Madeline and Violet

*** To view the professional pictures taken at the hospital, go to www.bellababyphotography.com.  The password is 0505woodintwins.

They’re home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Where do I even begin?!  It all started on Wednesday evening, when both girls took it upon themselves to pull out their own feeding tubes.  Nurse Jenny said that she walked over to their cribs, and they both had pulled out their tubes at the same time.  It’s literally as if they were communicating in some sort of “secret twin code!”  They were plotting their escape from the hospital (not that they haven’t received the absolute best care in the world, but they were anxious to see their houseJ).  This act was truly the turning point.  Rather than stick the tube back in, the nurses felt that we could wait until they proved they needed it before reinserting it.  The girls were determined to surprise us all; once it was out, there was no turning back.  The major hurdle they had to overcome was to take all feedings by mouth.  Without the feeding tube, they had no choice but to rise to the occasion.

The past couple of days proved to be very exciting, as we found ourselves cautiously optimistic about a possible weekend homecoming.  By Saturday morning, it was confirmed; the girls would come home on Father’s Day.  I’m pretty sure the gift of bringing our girls home will pretty much trump any future Father’s Day presents Frank will receive for life; no matter how sweet the tie or how expensive the round of golf may be!

The girls had to pass their car seat tests, which Madeline did on the first try (show offJ) and Violet was able to do on round two.  They had to sit in a car seat for an hour without having a spell; they basically had to prove that they could maintain their breathing and heart rate while in that position. They then had their hearing test and Madeline had another follow-up head ultrasound.  Madeline’s brain bleed is slowly breaking down as we hoped it would.  She’ll have a final ultrasound in a month, at which time it should be resolved.  They’ll also have a follow-up eye exam in a month to ensure that their eyes have continued to develop as they should.  Considering they should technically still be in my womb for another month, I have to say that they are doing fan-freaking-tastic!

Walking into the hospital this morning was surreal to say the least.  The halls have become as familiar as our own home.  While we’ll greatly miss the nurses who have become our friends, we’re so happy that we won’t have to make the trips back and forth, multiple times a day, just to see our babies.  The first feeding while at home was a bit stressful!  We’re used the routine that we’ve established at the hospital.  Now we have to establish all new routines…yikes!  I think Frank had to tell me to relax at least 8 times during their feeding.  No exaggeration.

The grandparents and Uncle Jon came over today to celebrate.  I think there were perhaps 10 minutes over the course of the afternoon in which we didn’t talk about the babies!  In fact, much time was spent simply staring at their cuteness in silenceJ, which was only broken by us laughing at their funny faces and gestures.

Now, it’s just us.  Our family.  The past 7 weeks were undoubtedly the hardest weeks of our lives.  Many tears were shed, and nails bitten as we continued to tell ourselves that in the end, it will all work out, and that someday it will all be but a story to tell.  I actually used to find it hard to walk into their nursery.  It was a reminder that they weren’t home.  Right this moment, I can hear the sound of hiccups (they ALWAYS have the hiccups!), and it’s the greatest sound I’ve ever heard.  While our hands are certainly full, our hearts are literally overflowing with love.  I’ve always heard people say that it’s truly impossible to describe the way you feel about your child; there’s simply no way to express how much love you have for them.  I never doubted this truth.  But I now can say I understand it.

We thank God for protecting our girls during this journey and surrounding them with angels (NICU nursesJ).  Tonight, amidst the late-night feedings and the anxiety over whether or not they’re too hot or too cold, I know that we will have the best night sleep we’ve had in a very long time.

Yes, that’s right…the girls have officially graduated from isolettes to open cribs (basically what a healthy baby is placed in after birth in the nursery)!  So far, they are doing really well in their new digs:).  They’re maintaining their temperatures and still continuing to gain weight like champs.  In fact, they are now each 4 lbs 6 oz!

The nurses said that this weekend, they may try to stop the caffeine doses they each receive.  The caffeine stimulates their breathing, and thus helps to reduce the number of spells they have.  They’ve drastically reduced the number of spells they have each day.  Some days, they have a couple or none at all.  We’ll see if they can hold their own without the assistance of caffeine.  Fingers crossed!

Today is daddy’s birthday!  The fact that they’re doing so well lately is the greatest birthday gift ever.  The girls (with the help of the nurses:)) made him a really cute card.  They even had a “photo shoot” this morning.  The girls of course looked adorable, with white bows in their hair and matching outfits.  So cute! 

They’re progressing with their feedings too.  Each day we practice nursing and bottle-feeding.  They still get a lot of feeding via their NG (nose) tube, but each day their cheeks get stronger (and more kissable:)) and their sucking reflex improves.  They have to master taking food via their mouths before they can go home.  This is certainly a challenging task for them, but they’re doing their best:).

The girls are one month old today!  At times, I feel like this month has flown by, but other times I feel like it was a lifetime ago that we were meeting our little munchkins for the first time.  I haven’t posted an update in a few days for the simple fact that there hasn’t been much to provide updates on; this is a good thing!  They have been extremely stable lately.  We don’t walk into the NICU on pins and needles anymore, afraid we’ll get a status report that is less than ideal.  While we certainly don’t take for granted their progress, and we don’t assume we’re out of the woods just yet, we are immensely grateful that our prayers are being answered, and the girls are thriving.  In fact, I’ve overheard the doctors use the phrase “growing and thriving” on more than one occasion when doing their rounds:).  Very cool.

They must know it’s their birthday, because they are having a GREAT day!  Violet has officially broken 4 lbs!  Something about 4 lbs sounds so much better than 3 lbs 15 oz!  Madeline will likely cross the 4 lb threshold tomorrow, so she’s not far behind.  They have started to nurse a little bit this week as well.  I’m convinced they’re geniuses (Mensa may have two new members:)), because they’ve really excelled in such a short period of time, and at such an early age (they’ll be 34 weeks on Monday).  This morning, Violet took 20 ml of her 35 ml feeding while nursing…that’s huge!  Madeline took 16 ml of her feeding as well.  We’ll now start to incorporate the bottle too, which means that in the coming weeks they won’t rely on the nose tube for their feedings anymore.

They’re looking and acting much more like healthy little babies every day.  They have cheeks and butts now:).  Chubby thighs and buddha bellies are right around the corner!  Well, that may be a ways away, but compared to where they started, they’ve made considerable progress with their weight. 

Happy birthday to Madeline and Violet!

So much has happened since the last post!  Violet’s cannula has remained out:)…I’m thinking that at this point, it’s out for good.  Let’s hope she doesn’t prove me wrong.  She still has several spells each day, which is frustrating.  What’s even more frustrating, is that it’s hard to accurately diagnose what causes the spells.  She’s not entirely consistent!  The Prevacid does seem to help, and overall, she’s better than she was a week ago.  Perhaps this is just something she’ll have to grow out of.  The doctor mentioned that she may actually get sent home with a monitor.  We shall see…

They’re both right around 3 lbs 8 oz, and continue to look less and less “fragile” with each passing day.  I especially enjoy kissing their little cheeks:).  They’re each eating a full oz of milk with each feeding, which is the normal amount for babies of their size.  They no longer have the IV’s, so they’re much less “connected” now.  The only gadgets they’re hooked up to are their feeding tubes and the monitors that gauge their heart rate, oxygen levels, pulse, etc.  When I think back to where they started…wow.

This week was full of tests:

• They had their first vision test, which went well.  They couldn’t read the last line on the chart, but who really can?!  Just kidding:)  They simply test their overall eye health to ensure that there was no damage to their retinas, broken blood vessels, etc during delivery.  They’ll get tested again in two weeks to monitor their development.  As one would imagine, their eyes are still very much developing at this point.
• Violet had another Echo Cardiogram on Tuesday.  They were starting to hear a murmur again, so we were concerned that her PDA (open valve issue) was back.  This was a hurdle we thought we had crossed off the list.  The good news is that it is not a PDA, but rather a small murmur that is common in preemies.  There’s no corrective course of action needed, so we’re not overly concerned.  This, like many other issues, will likely be something she’ll grow out of as she gets bigger and stronger.
• Madeline had another head ultrasound yesterday.  She has had a small brain bleed (level 1 on a scale of 1-4) since birth.  A level one generally fades over time, with no lasting complications.  She’s still hovering right around the level 1 mark- I was really hoping it had resolved itself by now-but the doctor said it’s slowly starting to break down.  They’ll do a couple more follow-up ultrasounds in the coming weeks to monitor the bleed.  Whenever the doctor says “I’m not really worried about it,” we can breathe easier:).  He’s not worried about her bleed.

Last night, the nurses put both girls in one isolette for awhile (see picture); it was precious!  Madeline was passed out, but Violet was wide awake at first; sizing up the new baby that had joined her in her crib.  It was the first time we got a solid look at the two of them side by side.  Yep-they’re identical.  Yikes…

When we arrived this morning, we were really excited to see that Violet’s nasal cannula has once again been removed!  She’s definitely still having spells, but we’re hopeful that she can remain off of the cannula for good.  Her precious little face is too cute to get covered up by that thing:).  This evening, they also switched out the feeding tube in her nose to a smaller one.  This should theoretically allow for more air flow; thus reducing the number of spells.  We’re keeping our fingers crossed!

As of this morning, both girls are just under 3 lbs 6 oz.  Every ounce is reason to celebrate!  Little by little they’re filling out.  They’re currently drowning in preemie clothes, but I dream of the day when I’ll be complaining to Frank that all of their clothes are too small!  They’re in clothes every day now, which is also exciting.  They look more like healthy little babies when they’re clothed, versus patients in a hospital.

They’re now on clear fluid in their IV’s, which means that their lines should come out either tomorrow or Tuesday.  They’re rapidly approaching 30 cc’s (1 oz.) a piece at each feeding.  That may not seem like much, but when you consider the fact that during their first few days in the NICU, they were getting 1-2 cc’s at each feeding, you realize just how far they’ve come:).

It’s really amazing how many things they do alike!  They’re both exactly 3lbs 4 oz, which is great.  Their faces are definitely starting to fill out, and the tape on their arms that holds the IV in place is actually starting to look snug.  Even though they’re both having some feeding issues, we’re happy to see that they’re gradually gaining weight. 

Both girls’ feedings were increased today; Madeline is at 21 cc’s, and Violet is at 19 cc’s.  The doctor said that hopefully we’ll be able to remove the IV’s in the next two to three days.  We’re praying this happens!  It’ll be one less piece of equipment hovering around them.  They think that Violet may have an acid reflux issue, which is contributing to her spitting up and thus her spells.  She’s still struggling with the spells, while Madeline has drastically reduced them.  Last night, they started Violet on Prevacid, which does seem to be helping.  Yesterday she had 11 spells, but as of this morning, she had only had 4.  We’ll see if this does the trick…

Lately, we’ve been able to have some great family time with them.  The past two nights we were able to each hold one of them while sitting in the nurturing room.  It’s nice and peaceful, and gives us time to actually feel like a family:).  We’re able to read to them and laugh together at the funny faces and sounds they each make.  Madeline is the ham when it comes to facial expressions, and Violet snores…yes, snores!  It’s pretty cute!

Every day they go through various screens and evaluations; so far so good.  We have some big ones coming up next week.  They’ll have their eyes checked on Tuesday and Madeline will have a follow-up head ultrasound in about a week.  She still has a small brain bleed that they’re monitoring to ensure it heals itself.

It’s failry quiet in the NICU lately-lots of babies have gone home.  I tend to find this exciting and heartbreaking at the same time.  It reminds me that someday, we too, will get to take our little girls home.  But it also makes me very envious.  Patience has never been one of my virtues!  Given the girls’ early arrival, I think they’ve inherited this flaw of mine:).

Last night the girls moved into a smaller, less fancy isolette.  Even though their condition hasn’t really changed, the fact that they don’t need all the bells and whistles of their original isolettes is great!  It was, in a way, a graduation of sorts:).  As we thought would likely happen, Violet is back on her oxygen cannula, as a result of her having several spells the night before.  It’s a low flow cannula versus a high flow cannula, so it’s certainly not a major step back by any means.  Madeline seems to be doing really well without her cannula, so we’re hopeful that she’s off it for good.  Perhaps she can teach her sister how to follow suit!

Madeline has been struggling a little bit in her feedings the past couple of days.  For whatever reason, she was spitting up a lot, so her feedings weren’t being increased as Violet’s were.  Today however, they did increase her feedings and she seems to be tolerating it much better.  Madeline’s now at 13 cc’s,  and Violet is at 17 cc’s.  We get excited to see their feedings increase, since the sooner they tolerate higher amounts of milk, the sooner they’ll be off the IV’s that are currently providing supplemental nutrients.  That’ll then be one less piece of equipment that they’re dependent on.

I had a great visit with the girls today!  I was able to have kangaroo (skin-to-skin) time with both of them!  I was even able to sit in the nuturing room, which is a private room off of the NICU versus sitting bedside.  It was wonderful!  For a couple of seconds I even got to hold them both at the same time.   They were reunited face to face for the first time since birth:)!  Madeline was wide-eyed and staring at Violet-so cute!  (pictures posted)

They also had their first physical therapy evaluation today.  They seem to be right about where they’re expected to be at the ripe old age of 31 weeks.  Their reflexes look good; we just need to work on their ability to self-contain (draw their arms and legs toward their torso).  This is very common with premature babies, so they’ll be evaluated over the next few weeks just to ensure they’re making progress.

When we got to the hospital this morning, we were so happy to see that both Madeline and Violet had their oxygen cannulas (nose tubes) removed!  Dr. Fischer said to take some pictures, since they may have to go back on them, but for now he wanted to test their ability to breath totally on their own.  Frank got to hold Violet and I held Madeline; both girls maintained their breathing just fine.  I’ll go back later this afternoon, hopefully to find that they are still cannula-free.  Even if they go back on it, they will have at least made progress.  Even the slightest progress still counts as progress:).

They’re slowly increasing their feedings.  Violet’s up to 14 cc’s and Madeline’s hovering safely around 10 cc’s.  If they were further devolved, they’d be having 25-30 cc’s at each feeding.  The remaining cc’s are supplemented via an IV, so they’re of course still getting all the nutrition they need.  Hopefully in a couple of weeks, we may be able to try bottle feeding.  For now, they have a feeding tube.

While identical, they are definitely starting to develop their own personalities.  Madeline is fairly chill and mellow (kind of like Frank), and Violet can be a bit feisty (no idea where that comes from:)).  Violet squirms her way out of her blanket boundary, often scooting little by little until she finds a position she deems comfortable (she was “baby A” while in the womb, and was far more active than Madeline).  Violet also gets the hiccups a lot - again, a trait she exhibited well before birth).  Madeline spends most of her time looking very peaceful.  When she’s awake, she’s extremely alert, but never gets very fussy.  It’ll be interesting to see how their personalities develop as the weeks progress.

When the girls were born, Madeline weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs 14 oz, and Violet weighed 2 lbs 13 oz.  As of today, Madeline is now 2 lbs 15 oz and Violet is 3 lbs!  While this sounds insignificant, it’s actually really exciting!  Babies can loose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first few days post birth.  The girls have each gotten past the initial weight loss, and are now slowly starting to get some meat on their bones:).

Both girls are currently off of the bili light for now.  They tend to go on and off; often taking turns.  The bili light helps to reduce the number of bilirubins in their blood.  Given their prematurity, they’ll likely go on and off the light for a few weeks.  Aside from the fact that they have to wear a mask to cover their eyes, this is a pretty noninvasive procedure.  We think that the girls are simply natural-born stars, thus they can’t keep themselves out of the spotlight:)!

Yesterday Frank got to have Kangaroo time with Violet (skin-to-skin) contact while being held.  It was so sweet.  I’m hoping I’ll get to do the same perhaps tomorrow.  Violet kept her body temperature up the entire time!  Maintaining body temperature is another one of the hurdles the girls have to jump over before they can get out of the isolette and into an open-air crib.  Madeline is also doing well with her temperature; they both need less support while in the isolette.  One hurdle at a time…we’re hoping they can come home some time near the end of June.

The NICU nurses made adorable posters for each of the moms.  Each poster featured a picture of their baby and a special “I love you mommy” message.  For my poster, they managed to get both girls in the same photo, eyes open, with cute pink bows in their hair!  This was also the first day we saw Violet’s full face.  She had been hidden by the ventilator and CPAP.  Needless to say, walking into the NICU that day was extremely overwhelming!  We were quite emotional!  To top it all off, we got to hold them for the first time!  The nurses have to jump through so many hoops to facilitate holding your child, but they know just how much that means to the parents.  They’re so supportive and caring.  There are so many wires and alarms they have to maneuver around, but they make it look effortless.  Feeling the girls in our arms for the first time was priceless.   It certainly wasn’t how we had initially pictured spending our first mother’s day, but seeing their faces and getting to hold them was the best gift imaginable.  Who needs a fancy mother’s day brunch and flowers?!  This was far better…