Dave's Vlog 4/27

I wanted to start contributing more on the blog & decided that a vlog might be a better way to do that.

Here is the first installment!

Follow me to the girl's hospital room to meet Madeline & Amelia!

- Dave

Mini Update

Fabulous news from the girl's doctor today.  At two weeks old, head ultrasounds showed both girls had possible grade 1 brain bleeds. Yesterday's scan showed that all issues have resolved themselves & they won't need to scan them again!  This is a huge weight off our shoulders!

{Madeline}

Amelia also hit another milestone...she is 5 pounds! Well 5 lbs 2 oz to be exact! She is up to 3-4 bottles or breastfeeding a day & her sister is up to 4-6.

 {Amelia working with the OT}

 {Amelia working with the OT}

The anticipation of having them home is almost harder to handle than all the worry at the beginning of their stay. We know they are so close to making it!

Birthdays

Today is my birthday. The big 3-0. The dirty 30. 

I certainly don't feel 30 & it doesn't feel like my birthday.

Dave took me out to dinner. I ate too much.

And I made a wish when I blew out the candle on my dessert.

You already know what I wished for.

We Are One Month Old!

{Madeline}  

 {Amelia}

{Caught a little smile from Maddie!}

Are We There Yet?

We are starting to get antsy because we want the babes home so badly.

But we know how important it is for them to learn how to feed properly, so we sit patiently and wait.  We visit the babes daily, feed them, and snuggle them in our arms.  It's absolutely wonderful seeing them grow day by day. No longer do they look like the fragile little babes that were born almost a month ago!

The twins have yet again had an awesome week. Amelia's echocardiogram on Monday showed that her PDA valve was smaller!! They are now very confident that it will close on it's own. The cardiologist won't do another scan till just before she goes home.

Madeline hit an amazing milestone on Saturday & is now 5 pounds!! We couldn't be more ecstatic. She is becoming more alert when we feed her & she also likes to have play time with us after. Amelia on the other hand likes to have a good snooze post feeding.  Although she has been on the diuretic for her PDA, she still continues to gain weight & is 4 lbs 12 oz.  I can see her hitting 5 pounds in the next few days!

Both girls have had on & off days with feeding, but as the week progressed, it seems like we are having more on that off.  They are now 35 weeks & apparently that's when a lot of feeding cues kick in.  The girls are now up to 3-4 feeds a day from the breast or bottle.  They have also had their tube feeds lowered from an hour and a half all the way down to thirty minutes.  As long as they can keep the spits away, then they will continue at this rate. The idea here is to make them hungrier for feeds off the tube. Once the tube is obsolete, these babes will be on their way home!

Today I let the girls know that a perfect birthday present to me would be their discharge from the hospital.  But in all reality, I am hopeful that they will be home in the next couple weeks!

Feeding & Growing

Both girls have had a great week & are really starting to gain weight. Madeline is now up 1 pound since birth! She weighs 4lbs 9oz & Amelia is 4lbs 6oz. Their little preemie diapers are starting to get too small!

Dad on diaper duty

Right now we are really excited that Amelia is gaining weight, since she is on a diuretic for her heart murmur. {This could cause her to maintain or lose weight} Her echocardiogram last week showed that her PDA valve has not yet closed, & in fact looked larger. They will check again tomorrow to see if it has improved at all this past week, as they can still hear the murmur.

caught a little smile

We have been working hard on breastfeeding. Right now they can feed from me or a bottle twice a day, & I'm hoping that this can get bumped up to more sessions soon.  The closer they are to getting their feeding tubes out, the closer they are to going home! Both girls have their shining moments in the eating department, while on other days, they just play around or snooze.

In certain light both girl's hair looks strawberry blonde

We have a checklist of all the things the girls must be able to do/or have done. So far only two things have been checked off. Dave & I have taken the infant CPR test & both girls have passed their hearing exam. Hopefully this week we can really make a dent in that checklist. The Braves season has started & these girls need to be home watching the games with us!!

A week in pictures

The girls have had a pretty good week! We are really working hard on feeding & growing. We want these girls home with us!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from the girls!

By the time we took those pictures, we had already fed & played with the girls for the day, so they were way passed out.

We didn't spend our Easter like most. No church, no family brunch beheading a lamb cake @ Carranor Hunt & Polo Club {a Winder family tradition}, & no Easter egg hunts. Instead we went to visit our beautiful babes in the hospital. 

We got the good news today that Amelia is now 4 pounds!! Madeline is almost there at 3 lbs 15.2 ounces. Both girls are getting some protein & calorie additives to my breast milk, so that should fatten them up nicely in the coming weeks. The girls have been attempting bottle & breast feeding. Maddie has picked it up a little quicker than Amelia, but both are showing great progression.

eating is hard work!

Maddie worked on breastfeeding today & did a great job. Even after she was through, she still wanted some time with her paci. This girl sucks so loud, all the nurses can hear her at their station around the corner. Pro! 

Well it wasn't like most people's Easter, but we still enjoyed every minute!

Wait & See

The girls have had truly an amazing week. They were moved up to the 7th floor, where they focus on feeding & growing. With some hard work, the girlies next step should be home!

The doctor calls them the top of their class. They are eating more, gaining weight, and no longer need to be in the isolettes for temperature regulation. The best part is...they are wearing clothes!! 

Both girls have now had their first bottles & in the next few days will work on the breast. At this age they have to learn how to breath & eat at the same time. Right now they will eat and forget to breath, so we help them out a bit by pulling the bottle out after about 3 sips. 

With all this progress, there are some "wait & see" type issues both girls are dealing with. Basically the doctors & nurses have explained to me that "it could be nothing" or "it should heal on its own." Not the most reassuring language to a fretting new mother, but I have to take their word for it. Both girls have a possible grade 1 brain bleed, Amelia still has a murmur, & they are watching the growth of Amelia's skull {in hopes that the bones are not fusing together too quickly}. All are conditions that can heal themselves, but all can also cause serious harm to the girls. So for now we wait & see...

In good news, the girls are also more alert, playful & sometimes cranky. See below :)

Thank you Aunt Rachel for our cute outfits!

Mornings

I get really excited for mornings. That's when the doctor calls & tells me the news of the day for our two babes. They have been doing so well lately, it's such a nice reassurance when the doc calls & let's me know how they are progressing.

Madeline is now IV free!! Which means that she has been eating enough & doesn't need extra help.  They hope that Amelia will be in the same place by the end of today or tomorrow.  We've been able to get the girls out a lot more & do skin to skin. This has to be my favorite time of day. Both girls saw the OT recently, & have moved up to Stage 3. They have more voluntary movements, they like staring at faces & a few other things which I have already seemed to have forgotten.  Amelia still has her murmur, but the doctor is still waiting for it to heal itself.  Hopefully the next step will be the get these girls nice & fat! When they are ready we will start feeding through the breast & bottle.

The NICU has also seemed to have quieted down this week. We were happily informed that tonight Madeline will be finally moved next to her sister!

It's tough having babes in the NICU, but at least we have Maddie around to make us giggle...