failure, liver rupture, and general ickyness. I was already in renal failure when they sent me to Denver. They could not stabilize my condition for more than 24 hours before the boys started showing signs of stress.

As a result, Elijah Joel and Edward Charles were born by emergency c-section on January 5th at 6:35 and 6:36 pm. They are still in the NICU, with round the clock care by some of the most fantastic people imaginable. These nurses and doctors - they have answered our every question, they have explained patiently everything that is happening to our boys and their best options for survival while still allowing us to feel somewhat in control of the whirlwind around us. All of this while I'm still recovering my kidney, liver, and platelet function in addition to a c-section - trying to manage the whirlwind around just recovering me. That is an amazing thing, people. If you EVER need care, come to Denver and University Hospital.

The boys are 3 pounds each - so tiny - and yet they are so strong. They cry vigorously and throw fits and then calm down to hear my voice. It's amazing. They are amazing. As my doctors have and continue to remark upon, I am a very VERY lucky woman.

For now, I spend most of my days either at the hospital with the boys, or home resting and recovering myself. Blogging content might be a bit slow for a while - I'm attempting to keep up with the knitting, but between the drugs and the general recovery, I am doing a LOT of sleeping. I'll try to photograph what I knit and keep you all up to date though.

And more pictures of the boys are SURE to follow. :D