check-up

Had a Dr. Appointment today for the boys check-up:

Ethan is now 6 lb.

Nicolas is now 7 lb.

:) Growing boys!!

who's who??

Together at last!!!

The last few days have been interesting. Seems like we just get done feeding them and then it's time to feed them again. Everything takes advanced planning now. But I think we are adjusting well.

100 days of NICU

100 days later..... we are finally home from the NICU. It is nice to have everyone home and able to be together as a family. We got home just before the wintery weather hit. We are supposed to get some snow tonight. Sorry, but it's been a long day so I'm going to go take a nap. I will keep updating and posting pictures as the boys grow.

Nicolas' graduation day!!

Nicolas and Daddy Mommy and her two boys

Saying goodbye to the NICU

Home at last

Nicolas is coming home

Nicolas is coming home tomorrow!!!! One day before his due date!!! I am so excited to finally have our whole family together and in the comfort of our own home!!! They put Nicolas on Soy formula a few days ago and that has helped ALL of his problems that were preventing him from coming home. He seems to have a milk intolerance, but he will probably grow out of it and be able to breastfeed later.


Ethan has been throwing up a lot and hasn't gained ANY wight since he's been home. We've been trying to supplement the breastfeeding with formula to help him gain weight but that hasn't helped. Yesterday his Dr. recommend trying Soy Formula because he may have some intolerance as well if that was Nicolas problem. We will just have to keep adjusting his diet to see what works for him. ----- I have found out recently I have a family history of milk intolerance and also with them being premature, they are just more sensitive. They also had to be on a lot of Anti-biotics for infections so that may have caused an imbalance in their gut. So maybe after things get back into balance they will be AOK.

They have a lot of growing and maturing to still do. But now we can give them both lots and lots more love to help them along.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT??"

MAKING NEW FREINDS

ETHAN & JUNIPER

Ethan was so good for me last night!!! I acctually got some sleep.. yippy!!! He went to bed, selpt throught the night; only waking for his feedings and going right back to sleep. :) This morning when it was time to get up he was wide awake and taking in the world. Then he went back down for a midday nap. Just enough time to update you and get some dishes done. I'm sure he will wake soon.

Yesterday we went to visit Nicolas. He is getting so big at 6 lb 11 oz.!! The Dr.s seem to think he might be home in the next week, if everything goes well. I can not wait to have our whole family together.

Be sure to see Ethans homecoming pictures below.

Ethan's Homecoming Pictures

ETHAN - THE DAY HE GRADUATED FROM THE NICU

ALL THE NURSES ARE GOING TO MISS YOU BEING SWEET ON THEM

GOING HOME- THE CAR SEAT SEEMS TO SWALLOW ETHAN.

HE REALLY LIKES TO BE IN HIS CAR SEAT FINALLY.... ETHAN IS IN HIS OWN BED!

ETHAN MEETING THE KITTY

KITTY: "WHAT IS THAT CREATURE AND WHY IS IT IN MY SPOT?"

(SHE'S BEEN REALLY GOOD WITH HIM BEING HERE)

ETHAN:"THAT PASTA LOOKS GOOD, WHEN DO I GET SOME?"

MOMMY: "3-4 HOURS FROM NOW"

Ethans first week home

So we have had Ethan home 12 days now.... He has been pretty good for us. There have only been a few nights he didn't want to go to sleep. (last night was one of them) I have to feed him every three hours day and night.. even if I have to wake him up for it. That is rough to do at 2 AM. It is a whole lot easier if he wakes me up for it, but harder to wake him up for it. I would rather let him sleep and get some more sleep myself. When he is gaining weight really good then I can let him wake me up when he wants fed and maybe get an hour or two more sleep between some of his feedings.


I try to get caught up on sleep every chance I get. (I will probably go take a nap when I am done here) Trevor has been really good at helping out, that makes things a whole lot easier. It is nice to be able to get adjusted to one baby before Nicolas gets home... that will be a whole new challenge!!

Nicolas had a setback last week so he didn't get to come home this past weekend like I had hoped. They had to take him off his feedings because they found blood in his stool, they had to do that a couple weeks ago as well. They keep him off feedings for 5-7 days to make sure there isn't a big problem that caused it. They started him back on feedings last night and he is doing well so far taking the bottle. Hopefully we will all be together as a family soon. My due date is 10 days away, hopefully we will have him home by then. He is a lot bigger than Ethan. He is 6 lb 7 oz!!!!! Ethan is only 5 lb. 8 oz.

Well, I am going to go take a nap now... I think Ethan is asleep for real this time, not just pretending he's asleep just to wake me up as soon as my head hits the pillow.... (the little stinker)

Ethan's home

We FINALLY got to bring Ethan home Thursday Dec. 3rd!! He is doing swell. He is making a sucker out of mom and dad. He really likes to snuggle and is finding out so do mom and dad.

It's going to take some adjusting. The NICU becomes a comfortable place to be after being there for over 12 weeks. we've become so familiar with the surroundings and the people; built relationships with the nurses and Dr.s. that have taken such good care of our boys. They went above and beyond to make us feel at home. Some of the nurses took pictures of the boys and made scrapbook pages for them. They made little plaques with Nicolas and Ethans' little feet prints on them to hang on our nursery wall. The personal interest everyone showed made us feel special. It really helped us through this rough spot.

Ethan is on an apnea monitor for now, which helps us sleep easier at night knowing that he is ok. He is doing great and getting us prepared for round two when Nicolas comes home. We are hoping to have him home within a week or two.

almost over-- big news

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. I am sorry I have not been able to update you before now. I don't have a lot of time so this will have to be a quick update.


To start off, both the boys now weigh over 5 lb. They are getting to be so big!!

Over a week ago Nicolas started breathing all by his big boy self....yippy!!!!! Half the battle is now over. You can see his whole face now!! He is now taking his feedings by bottle and doing good so far.

Ethan is taking all of his feedings by bottle now, and he is breastfeeding some too.

Now the BIG NEWS... Ethan is coming home Wed. We will be staying at the hospital learning how to take care of him for the next 2 nights. We are very excited!!!! For those of you I told that he was going to have to have surgery, he doesn't have to have that now.


Below are some new pictures of both the boys!!

Ethan's many faces

Baby Ethan 5lb. 2oz."Fore score and 11 weeks ago...."

"I lost it... help!"

"it's safe back in my mouth now"

"What were they thinking?"

Nicolas' many faces

Nicolas Smiles for cameraNicolas naps

"I wonder what I have to do to go home?"

think... think... think...

"Oh... I know..... give them the pouty lips!"

"Pleeeeezzzzzz can I go home???"

Cute Clothes and Baby Bottles

The boys were 2 months old on Monday. They are growing up so fast!!! Ethan is breathing all by himself now!!! Nicolas isn't quite there yet, but he is off the C-PAP and getting assistance via nasal cannula, the last step before doing it all on his own!!!

Ethan had a BIG milestone last week.... He ate from a bottle for the first time!! :) He got the concept right away. He only took 3ML the first time, but then a couple times later he took his whole feeding by bottle... all 30 ML (1 oz.) They are going to work him up to taking all his feeds by bottle (8 times a day/every 3 hours) then he can come home!!! It looks as if he will come home first... but Nicolas will be right behind him. Ethan still gets pretty tuckered out with his feedings. He's not used to working for his food yet.

They are both weighing 4 lb 11oz--- they have both doubled their birth weight!! :) They can now were baby clothes... they look so cute!!! I can't belive how fast they are growing up!!

Ethan graduated out of his isolette and into an open crib last night the nurse told me. I didn't get to see him in his big boy bed yet. I stayed home yesterday and did a lot of sorting and washing of their clothes. I am determined this week to get a dresser to put all of them in. I am going up to see them in a bit.

Below are 2 more posts with more new pictures.

Nicolas' bath and first outfit

"Hello" Nicolas

Nicolas' first outfit

Giving Nicolas a bath - he didn't mind it too much

Giving Nicolas a bath


Nicolas and Ethan holding hands while daddy hold them
AWWW.......

Ethan's first outfit and bath

Ethan's first outfit

Daddy giving Ethan a bath

Ethan likes his bath!!

Ethan is now tired from his bath

Ethan is napping on Daddy after his bath

7 weeks

Tomorrow the boys will be 7 weeks old. They are both doing really well. They are both weiging about 3lb. 9 oz. At birth Ethan was 14 inches long and is now 16.25 inches; Nicolas was at 14.5 inches and is now 17.5 inches. They are growing SO fast now!!!!

They are both up to 10ML an hour on their feedings. They both still have feeding tubes but they are getting closer to being able to feed from a bottle, maybe in a couple weeks. That is the next big thing I am waiting for... to feed them myself!!!

Neither of them are on any oxygen anymore but they are getting pressure pushed in through nasal cannula (Ethan) and C-PAP (Nicolas). The pressure makes it so their muscles don't have to work so hard to open their lungs with each breath.

Below I have some very cute pictures for you to enjoy!! They are getting cuter by the day. I will be posting some video again soon but I am having difficulty uploading it at this time.

Ethan is very inquisitive of his surroundings. He opens his eyes a lot.

Ethan

Nicolas likes to nap a lot. He is a good snuggler.

4 weeks and things are great!!

We are now in week 4 about 1/3 of the way through the boys' hospital stay. This has actually been the best week yet!!! :)

On Wed Nicolas got taken off the ventilator and so now both the boys are on C-PAP that I mentioned in my last post. They are both doing very good with their breathing now.

On Thursday (our Anniversary) I got to hold Nicolas for the first time!! On Friday I got to hold BOTH the boys at the same time!!!! It was their first time together since birth.

Yesterday the boys got moved out of their private room to the rows with the other babies. I will miss the private room a little, but moving out is a BIG step for them.

On our anniversary we went out to eat at Red Lobster and went to see a movie. Our gift to us was a new camera. Now we can take better pictures of the boys and also video!!! I have posted some new pictures and a short video below, be sure to check those out!! ENJOY!!!

First Family Picture

First Family picture!!!

Proud Mommy! (Nicolas)

Proud Daddy!!! (Ethan)

Now available- video!!!!

Making Progress

Both of the boys are having a really good week!!! :) It makes the time go by so much faster when they are doing well.

Ethan is making progress- he on a different breathing machine called C-PAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) It is pretty much the same thing people use for sleep apnea. He has also graduated to a different incubator. A feeding tube in his mouth is the only thing foreign in his body now, no more IV lines or the like. He is being fed 7 ML an hour.

Nicolas is progressing nicely as well. He is also being fed 7 ML an hour now like brother and is being taken off IV fluids for nutrients in the next day. His breathing is getting much better as his infection is clearing so he is being weaned from the ventilator.

I am glad that I only have good news to write tonight!!! Check back soon for more updates!!

Milestones

Sorry it took me so long to post again.... Things are crazy. During the week I have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Springfield so I can be close to the boys. I come home on the weekends to relax, recharge and get a few things done. It is very difficult being away from home and Trevor so much. Thursday the 15th will be our 4 year anniversary so he is coming to Springfield to be with me. It will be nice to have him there with me more this week, it helps keep the stress level down just having him there. Last week was hard because he was sick with a cold so he couldn't come up and see the boys or me. We can't risk the boys getting sick.

Ethan's infection is better now. He made a BIG step this week. On Tuesday he pulled his ventilator tube out!! The good news is they didn't have to put it back in because he was breathing OK without it!!!!!! He is getting some assistance with his breathing with nasal prongs. I got to hold him that day for a few moments while they changed his bed. Then on Wednesday I really got to hold him. They call it Kangaroo Care where I unbutton my shirt and they lay him on my chest so he gets the skin to skin contact. It was awesome to get to hold him so close!!! Below is a picture of me holding him. I get to hold him once a day now for about as long as he tolerates it. So far it's been about 30 minutes a day. He pretty much just snuggles right up. He is up 6 oz. from his birth weight to a total 2 lb. 9 oz.


Nicolas has another infection so he is on anti-biotics for that. He is still having some difficulties breathing because he has a lot of secretions in his lungs, he's coughing those up though. They have to watch him closely and help him get the gunk out of his tube when he coughs because is blocks the airway. But with all the monitors he's on they are able to be on top of everything. There is a nurse in their room at all times. Nicolas FINALLY opened up his eyes for Trevor and I for the first time on Monday!!! (picture below) Today - he reached a milestone - he now weighs 3 lb..... up 11 oz. from his birth weight!!!

They are both gaining weight nicely. Ethan is being fed my milk only, getting no more assistance from IV fluids; and Nicolas has been started on my milk this week but is still getting some nutrients through an IV.

up and down

This is the roller coaster ride of my life!! I now know that I never knew what stress really was.
We were told by the hospital and others to expect ups and downs... and they weren't kidding.


Today wasn't such a good day. Ethan has an infection now too so he is on anti-biotics. He is having difficulty breathing because he has a lot of junk in his chest that he is trying to cough up.
Nicolas is getting over his sickness but is still having issues breathing. Both the boys are not handling stimulation of any type very well... (getting there diaper changed, breathing treatments,) so I didn't get to touch them very much today. It is really hard to see them having a hard time and not be able to do anything... not even touch them. But hopefully the anti-biotics will have them well soon so they can focus on getting bigger and stronger.

This is all part of the ride. Things are good, then bad, then good again.

One good thing happened yesterday: they had to change Nicolas incubator bed out and give him a new one so I got to hold him in my arms a couple of minutes while they did that. Finally I got to hold one of them!!! :)

When I got back to the hospital on Monday both the boys were doing great!!

Nicolas' pneumonia is getting better each day. His swelling has gone down, his lungs are clearing up and he is kicking and squeezing my finger again!!!!

Ethan too is doing great. This will probably be the only time I say this but..... Ethan threw a fit today, and it was kinda cute. The nurse turned him on his back and he did NOT like that. He was kicking and swatting at us and crying his lungs out.... though you cannot hear him cry yet.

He can't make any sounds until his ventilator tube is out. They are both still relying on the ventilators a lot so they will be on it for a while.

Well we have made it though the first week and a half. It has been a roller coaster ride, as we were told to expect. We have good days and not so good days. But overall everything is going well.

Both the boys are on an antibiotic due to an infection they had at birth (that may be the reason I went into labor). They have been responding to that well.

Nicolas had a rough couple of days this week. A couple of days ago they found he has pneumonia. So he is on more antibiotic to treat that and he is responding. The nurse says his lungs are sounding better now. Nicolas also had some seizure activity one night, it was only in his left leg. They are doing a test to see if it is caused from infection or it could just be because he is so young his brain waves are not firing correctly. He will be on medication for that for quite a while. The Dr. said these are not uncommon occurrences with preemies. He is out from under the light for his jaundice.

Ethan has been eating for a couple days now. Finally all my pumping seems worth it!!! He hasn't seemed to have any other complications at the time. He's still very active as well. Below are some more pictures of both the boys.

I was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house Thursday and Friday night. I am going back up there on Monday and will stay the week. It is a really nice place and the people have been great. At the hospital as well, all of the nurses and Dr.s have been wonderful through all of this. We appreciate all of the love and consern all of our family and freinds have shown too. It's nice to know we are not in this alone.

Pictures

Giving Ethan his 1st bath

Ethan's 1st bath

Ethan sleeping on his hand

Nicolas sound asleep

Nicolas holding Trevor's ring

Nicolas holding Trevor's ring

The boys are now 8 days old. They are doing exceptionally well. They were both under a light to help with jaundice but Ethan has come off the light and Nicolas will be able to come off soon they say.

They both have their own personalities. Ethan is active, moving and kicking. He was the one that would always move around during ultra sounds giving the techs a hard time getting his measurements and... he was always kicking me in the bladder.

Nicolas was always more laid back, he was a lot more cooperative with the ultra sound techs. He is the same now, laid back.

They are now both strong enough to squeeze our fingers, that was amazing. Just little things like that are so precious.