Pictures!

Ok, so "more pictures soon" I actually meant "in about 5 weeks or so". :)

I wanted to share some pictures, and I'll post more on Facebook - I'm not sure if anyone really follows this blog anymore, but just as a little update and small token of our appreciation, here are some pictures!

GOOD NEWS FROM THE CARDIOLOGIST!!!

Hard to believe time has passed so quickly... but today was the appointment scheduled many weeks ago for the twins to follow up with the cardiologist to check their heart murmurs, see if their PDAs were still present (and if so how large), and determine any further treatment if necessary.

Well, the good news is that the PDAs have closed!!! Yep, both of 'em. Collin and Emery have little hearts that are just as healthy as they should be!!!

I can't really express the depth of my deep, heartfelt gratitude. We have been very blessed. It has been a unique and special experience to pray so much for our little ones, and feel that a miracle has occurred.

The twins weigh 7 lbs 1 oz (Collin) and 6 lbs 12 oz (Emery) and are doing well. They eat well, and are growing very well. We are so happy to have them around.

Now that things have settled a bit, I'm not sure if anyone really follows these updates anymore, but I figure it would be appropriate to post the good news we received today. Thanks to family, friends, neighbors and ward members for continual love and support.

More pictures soon!!!

A few pics of the twins!!!

A little play time, then nap time in the crib (3rd picture), and yes Collin is inching from his half of the crib on over to be a little closer to his sister...

YES!!! We are all home!!!

Ok, we are all home. Collin made it home safely, and still has a lingering stuffy nose a little bit but has been good eating, breathing, etc. so today is the big day!!!

Follow up appointment with the pediatrician on 9/3 for both of 'em, and an appointment with the cardiologist on 9/23 to follow up about their PDAs. So we'll see how that goes!

For now we all get to settle in to our new family, new routine, a brand new chapter in our lives. Wow. What a great day it is today. We are so blessed to be able to have the little ones home today. Tomorrow marks 7 weeks, and would only be 3 weeks before the original due date, which is good to know - a bit reassuring in some regards because many babies are born in this range and do just fine. So their development is in a good place.

As we close this one chapter of our family's story, and begin another, I think we should give some recognition to a few very important parties: to all the medical staff at the NICU, Thank you. Wow, how wonderful - especially Cindy and Cindy, our two primary nurses. Fantastic people. To family and friends who have offered prayers, love and support on our behalf, thank you. To others who have had twins in the last few years and serve as a shining example of how fun it can be, even if it's a challenge, thank you. Finally, to Overstock.com, where I work - thank you. Tremendous people who have offered support and encouragement, asking how things are going; giving flexibility and time off means a lot. All who read this blog should go buy something on Overstock.com as a small token of my personal appreciation. :)

We feel very blessed. Our life is good, and we're extremely happy.

We'll check in soon with pictures!

I guess that's why they call the NICU a roller coaster

Well, Collin didn't come home today. Bummer. For as excited (and pleasantly surprised) we were to hear he had progressed so quickly over the last few days, we are equally as deflated today that we can't bring him home yet.

We got a phone call from the NICU about 45 minutes before we were going to go pick him up - he had a little breathing episode (meaning, lack of breathing) this morning that they were concerned about. The difference this time around is that it wasn't just "forgetting to breathe" (apnic, I think think they call it), but rather he just had a stuffy nose so he couldn't breathe for a little bit. So they drew some blood to test for a virus, etc. to see if he's a little bit sick... so it looks like he'll be staying for a few more days.

Yes indeed, I would say we are pretty disappointed. But we have reminded ourselves that it's better this sort of thing happened before he left the hospital. He's in good hands there, and they are better equipped to observe & help than we would be at home.

So we'll continue to pray for him that he can get over whatever he might have, and get back to eating well so we can bring him home soon!

Big news... Collin has spoken. (well, not literally)

So Emery had stolen the spotlight for a bit this week, but apparently in her absence, Collin made a statement. Twice he pulled the feeding tube out of his nose. Twice. Yes, that is what we call a statement. "I don't like it here by myself," to be specific.

So the nurse gave us some great news last night, it looks like Collin will be coming home tomorrow!!! Wow. Just wow. MUCH sooner than expected, and definitely in time for September 2nd. Atta boy Collin. (this is, of course, assuming nothing funky happens tonight, but we're hopeful that he'll just continue keep getting bigger & better from here)

We'll give a play by play tomorrow for sure, with pictures... wow, what a wide range of emotions to be leaving the hospital for good.

By the way, today is the two month mark from when this whole little adventure began. A pretty fitting way to celebrate, I'd say! :)

Home sweet home! (part 1 of 2...)

Well, today was a big day! Emery came home today, much to the delight of Miles. He loves his baby sister "Em-err-ee" and loves giving her kisses on the head. Let's hope there is more love in the future and not so much resentment and jealousy... :)

Not sure what else there is to say, but we are SO grateful for faith and prayers on our behalf. It is SO good to have Emery home (although a little nerve wracking). Our (not so) little family is almost complete!

Now, Mr Collin will probably be in the NICU 1-2 more weeks. Although we saw how quickly things progressed over the last few days to have Emery home today, so I guess it could change in a hurry. But between you and me, I firmly believe Collin understands the importance of joining Miles and me at home for the evening of September 2. :)

So much can change in a few days...

Fact number 1: for some reason, premature girls do better than premature boys. Whether it's fewer setbacks, quicker development, etc. they just do better. We were told that repeatedly before the babies came, and have been reminded of it since. I don't know that it's been scientifically tested and proven in an official sort of way, but it's just generally accepted.

Fact number 2: in cases of twin births where there is some sort of "issue" like abruption, or leaking fluid or something like that, the baby that is in 'distress' does better than his/her sibling. The explanation being that the baby can sense birth is drawing near, and he/she almost just "gets ready" for the whole thing. The other baby, in the meantime, has no clue anything has gone wrong, and isn't quite as ready.

Well, you may see where I'm going with this - facts 1 & 2 both apply to our little princess Emery. So she may have been 'ahead' of Collin in some regards for quite some time, but these last couple days she has absolutely taken off. Amazing. They have removed the feeding tube from her nose, so she is taking all feedings by mouth now, and doing quite well! She's a very purposeful eater, you could say. She really goes after it, and has her milk all down in usually about 10 minutes. Then a few good burps and she's back to sleep! Very goal oriented, apparently.

In conversations with nurses over the last couple days, Emery's reports are all positive, and it's looking like she'll be able to come home by about the middle of this week!!! Holy smokes!!! That's so exciting we can hardly express how grateful we are. Well, grateful and a bit nervous about the whole "coming home" thing. :) She needs to get a few more things checked off in the next couple days (labs, hearing test, etc.) and then we'll be good to go! Wow.

Now, as for Collin, he has never been quite the direct, purposeful eater. He is a bit more social, looking around, falling asleep, etc. before remembering what he should be doing. Like Erin says, "he likes to look around the restaurant before digging in to his meal". He is more tired when eating, so he's a little more hit 'n miss - something that might be related to his PDA, they aren't exactly sure. He'll have another echo on his heart Tuesday, and they may be able to make definitive plans at that time.

So this week is shaping up to be an eventful one, thanks to our ambitious little princess. :) We continue to hope and pray that Collin will sort of just "turn a corner" but also remain very, very grateful that the issues he experiences are relatively minor to what others in the NICU may face.

Hearts, Breathing and learning to eat!!!

Ok, first the very good news:
Collin weighs 5 lbs 1.5 oz.
Emery weighs 4 lbs 9 oz.
Wow. Simply fantastic. They are doing so well! They have been learning how to nurse, and this week bottles were introduced, as they master the "infant trifecta" of sucking, swallowing and breathing. As they learn and get more comfortable with the whole thing, they'll occasionally have spells of "de-sat" (as in, oxygen desaturation), when they basically forget to breathe for a minute or two. Usually they pull themselves out, but Collin has had a few bouts this week where he didn't quite do it on his own very well. These little "episodes" are a little dicey. Obviously not a good thing.

So as Emery sort of plugs along, in spite of her PDA still being present, showing no negative signs, Collin is sort of under a closer watch. The medical staff is wondering if his oxygen episodes are related to the PDA, and slight enlargement of his left aorta (at least I think that's what it is properly called - Erin's not around to help me out! :) ). So they continue to weigh options of treatment later (like several months later), or medication now, similar to the Indocin treatment he had a few weeks back. Either way it's a little unnerving - we just hope everything can work together and he will eat & breathe well so he can continue to gain all important ounces!

Erin and I attended an infant CPR class tonight, which can cause a little anxiety in any parent. Breathing, choking, CPR - all sobering thoughts and we certainly hope we never have to apply that knowledge, but it's good to have just in case. We met a couple whose baby was born at 27 weeks and was 1 lb 11 oz. Wow. They are close to going home, which is fantastic. I don't remember their names, but props to them - we wish them all the best. Same with all the other parents of children in that great place. And yes, I do think it is a great place. Miracles happen there; lives are saved & changed there. Medical staff works wonders for parents and children alike. We truly are fortunate to be there.

Oh, and I suppose I should mention that tomorrow marks 5 weeks!!!!!

4 weeks. wow.

Yesterday marked 4 weeks. Very, very hard to believe. The twins have made great strides the last week and are doing very well.

They have gained a little bit of weight, they continue to hold their own temperature pretty solid, and are breathing well for the most part (neither requires any oxygen anymore, except for an occasional bout of "desaturation" where their breathing gets a little off kilter as they eat or something.

The eating has taken a big step forward this week... they have both begun to nurse, and are picking it up pretty well. There are certain times they are just too sleepy to eat - which, as hard as that may be to imagine, think of life if you had been eating and sleeping simultaneously for the last three weeks - "what, you mean I have to wake up now to eat!?!?!" :)

There are 4 stages of feeding, we are on the first. It's the longest, apparently... but basically the babies now need to coordinate sucking, swallowing and breathing. So far it's proving to be a tough little juggling act!

We are grateful to report they are doing so well... the date to come home (while not set yet) seems to be approaching, and is definitely surreal. We're grateful for these two little ones, and are extremely honored and privileged to have them in our family.

Tippin' the scales at...

(Emery on the left, Collin on the right)


... over FOUR pounds!!! :) That's right, Collin checks in at 4 lb 10 oz and Emery is now 4 lb 1 oz! What great news.

Tonight was a very easy going, very calm peaceful night. Emery and Collin were both wide awake for stretches, and it's fun to see them look around. I felt like it was less "new born glazed looking into the distance" and more "looking alertly around, towards the light, out the window, etc". SO fun.

I could write a whole long series of posts about the peace, tranquility and even reverence at the NICU. Tonight was no exception - just sitting in the rocking chair holding the babies one at a time while they were fed through their nose tube (I got to hold Emery while she was fed, and Uncle Dave held Collin). It's a peaceful experience. It's truly a wonderful place (granted, others may not feel the same way - I realize we have been extremely lucky to have had low stress, very few 'issues'. Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents there whose children are in surgeries, and struggle with various aspects of growth and development. We are blessed, and grateful for our good fortune). We owe a lot to the fantastic medical staff we have worked with up to this point.

Best lunch hour EVER!!!

So in the midst of a busy week, I popped down to the hospital during my lunch hour to see the babies and just sit & observe for a few minutes...

And much to my surprise, they had been moved to a different room, with a whole wall of east facing windows!!! Such a beautiful view of the mountains. But even better than that, when I walked in they were both in open cribs!!! Hooray!!! What a fantastic surprise!!!

They have moved out of their isolettes, and are wearing cute little footie pajamas, along with a warm knit hat. They have been there all day today (Collin made the move last night), and have been holding their temperatures very well. They of course will be monitored closely, but as long as they can hold their own body temperatures, this will be the permanent arrangement. We can pick them up whenever we like, and snuggle with them - I did that today at lunch while Collin had his feeding. Emery was sound asleep.

They are doing very well. Open crib, warm pjs - life is good! :) Both are breathing comfortably on their own, and are holding their food well (only occasional spit ups)... next they will start to learn how to nurse.

We are very blessed. We're glad they are doing so well.

Growth Labs...

Ok, first and foremost, HUGE congratulations to Aunt Katie and Uncle Chandler on their big wedding day, August 4th!!! So good. Fun to see family and friends, and feel (again) of the outpouring of love and support.

Yesterday and today they did "growth labs" on the twins, and it's about like it sounds -nothing too exciting.

As of today, Emery is 3 lbs 9 oz and Collin is 4 lb 2 oz. As of late we feel like Collin has caught up pretty well to Emery... he has been eating well, his systems are adjusting nicely, he's slowly been gaining weight (and losing some of the water weight he had retained). He's been more awake, more alert, etc. So fun to hold. Erin and I both got to hold him for a while on Sunday (and put some of us to sleep for a joint nap in the process, ahem...). Lots of fun.

So Emery's phosphorous levels were a little high today. What does that mean exactly? Well, that could potentially be an indicator of low bone density. Yes, the human body (and its development) continues to fascinate and amaze. It's just something they'll keep watching.

The curve ball of the day? Well, it turns out that in the 'echo' (heart ultrasound, basically) they did for Emery revealed that she too has a PDA. The very same thing we had been so concerned with for Collin, little sister has been hiding from us this whole time! :) The bad news is that she's a little past the age when they feel the medication (Indocin) is effective, so we'll just sort of wait it out and see if it closes itself. The good news is that as we have continually heard, she has had nothing close to any setbacks or distress or detrimental signs that would be discouraging.

So for now we continue to hope and pray that both their little hearts may somehow heal themselves (it could happen, we're told). Otherwise, it's probably some follow up with a pediatric cardiologist when they are 4-6 months old.

Long summer days...

Greetings on a beautiful summer Saturday... and by 'beautiful', I mean dreadfully hot. :)

The twins are doing great. Emery was called the "superstar of the NICU" by one nurse in their morning rounds, and she continues to thrive and hold steady as can be! The babies continually have their body temps monitored, and the isolette will automatically make temperature adjustments to warm them up a little if needed. Emery's temp has been holding steady to the point that now they are talking about getting her ready to come out of the isolette to be in a regular crib! As of today, she is even wearing a regular onesie/sleeper nightgown!

Collin is doing very well too. His breathing has been holding steady the last few days, thankfully, and he's begun eating a little more. His weight fluctuates a little bit more than Emery's, and at times he seems to retain a little water and his feet/face look a tad puffy. But we're told it's nothing to worry about too much, his body systems may just be adjusting and learning to work together.

Erin is able to make it over there to hold the babies each day, which is SO important. Time with mommy is, in my opinion, more important than anything else for their development. We're grateful to family and friends who help with Miles to make this possible.

Miles is home!

Big news of the day is actually separate from the twins... Miles came home from a wonderful week in Southern Utah with the Buntings. Zion, the cabin, and LOTS of fun. Erin and I have been able to spend good quality time at the hospital while he's been away, which has been nice, but it is SOOO fun to have him home. Huge props to Miles for handling everything so well - he loves seeing pictures of the twins, and when he was coming home with Erin this afternoon asked "will Collin be there?" Nope, unfortunately not yet. Soon though! Wait a second, did I just give props to a two year old? Yes sir.

Emery is still solid, feeding and growing. Collin has had some episodes lately where is sort of forgets to breathe. We're told it's not that uncommon, and even though he requires a little stimulation to pick up his normal breathing again (rubbing his back, tickling his feet, etc.) it doesn't seem to set off major panic among the nurses or medical staff. Certainly a little nerve wracking in my opinion, though! :) But he's done well the last 24 hours and has continued feeding, hopefully to catch up to Emery's "full feed" pattern in the next several days.

So all is well around here. We are grateful for that. Hard to believe they are almost two weeks old...

Thanks for continued faith and prayers on our behalf. Support of neighbors, ward members, family & friends has been humbling and very much appreciated.

Together in mommy's arms...

Ok, so the Indocin (sp?) Collin had received in six doses did not work in closing the PDA. So it remains. That's the bad news. The good news, though, is that one Dr had said it is "more of an annoyance than a problem" and Collin has not shown any negative signs - no distress, no struggling heart rates, etc. We're very grateful for that. So for now they'll check it every once in a while (including monitoring by the pediatrician when we get home), but probably it's something a cardiologist will check out when he's 3-4 months old and decide on a best course of action. So we continue to hope and pray that he will continue to remain positive and steady, free of any distress.

Emery is, as one Dr said, "on cruise control". Wow, what a blessing. We realize it could change at any moment, but for now she is feeding well, taking in more calories and slowly gaining weight. She LOVES to smile, and we think when she hears mommy's voice, she really does try to look at Erin and gives an occasional grin. So cute.

We are able to hold them now, and tonight the nurse even arranged things so Erin could hold them both at the same time. So fun. A little tricky with cords, lines and wires, but fun nonetheless. Emery slept and Collin was awake for a minute, but I like to think they were just a little bit more comfortable snuggled up close to their best friend once again. :)

Kangaroo Care

Last night was a wonderful night... Miles is having a blast at a family reunion in Southern Utah (HUGE thanks to all the Buntings for taking good care of him), so Erin and I went on a fun little date - dinner, then the NICU.

The big news of yesterday was that the umbilical line both twins had was taken out, which then allows us to hold the babies!!! More on that in a second, but here's a quick update: Emery has no more IV, simply a feeding line in through her nose; she's on a strict diet of mother's milk now, which is awesome. She rests peacefully and is back to her birth weight. Collin still needs an IV, because of the medication for his PDA. He'll keep it for a short time after the medication ends because he'll need to continue receiving IV fluids for nourishment as he slowly increases his feedings through his nose tube as well (they start slow through the nose tube, and gradually increase to make sure the baby will tolerate it well).

So, the best part of the night was getting to hold our little ones!!! Simply fantastic. There is a practice called "Kangaroo Care" (more info here). Basically, a parent holds an infant to his/her bare chest, and holds them close to maximize the 'skin to skin' interaction between parent and baby. It's a fascinating concept to me - and hearkens to the beautiful bond between parent & child. It's a really neat thing. Erin held Emery first, then we traded, I got to hold her for a bit (actually, I held her for a long time while they were doing some stuff for Collin). After Erin held Emery she held Collin for a few minutes, then the nurse decided it would be best to put his IV in a different spot, so they put him back in his isolette (incubator) to put in a new IV.

Ok, let's talk about that for a second - sticking a premature infant with an IV. I mean, I can barely comprehend poking an adult size vein successfully, let alone an infant with a vein that is TINY. Amazing. Big thanks to the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals who have helped us so much to this point. Great people, every last one.

Anyway, we will probably return regularly (daily, perhaps) to continue with the Kangaroo Care, as long as the babies tolerate it well. Emery did, by the way - laying on my chest and wrapped up, I laid back in the rocking chair recliner and she slept peacefully while keeping her vital signs steady. Heck, it almost put me to sleep too!

We'll find out more today or tomorrow about Collin's little heart, and if the medication is working. We sure hope so!

Hearts

For months and months, friends, family and other acquaintances have raved about the inseparable nature of twins. They'll sleep in the same crib, they'll play together all the time, they'll be each other's missing half. So I suppose I sort of figured that's how it would be in the NICU - same schedule, same pattern, same development, come home together... then a couple days ago someone (I honestly can't remember who) brought it to my attention that twins don't always go home from the NICU together - in fact, it's probably more common that they go home one at a time.

So I suppose it's a good thing that I've started to accept a little bit of that separation, because over the last couple days we have hit a little bit of a fork in the road. Nothing huge or dramatic or urgent, but a little fork nonetheless.

Emery is holding steady, moving along nicely - increased feedings, breathing strongly on her own, just resting nicely as she "feeds & grows".

Collin, on the other hand, has needed to go back on oxygen (granted, a very small amount), and has a PDA. Lest you think the only PDA is a hand held electronic device, please allow Wikipedia to explain here. It's apparently a common thing with premature babies - the 'duct' between heart and lungs doesn't close off properly, and it can slow the oxygen supply to the rest of the body (hence the oxygen) and lower blood pressure a little bit. We are fortunate, however, that Collin falls in an ideal age range and level of health (meaning, he's not in great distress and overall doing very well), so they have given him the first of three doses of a medication that "should close it" as the Nurse Practitioner told us tonight. There is a chance it may not, however, or it may just shrink... and it may be something that will be fixed either on its own or with some medical treatment in the first year or so of his life.

So for this rookie (and not medically-inclined) father, it can be a little disconcerting. We have been assured that it's not terribly uncommon, and Collin is showing no adverse affects, which is good. But, any extra faith and prayers on his behalf would be much appreciated.

Emery!!!

Collin!!!

In case you were curious...

Erin and I are spending this last night in the hospital enjoying a delicious fish taco or two from Rubio's (it's our fourth anniversay, after all, and fish tacos are Erin's favorite!)... we have been able to visit the twins a few times today and will probably go down one more time tonight. It's been a wonderful day to spend with them.

It occurred to me that many people probably have questions about our current state, so here's my best attempt to answer the most common ones:

Do the twins look alike? Do they have distinctive features?
They don't look a lot alike, their faces do look different (Emery's face is a little more long & narrow, Collin's nose is a little more "button nose-ish"). Collin has hair similar to Miles, but a bit darker, Emery is more bald. She looks a bit more feminine/petite (Erin insists Emery's mouth looks a LOT more feminine than Collin's) and is just a bit smaller in general.

Can you see their personalities? Do they "behave" differently?
They both cry a little bit - Emery moreso than Collin. Collin wiggles around a little bit more, Emery seems more content to lay in her little "nest" either on her side or on her back. They both wriggle around a little bit, with normal "newborn" type motions...

Can you touch or hold them?
They allow Erin and I to scrub up, and reach in to calm them, or help do little things like change diapers or take their temperature. If they start to fuss, we can reach in and place on hand on the top of their head, and one hand under their bottom to provide "containment" that helps them feel comfortable and secure. They like to hold their hands up close to their faces, so helping them keep their hands/arms clutched close to them is a good thing. Interestingly, they don't like to have arms/legs stroked, or feet tickled or anything - it's overstimulation; they just like a soft hand resting on them to help them feel "contained". They say that in a couple weeks, visitors who come to see them might be able to reach in and do the same.

How long will they be in the NICU (Newborn ICU)?
They say we should plan on having them here until their due date - which would be September 25th. BUT, if the babies are doing well, they may be sent home early (often times twins don't come home together, rarely is their progress exactly the same)... it depends on three things: 1) if they are continually putting on weight, 2) if they can keep their own body temperature outside the incubator, and 3) if they take all their feeding/nourishment orally, as opposed to through a feeding tube of any sort.

Do they open their eyes? Or are they just asleep the whole time?
For the most part, they are just asleep, even if moving their arms/legs a little bit. They'll rarely crack their eyes open to peek around, but obviously can't focus on any person or object. I think Emery has turned and opened her eyes a couple times in response to our voices, Collin just has some seemily random moments of cracking his eyes open every once in a while.

What's it like in the NICU? Are the nurses & doctors helpful, accomodating, etc?
It's a fascinating place. Very intense, lots of machines, computers, etc. around with nurses tending to them and checking them frequently. It's a little intimidating at first, but the medical staff has been VERY warm and welcoming each time we come to see the twins. They always answer questions, explain what is going on, teach us about what they are looking for and hoping to see, and encouraging us to participate as much as we feel comfortable. If we are sitting close to one of the babies and sort of getting in their way as they approach to do something, we say "oh, sorry let me get out of the way," to which the common response has been, "no no, they are YOUR babies, you are not in our way". What a wonderful sentiment. We are grateful to have such fantastic nurses to help us through this long journey ahead.

Things are good. Not much new to report - the babies are good. We are grateful for that.

Is there something you'd like to know? Feel free to ask! We are happy to share whatever people may be curious to know...

Getting settled in...

So, today we sort of embark upon this next phase of our adventure. Erin will be here in the hospital probably until Tuesday, and has felt very good all things considered. She has been able to get up and walk around, and take a couple wheelchair rides down to the NICU. She can get up and out of bed as much as she feels she's able, and is encouraged to do it as much as possible to facilitate recovery.

We went down to the NICU a couple times yesterday, then again this morning. Collin and Emery are doing very well. They are both now on "room air" meaning they breathe on their own (subject to change, they may be given oxygen in the future if needed), and are basically just getting acclimated to their new surroundings. They have an umbilical line for feeding & medicine, as opposed to a normal IV in a wrist/hand or something.

For this first little while, Erin and I are the only ones who can reach in to the "isolet" (aka incubator) to touch the babies... which is an absolutely fantastic experience. Last night Emery was squirming and fussing a little bit, so the nurse handed me a warm blanket and said "put this on her then rest your hand on top of her," which I did. As my hand rested on her, she calmed right down and went back to sleep. This morning the nurse had Erin change their little wet diapers (which neither really liked, but Emery was quite a bit more vocal - she cries a good amount, and pretty loudly for such a little one) and take their temperatures. Wow, what a neat experience. We are so grateful to be able to have that close human interaction with both babies.

The NICU is a fascinating place - sort of intense and overwhelming in some regards, but so far it has been SO good to have many attentive medical professionals (nurses, speech pathologists, neonatologists, nurse practitioners, etc) who have been wonderful in explaining things, teaching and helping Erin and me feel at ease. Collin and Emery are both in the same room, with beds probably 15-20 feet apart. One nurse cares for both of them all day long. We are grateful for such nurses, and their consistent monitoring.

I would imagine progress will be slow for now, and not too exciting, but we'll certainly keep apprised of any changes. We probably won't post pictures quite yet - we'll wait until they have fewer lines/chords, etc in them so everyone can appreciate how beautiful they are! :)

BABIES ARE HERE!!!! :)

Well, it's not exactly what we had expected, but early this morning I got "the call"... it was 6:00 am, Erin said she had been having contractions during the night, and was dialated, so they were going to prep her to delivery the babies via C section.

So I rushed over to the hospital to be with Erin, and by 6:40 they had her in the operating room, prepping for the C section. Everything went very smoothly, the doctors and nurses were absolutely phenomenal and kind (as they have been for the duration). So...

We are pleased to announce the arrival of (in this order):
Emery Jill Ence - 3 lbs 2 oz, born at 7:00 am
Collin Richard Ence - 3 lbs 11 oz, born at 7:03 am

They were taken quickly to the NICU, and I was just able to visit them a little while ago. Things are good, they are holding steady - all vital signs are positive and the nurses tending to them there are satisfied with their status.

Erin is doing great, just trying to catch up on some rest now... we'll have more information soon, and maybe some pictures of the babies. We are grateful that the next chapter of our little adventure seems to have started off very well.

Happy Birthday Miles!!!

Today is a big day. Miles turns two today. Amazing that exaclty two years ago we were having a similar (but also very different) experience.

Many people thoughtfully ask, "how is Miles doing with all this?" The truth is, he couldn't be happier. He is very lucky to have wonderful cousins, aunts, uncles and especially grandparents who love and support him, and have taken him different days - and even occasional sleepovers. So he is having a great time, and may be in for a bit of a shock when the babies come home. :) We are very, VERY blessed to have such a good (flexible/adaptable) little boy.

Things continue pretty steady around here. Erin will occasionally be wheeled down to the labor & delivery floor, for more careful/constant monitoring; so far the babies continue to have strong, steady heartbeats. Life is good.

Growing babies!!!

Today is a VERY good day. The usual commotion of non-stress tests, heart rate monitoring, fluid levels, etc did not change, but we (well, really just Erin and the babies...) had a much anticipated ultrasound today. So they did the usual ultrasound, and the doctor from the MFM (maternal fetal medicine) group that came to read/interpret the ultra sound happened to be an acquaintance of Erin's family, which is fun. He was absolutely fantastic. Answered so many questions, explained SO much, and made the experience positive for Erin... which we are grateful for.

So, the big news was they were able to measure the babies... little sister is now 2 lbs 13 oz and her brother is 3 lbs 12 oz!!! That's about a pound they've both put on since the previous ultrasound about two weeks ago. And just in case we would have been worried about the difference between the two, the Dr said "you have one normal sized baby, and one huge baby!" :)

What wonderful news, we are humbled and grateful that they are both doing well. The sonographer, and subsequently the Dr will try to look at as much as possible, and measure/record many features of each baby... they only ran into trouble briefly when measuring little girl's stomach, because her brother had his head/face shoved RIGHT in her belly!!! ha! And so the teasing begins...

The Drs have said that our next milestone is 32 weeks (July 31) - this is a date at which point numbers go way up in terms of baby survival, and way down in infections, problems, etc. So we'll let the countdown begin!!!

Windows on the Wasatch

Good evening,

We just returned from a lovely evening of fine dining at the cafeteria (aka "Windows on the Wasatch"). A nice little date, probably to become a weekly tradition - and in all seriousness, the burgers & chicken fingers were delicious!

Today is another milestone day - 29 weeks!!! As we are frequently reminded that every week (and to a lesser extent, every day) the babies can spend growing inside mommy is a victory, because they are better protected (from infection) and better nourished inside than they would be in the NICU. However, the Drs have felt confident all along that if the babies were to be born in the next short while, the prognosis would be good and the babies would not only survive, but succeed with some medical help.

The only update is a small, simple one - the babies are easier to track down and monitor because they don't wiggle as much, this means they are growing and gaining all important weight! It's a good thing for all involved!

It's hard to believe we have been here almost two weeks. In some ways it's gone by pretty quickly, in other ways (probably for Erin, mostly), it has dragged on.

Massage day!!!

The mere thought of a hospital stay that may last many weeks is daunting, to say the least. When a Dr says "mental health is something we are concerned about" it may be a sign that most don't handle it all that well. But if you don't mind my saying so, Erin is doing fabulous. She has kept her normal bright personality and had a great attitude about the whole thing (even making fast friends with another mother-to-be down the hall in a similiar situation - they have had lunch together and everything). We are blessed to be near such great medical facilities, which is very re-assuring. There is some good quality pampering going on too, which Erin very much deserves - a milkshake brought in the afternoons for a snack, and a massage today!

Babies continue to behave themselves very nicely. Heart rates are both strong and steady. The only change as of late is that they used to be in a sort of "T" shape, with girl pointing down and boy across the top. Now the boy has shifted more to his sisters side, so they are sort of parallel to each other, but a little offset with boy being a little higher. Doesn't mean too much, we're told, just something kind of interesting.

Thanks for continued thoughts and prayers!

Happy 4th (5th?) of July!

Gratefully, another uneventful day came and went today. It's fun to be able to spend a good chunk of a day with Erin, and many thanks to the endless love & support of our siblings & parents for all the wonderful help...

The daily routine seems to be this: a nurse, Dr/resident or other medical staffer comes in to monitor the babies for a set period of time... BUT little do they know when they enter our room, that they are in for quite a wrestling match! They start by holding a small "paddle" used for ultra sounds on Erin's belly right over one of the babies, and try to hold it in place with an elastic medical wrap over baby's heart to monitor for a while. Then they take another paddle to try to locate the other baby. This proves to be difficult, partially because they are so close together that it's hard to tell if the second paddle is on the other baby or the same baby, but even more so because that baby wiggles around a lot as the medical staffer gives chase, and by the time that baby is caught and being watched, baby #1 has moved and is now "off the radar"! :) It's great fun, as they tease all of us and wiggle around a lot. Ok these trained medical professionals may not find it so amusing, but we find it fun to know that they are doing very well and have a bit of a sense of adventure! (yes, insert "boy you guys are really in for it once they are born" comment here __________________)


Babies are good, Erin is great. We'll check in again soon!

28 Weeks!!!

Yesterday was a landmark day. We have heard from Drs, nurses, etc. that while we should feel fortunate that this didn't all happen at 24 weeks or so, it's much better for the babies to last until 28 weeks, and even better than that if they last until 29 weeks, and so on.

So Saturday marked the official 28 week mark. Miles got to come over and watch Nemo, and sit in mommy's bed with her a little bit (not to mention enjoy some snacks that family and friends have given). As he and I were driving home to go to bed, he said, "Where's mommy?" When I responded that she was going to sleep at the hospital, he thought for a second and replied, "I sleep at the hospital for a minute?" He loves mommy, and doesn't yet seem too concerned about any of this, but I think he can sense there is some sort of new arrangement.

Erin was able to go down the hall last night with some of her fellow patients and catch some of the fireworks across the valley. As for Miles and me, any celebration of the 4th of July sort of came and went without any fanfare... :)

After the pattern of a popular football coach, we gratefully declare that "the best thing about being 28 weeks along is the chance to be 29 weeks along..."

Field trips!

Thursday evening, all is well. Beautiful hot summer weather outside, and just hanging out with Erin in the cool hospital room is quite nice. We're grateful that we can just hang out for a few hours in the evening (thanks Grandmas for watching Miles!).

Today Erin took what will be the first of many, many daily 'field trips' down stairs to get checked out. It's a 'non-stress-test' officially, but basically they are checking heart rates, breathing and movement of the babies, as well as fluid levels of each. Today went especially well - the nurse happened to catch the boy in the midst of feverish movement (he was sort of heart to catch, his own little game of tag, which was fun...) and then caught little girl in a "breathing excercise" - where a little baby will literally breathe noticably harder just for the practice. So the nurse was very encouraged by that, noting that movement and breathing is a sign of good healthy babies. Very good news.

So Erin will continue to be tested one every day - a daily field trip if you will - and checked various other times to make sure her vital signs are good, and the babies are still maintaining good solid heartbeats.

I'll say it over and over, we are humbled and grateful at the outpouring of love and support. We really are grateful.

(If posts taper off from a once-a-day pattern, it's just because there isn't anything new to report - that's a good thing. We'll give some updates, but if you don't hear for a day or so it's just because "no news is good news!")

Movin' on up!!!

We talked with our Dr first thing this morning, and followed up with a conversation with the MFM (Maternal Family Medicine) resident, who was very helpful.

Basically, the Dr reaffirmed some things we already had been told, and said he wanted to get the ball rolling for a "delivery plan" for how best to deliver these babies whenever they do decide to come. He said that Erin will be monitored for presence of infection, and for labor/contractions (at this point, if she does go into labor, they will just help the babies come, not try to stop it).

But for the big news of the day: Erin will get to move upstairs!!! She is no longer in a temporary labor & deliver room, but rather a more permanent, more comfortable room for mothers in similar situations. There will be daily consulting with MFM, her Dr, and daily ultra sounds & non-stress tests. All the while we continue to hope that the babies decide to wait as long as possible to join our little family - which will then turn into a not-so-little family. :) Best case scenario is the babies hang on until 34 weeks (about August 13), then decide to come - although that's a pretty daunting hospital stay for Erin, so there's some good and bad to all scenarios.

We feel blessed to be surrounded by love and support, and express our sincere appreciation to nurses & doctors in the labor and delivery unit who have helped us to this point.

Erin continues to feel good, and babies' vitals are still stable. It's a sort of comfortable holding pattern for now, but we recognize things could change quickly.

Slow day = good day :)

Turns out our Dr didn't make it in to work today because of a personal situation... if there was an emergency, they would call him in, but otherwise Erin & babies are just closely monitored for any potential changes. Heart rates are consistent and strong for both babies, which is wonderful. Erin has taken antibiotics to prevent infection, and some steriods to help the babies' lungs develop in case of early delivery.

So today has been a wait and see kind of day, still here in the labor and delivery unit of the hospital. We expect that after consulting with the Dr first thing tomorrow morning we'll be able to move Erin to a permanent room on another floor in the hospital, where we will wait this thing out.

What exactly are we waiting for, you ask? Great question. There are three basic reasons they would deliver the babies (urgently, if necessary): 1) presence of infection, 2) babies in distress, 3) mother goes into labor. If any of these three things occurs, they would help deliver the babies the best way possible. So we are essentially waiting for any of these things, and hoping & praying that none of the three comes about any time soon.

As hard as it is to face the prospect of sitting in a hospital bed for weeks, Erin is doing great. She feels good, can eat normally, and can get up to use the restroom or shower. So it's like "bed rest with privileges". She's a champ.

And so it begins...

We are expecting twins, one boy and one girl. They are due to arrive September 25th (making us 27 weeks along at the commencement of this blog). Sunday afternoon, June 27th, we came to the hospital... it turns out the sac for our little girl has been leaking fluid.

So we are now checked in to the hospital, and it appears Erin will be here for the duration of the pregnancy. How long that pregnancy will last is the million dollar question at this point - you see, babies born at 27 weeks generally do ok, we've been informed by the neonatalogist. Regardless of when they arrive, however, it's also safe to expect that our little babies will spend some significant time in the NICU. We are sort of in "wait and see" mode right now, with the Drs hoping that the babies will stay free from infection and distress as long as possible. Every day that passes before birth is a small victory.

Our babies, at this point in time are about 2 lbs 12 oz (boy) and 1 lb 15 oz (girl). Their heart rates are in a normal range, and are holding steady. This is not an 'urgent' or 'emergency' situation, but one that we just need to wait out.

So I (Scott speaking) will try to give pertinent updates as often as I can - daily if possible - and maybe some pictures at an appropriate time. We want to express love and appreciation to family and friends (especially parents & siblings) for the immediate outpouring of love and support. We are very grateful!