making friends

Today the boys made some new friends. Talon is almost three month old, Nicolas and Ethan are four and a half months (but still little in comparison)

Talon, Ethan, NicolasEthan wasn't so happy about having his picture takenThanks for coming to visit!

Swings

Tonight the boys are chilling in their new swings. Ethan Nicolas

I would not have it any other way. Having these kids is the best thing for me. I love being their mommy. Life has it's challenges - but I don't freak out like I thought I would. I feel life in the NICU has taught me what things are really worth stressing out about and what things just aren't important enough to stress out about.

Last week we got the boys swings and the boys really like them. Gives me a bit more free time. I also got a 'peanut shell' sling. That has helped in giving me an extra 'hand' when they don't want to be put in their swings. They are still small enough that I can put both of them in there for now.

Breast feeding has been SO hard for us. I don't know what I am going to do. To quit or not to quit. I guess I shouldn't feel like quitting would be failing, I know my circumstances are very out of the ordinary. But I just feel like I got cheated out of a lot with the premature birth and the extended hospital stay and I don't want to be cheated out of this too. But I am saying it is hard.

We got an OUTRAGEOUS electric bill this month.... So we are in the process of getting the house insulated this week to help. But then we found out today that our heater is not working properly.... That would explain our bill... so we also need a new unit. It still heats, but it just uses a lot more electricity than it should. Oh, the joys of owning a home!!

Here are a bunch more pictures - ENJOY!

Feeding time

Nicolas is very expressive with his eyebrows Nicolas: "I can hold my head up all by myself"
Nicolas: "let's play"Nicolas and his Fishy

Nicolas 4 mos. old

Nicolas deep in thought

Ethan

Ethan

The boys went to the Dr. Friday.

Ethan is 6 lb. 11oz. and 20 inches long.

& Nicolas is 7lb 12oz and 21 inches long.

They are growing well!!!

Our First Meeting

.

Last night we went to our first meeting at the kingdom hall as a whole family. The boys were SUPER good for us. They were awake for a while to meet people then slept through most of the meeting. We paid for it when we got home though, because then they wanted to stay awake and I was ready to go to bed. I have been looking forward to last night for months now!!! I almost cried when we got there. It was a very happy night for us!!

.

Our first meeting together as a family

Sorry it's been a little while since I've given an update, Trevor and I took turns the past week and a half getting very sick, but we are well now.
-------

So... what's new??..... We went to the Dr. today and I am happy to say that the Dr. has now released Nicolas from his apnea monitor!!! Ethan got off his monitor last week. It is so much easier to maneuver without trying to carry those around.

Nicolas is becoming more and more alert since he's been home. It is nice to see that from him. Ethan and Nicolas like to cuddle together as you could see from some of the pictures I have posted in the past.

They have pretty much outgrown their preemie clothes now and are wearing newborn size. Nicolas is over 20 inches long now--- that is 6 inches from his birth length!! Ethan is 19 inches long -- 5 inches from his birth length.

We are figuring out systems that work for us and are able to gradually add other normal things back into our life, like trying to have dinner prepared every night.

We have figurd out a color system for the boys to help keep track of bottles and pacifiers and such. Ethan is always blue and Nicolas is always green. This has been working pretty good for us so far.

We have started a bedtime routine of reading to them from their Bible Stories book and saying a prayer. It's nice to have some quiet family time without any other distractions.

Tonight Trevor is finishing up the last of the repairs to our bathroom. I think I forgot to mention it in my blog about the flooding we had the night I got released from the hospital after I had the boys. We had A LOT of rain and the city sewer had flooded our bathroom. So we had to do some major remodleing in there. Tonight it is finally finished!!!

Well That is all for tonight. Thanks for keeping up with us.

Parenting twins : "It's a juggling act, I wish I could say it was an art- but there is nothing pretty about it!!!" :P

sweet boys "I have a secret to tell you...."
Kisses

photo shoot

We had a mini photo shoot after our bath Wed night. Here are some of the pictures as well as some others.

Nicolas Conner MarcumTwo peas in a pod

Ethan Cole

Grandma and EthanGrandpa and Ethan

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?"