One Month Old

The twins are one month old today!  So before they go and grow on me let me tell you a little bit about them.
Emily- Our little peanut/cupcake
You are 5 pounds as of yesterday.  You are so easy to carry around the house and hold.  You loved to be held and right now there is no shortage of arms to hold you.  Just don't get use to that, you'll have to share when Sam gets home.  Until last night you were barely waking up for your nighttime feedings.  Your dad thought that you were just sleeping through the night early, you're really only 38 weeks old, but as I thought you need to be woken up to eat.  Last night you had no trouble waking us up at 2 to eat with your newly discovered lungs.  You don't cry too much and are generally a very content baby.  You make a lot of noises: grunts, squeals and hiccups.  You barely fit into your premie clothes, they are a bit too short.  You have been alert since almost the day you were born and you still spend a lot of time looking around.  Your hands are always by your face, unless we are able to swaddle them in. Sam- "The Tank" Our big bruteYou are 7 pounds 6 ounces today.  You have long since grown out of your premie clothes.  You have been the easy sleeper but your are become more and more active and alert after your feedings.  Nurse Peggy thinks that you are getting bored at the NICU and then work yourself into a tizzy.  (She is looking for something to keep you occupied.  But really it just means it is time to come home.)  You have a cry that will have no trouble waking us when you are hungry.  And when you are hungry you are not content to wait but you want it NOW.  Most of the time your pacifier doesn't even distract you.  You love to be swaddled but somehow your feet always escape, which you don't mind at all.  You are still having some trouble while you are eating.  You eat so fast that you forget to breathe and your stuffy nose makes it hard to get all the air you need.  A couple of days ago they started giving you oxygen while you eat and it seems to be helping.  Your last brady/apnea episode while you slept was on Valentine's Day.  We hope this is your last and you will be home this weekend.

Homecoming Number One- Emily

Ever since the beginning I always thought that Emily would be the first to come home.  Paul would talk about well when Sam comes home... but I always thought the small but mighty little girl would make it home before her brother.  She has been just a few steps behind him all along, mostly because she is smaller.  On Tuesday she took out her feeding tube.  This is not the first time, both kids routinely grab on to their tubes, but it was like she was telling us she was ready to go.  So I was really happy and a little surprised when Tuesday night I got to the NICU and it was still out and then Wednesday it didn't need to be put back in.  I knew that was a huge sign that she was almost ready to go home.  When I asked the doctor on Wednesday, "So what happens if she eats on her on for the rest of the day?" and he said well she could go home Thursday or Friday I was shocked that it was happening so soon.  I know the nurses were a little surprised too.  (More on this later... and some pictures.  For some reason I can't get blogger to add any.)
Poor Sam is still struggling with his breathing or should I say his holding of breath.  This isn't a new thing for Sam, but it has gotten worse while he is eating.  Last weekend it seemed as if he had gotten over this and had connected the right neurons in his brain to eat, breathe and swallow but he has taken a step back.  Sam is a phenomenal eater, that is why he now weighs 7 lbs. 1 oz., but he eats too fast.  He has a stuffy nose also so that isn't helping the poor guy.  So hopefully he'll get over his stuffiness and everything will click for him.  It is oh so hard to leave him alone at the hospital. 

Leaving the hospital

Finally home

All dressed and ready to go

Signs you have a baby/babies in the NICU

1.  Your "diaper" bag is not full of diapers but is currently being used to transport your breast pump accessories, breast milk and your camera.

2.  You wake up every 3 hours during the night not to a crying baby but your alarm.

3.  You schedule your days around your trips to the hospital.

4.  Speaking of the hospital, you've been there every day since your babies were born.

5.  You've never walked around and held your babies, they are attached to too many monitors.

6.  You know what kind of beeps and alarms to ignore and your heart races when you hear the one that makes nurses come running.

7.  You are learning how hard it is to learn how to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time.

8.  You've gotten over your modesty and it no longer bothers you that you spend most of your time visiting your babies with your shirt off. 

9.  You have a hard time getting a good picture because of the dim lighting in the NICU and because the OT mentioned that you need to be careful of too much light in your babies' eyes. 

10.  Every time you go to the hospital you ask, "How are they doing?  What can we do to get them home soon?" 

11.  You worry about how long they'll be at home before you have to go back to work.