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.