Pokey, But Oh So Cute!!

Avery and Aubrey are now 4 weeks old (wow, where does the time go?!) and are 36 weeks gestation today. While we were hoping to share with you that our girls have made progress in the bottle feeding department, it appears that our girls are a little pokey....but they are so darn cute you can hardly blame them for not hurrying up to get home! They both now are offered two bottles a day and they definitely are learning that eating from the bottle is much more tiring than getting fed by the tube. Although they are pretty content being fed by the tube, we are hopeful every day that the "light might turn on" and they will start taking the bottles one after another. Avery is a little more pokey when it comes to bottle feeding...she has only taken two full bottles all together, but we know that it is all just a matter of time. Aubrey has completed a few more bottles than Avery and has had several chances to nurse this week, although once again, a little pokey with that type of feeding experience too!! However, rest assured, if these babies are anything like their parents, they will learn to love to eat! Once again, we really hope that this coming week is the big week that they start to make progress with bottle feeding--an important part to be discharged to home!!

Both the girls are doing very well and we are so thankful for every day that they are healthy. Both Avery and Aubrey are treated for reflux, which is commonly seen in premature infants. Aubrey continues to be treated with caffiene for her spells with holding her breath. She will be coming home on a monitor and we hope that Avery is able to get away without one. I wish we knew when they were coming home--but it is all up to them. As I have learned through the pregnancy and this bottle feeding experience--it is not on my time and they already rule the roost when it comes to their own schedules! They better get it out of their system now, because we are huge supporters of a schedule--Baby Wise here we come!!

This week the girls have really taken off in the growth department. Both girls have double chins and Avery is pushing a triple chin!!! Avery is now 4 pounds and 15.5 ounces (just shy of 5 pounds!) and Aubrey is now 4 pounds and 7.6 ounces (just shy of 4 1/2 pounds!). They have really packed on the weight and and it is amazing to see how much bigger they seem this week. Avery is actually even starting to feel "heavy!" Both girls are still sporting their beautiful "preemie clothes" and probably will remain in these clothes for a few more weeks until they can move into newborn size clothes.

Both girls are getting quite a reputation in the NICU. Despite being careful not to eat offensive foods, they have some serious stinky diapers, and many of them!!! It is pretty much a daily event to quarantine the trash can that the girls diapers go into...they might be small, but their smell is mighty!!! Aubrey especially has been known to have several explosions, both on nurses and doctors--she better get that out of her system now!!

We have a few pictures to share this week and hope you will enjoy them. 



Thank you Jodi for these beautiful boppy covers with the monogramed names. What a special gift that I love!

The next few pictures are new decorations in the nursery, which is coming together piece by piece:)

 Avery:

Check out my double chin! 

 This is what I think of bottle feeding--simply exhausting!

 Avery loving her time in daddy's arms.

 We catch a glimpse of her eyes open--a rare occasion after a bottle feeding attempt!

Oh so pretty. Seeing if we like a side part in our hair. Sure beats the crazy bed head that is her norm!

So precious is all that comes to mind.

Aubrey:

I'm getting a double chin too, but just everything about me is a bit smaller. I'm small but mighty-don't you worry!

Checking us out while she enjoys her time being held.

She is starting to get some crazy bed head like her sister. Look how much her face has filled out in this picture.

 This picture and the following picture show Aubrey sacked out after her nursing attempts. She looks like she just ran a marathon!



Our Own Little Movie Stars!

I have to start off with admitting that this blog will not be super long in length. Unfortunately, I burned my right hand tonight fairly bad, and after a trip to the ER, my hand is wrapped in a bandage and thankfully the pain medication is starting to do the trick. However, it wouldn't be a Friday without an update, so here goes!!

Each week it is neat to see the small differences in the girls. They definitely have longer wake periods and are much more responsive to our voices. It is really sweet. It is fun continuing to learn their personalities, such as Aubrey having a "motor-like whine" when she is trying to sleep and something is keeping her up, or Avery loving to lay all stretched out with her hands above her head and her legs locked at the knees. The girls continue to work on completing one bottle a day, but I sense this time next week they will have it all figured out.

The girls will always be the stars of the show in our lives, but they almost got their 10 seconds of fame this week in the news. For those of you who are not familiar with "March of Dimes," it is a national organization that aims at preventing premature births. The month of November is Prematurity Awareness Month (Nov. 17 is World Prematurity Day) and the March of Dimes president visited our hospital this past week, along with the local news crew. Our girls and I were recorded, among other visits in different areas in the hospital and personal interviews with different moms. Although the girls were filmed for quite some time, the video clip of our girls didn't make it in the news...just a few other snipits from other parts of the tour. We thought we would have an exciting clip to share...but despite them not making it on the news, we know that the girls will always be our little movie stars!

Avery now weighs 4 pounds 6.3 ounces and measures 16 1/2 inches long.
Aubrey now weighs 3 pounds 15.3 ounces (almost 4 pounds!)  and measures 16 3/4 inches long (yes, taller and thinner).

I apologize for not writing commentaries on the photos and adding more details about the week, but got to take care of my hand. (P.S. We are searching for the camera cable to download the picture of Aubrey's first bottle from last week...sometime we will get our act together!). I know some pictures come out a little dark, but the pictures are taken through the isolette, so the lighting is not optimal....hopefully in a week or so they will be in open cribs;)

Avery Grace:

Aubrey Hope

Feeders and Growers

Our biggest news this week is that our girls have been promoted to “feeder and grower” status. In other words, their main goals at this point in time is to feed and grow, and then they can go home!! Both girls got their PICC lines out this week, which iss a long-term IV line that gave them IV nutrition. We were so thankful for the lines because it prevented them from being stuck with IVs over and over again, but now we  are super thankful that they no longer are a part of the picture! The girls are still growing in a controlled temperature environment (isolettes), but now can wear clothes…oh you can only imagine the fun I’m having with that! At first, the girls were getting two outfit changes a day…just to see them in more cute outfits in one day!! Avery and Aubrey were both offered bottles once a day this week. Although the suck/swallow/breathing coordination doesn’t occur until 34-36 weeks (yay for the upcoming next two weeks!), we are promoting oral stimulation. They don’t take much—anywhere from 7-20ml, which is a few teaspoons, but they will get there. It is a matter of maturity and we tell our parents that it will be a like a “light switch”—one day they don’t get it and the next day they do.  Once they can comfortably take two full bottles a day, we can transition to breastfeeding. The next two weeks are going to be action packed!!

Avery, the older and bigger sister is now 4lbs even! She has surpassed her birthweight this week and is growing every day. Aubrey, the younger and smaller sister is 3lb 8.1oz. She continues to gain weight daily too and has also suprassed her birthweight this week…don’t underestimate her size, she is feisty! My favorite time of the week with Avery was giving her a bath with daddy. She is a very laid-back, calm, and peaceful baby and it is rare to have her eyes open for an extended period of time. For her bath, she had her eyes open the entire time and just couldn’t get enough of staring at us and her wide open eyes--it is a moment in time I will not forget (even if I am very sleep deprived!). My favorite time of the week with Aubrey is watching her being fed--this girl loves to eat (maybe not the bottle yet, but that will come). At least 30 minutes before feeds, she is pitching a fit for her food! When she gets fed through the tube and I’m holding her, she smiles at least 5 times during her feeding. She just absolutely loves it when her belly is getting full. The girls are recognizing our voices and even when they are resting, they will at least peek open one eye to let us know that they are love us holding them and talking to them.

Here are a few pictures from this week for you to see how big they have grown…watch out, before we know it, they will be crawling!!!

Avery:

Avery wearing her very first outfit.

Avery showing how exhausting it is to have to get dressed every day.

Up close and personal (yes, I had to get a lot of pics in her first outfit!)

This is how we know Avery the best--sleeping!

Avery's eyes were this wide open during her first bath from mom and dad. It looks like she is questioning something....Hmmmm, to sleep, or not to sleep?!

Cute as a cupcake...matching outfit with her sister.

Avery's first bottle feeding.

Aubrey:

Aubrey being held skin to skin. Both girls love to have their hands up at their faces. This picture was taken earlier in the week and you can see how a little bit of weight really makes a difference!

Little Aubrey before she was able to wear clothes.

Aubrey and Avery have very different facial features...this pictures shows her petite profile as she sleeps soundly on her belly.

Aubrey's first day in clothes. She is sporting the ruffles on her butt!

Cute as a cupcake-just like her sister.

Aubrey yawning...sort of like her sister in the picture above. When I flip through my pictures fast, you can actually see the entire yawn-it is really cute!

**No I did not forget to take pictures of Aubrey's first bottle, but those pictures are on my camera and I can't put my hands on the cable right now. I'll add one more picture this weekend of Aubrey taking her first bottle.**

See you next week.

We Couldn't Be More Thankful...Having A Family Is Better Than We Ever Imagined

Can we say we are now at 33 weeks and counting? Or do we now say we are 1 week and counting?! We have both officially known our girls now for 1 full week and it has been such an amazing week!

Babies born at 32 weeks are right at the border of needing respiratory support. We are happy to report, other than the first 12 hours of life, only Avery has needed respiratory support. That is a huge, major feat...we are so proud that our girls are so strong. Otherwise, the girls are behaving appropriate for their age. Typical things include phototherapy to treat jaundice, IV fluids and starting feeds (slowly), having episodes of dropping their heart rate and holding their breath (Aubrey is now on caffiene--just like for us, it is a stimulant, but it reminds her to breath), and reflux...but all in all, these are very minor things compared to what could have been the case if they were born at a much earlier age. We were very blessed that even though we had some hiccups during the pregnancy, the babies were able to grow inside for a full 32 weeks--to the day!

I apologize in advance that I have not been able to return phone calls, emails and texts at times. During the time when we were in the hospital, we were either visiting with the babies, or I was just in my room to get nursing care or eat. Now that I'm at home, well, there isn't much more to my life...either visiting babies, pumping to provide breastmilk for the babies, or eating, and well, I'm not really sure I should include sleeping in the mix because there is very little of that going on! I have been best buds with lactation consultants and due to some circumstances, I have to frequently pump, and pump, and pump, and pump some more! The good news is that it is a good way to establish my milk supply, the bad news is I only have one hour between sessions to get anything and everything done....keep in mind, this happens too at night, so I get 1 hour sleep at intervals...I'm pretty sure God is just preparing me for when the babies come home! God knew I needed some training! Of course, I couldn't do it at all without my husband and help from family and friends, we are so blessed. Our family and friends have helped us in so many amazing ways all along our journey and now is no exception. Thank you so much!

Recovering from the c-section is a slightly slower process because I don't have the stamina I once used to from over 8 weeks of strict bedrest. I might not be ready to run a marathon yet, but I'm sure I'll bounce back before I know it. I have to admit, being home is so refreshing. Not that I wouldn't be willing to give up my shower and have very limited abilities on strict bedrest until the end of the pregnancy, but I got to be honest, being home and sleeping in my own bed (I didn't even do that while at home on strict bedrest), I'm feeling pretty lucky all around!

We know everyone is waiting for pictures, and we got some so to share with you. What parent doesn't like to brag about their babies?!  I plan on continuing the blog weekly while the babies are in the hospital. Once discharged to home, it might be a bit more sporadic, but definitely  will post once a month at a minimum. Enjoy the pictures!

Picutres of Avery, the older and bigger sister: (She looks more like Jason and also has his personality, just like in the womb!)

Shortly after they removed her breathing assistance (CPAP), and when she is at her highest weight.

Sleeping with her pacifier, busy developing her muscles in her cheeks. An early picture when she is "chubby."

Daddy changing my diaper---wow, daddy is a pro at this!

Avery checking us out with her eyebrows raised. Check out all that pretty hair and her gorgeous eyes!

Sleeping comfortably....waiting for mom and dad to hold me.

Close up view of Avery's beautiful face. See how much she thinned out?!

Avery with Gramma and Nana

Pictures of Aubrey, the younger and smaller sister (She looks more like me and also has my personality, just like in the womb!)

Aubrey is more petite with blond hair--remind you of anyone you know?

Catching some zzzz's on her back. Just like mommy, she wasn't getting her hair washed every day in the hospital!

Close up view of Aubrey. I was just held by mommy and daddy and I'm a little bummed that now I'm back in my isolette!

Mommy loving on her little sweet baby. Looks like she is pretty cozy!

One of my favorite pictures ever...looks like she is praying and thanking God!

Aggh, the NICU life is so tiring, I think it is time for another nap.

Believe it or not, I'm the more active one, although you might not know it from this picture!

See you next week with more happenings and pictures.

We love our little girls so much

Even though both Aubrey and Avery landed in the level 3 NICU, there were very few complications at birth.  Avery was having trouble breathing on her own, so they provided her with a cpap.  The cpap has since been removed and she is breathing well.  Aubrey has already started eating and digesting well.  Avery should start eating today.  Keep your fingers crossed because there's a good chance they'll get to go to the level 2 NICU today!

Both Grandmothers (Grandmom and Nana?  We're still waiting for the final verdicts on what they want to be called) arrived yesterday and got to meet their granddaughters for the first time!  They'll have to get some pics with the babies today.

I'm doing well and walking.  They said we'll probably get to go home on Tuesday, but there's no hurry since our babies are here!

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