Home for 4 weeks

Adalyn hangin out with her "passy"

Sorry for the lack of updates! For our family the word "busy" has taken on a new meaning. Abi and I are finally adjusting to the 3 night time feedings (I think) and the girls are doing great. We each have our days home alone watching the girls and between changing diapers, feeding and then holding for 20-30 minutes because of their reflux, then washing bottles and mixing breast milk with formula and thickener, it is time to start the process all over again leaving little time to get anything else done. We do have tons of help from family and friends to lighten the load but life has definitely been a blur lately. Both girls continue to sleep great but they both are awake for about 3-6 hours each day. Sometimes it is at night but it is mostly during the day. We have some cool mirrors that stand up by themselves and we place them in front of the girls and they love to look at them. Both girls have rolled over twice and continue to have better control with their head movements.

Emma looking in her mirror(If you click on the picture you can see a larger image.)

We continue to thicken their food and it does help a lot but their weight gain has been a little less than Dr. G wants so on Monday Abi will explore some other options with him so they can get the calories that they need.(Thickening the formula and mixing it with the breast milk lowers the calories significantly.) The eye doctor visit went great last week and both of the girls eyes continue to heal. Adalyn's eyes are mature on the nasal side and are almost mature on the outside. Emma's eyes are almost mature on the nasal side and are almost only a stage 1 ROP on the outside. They are doing so good that the doctor said he only needs to see them every 2 weeks instead of every week.

Adalyn weighs 6lbs 9oz, she is 18-5/8" long, and her head measured 35.5cm. Emma weighs 5lbs 12.5oz, she is 18-3/4" long, and her head measured 34cm.

Please continue to pray that GOD heals their reflux, continues to protect them from infection and sickness, and helps them gain the appropriate weight. Praise His name that their eyes are healing and developing, that they are at least gaining weight, and that they are such good happy babies.

38 weeks

Emma(left) Adalyn(right)

Right now I am purring like a kitten. As I type this blog on my blackberry Emma & Adalyn are lying on my chest. I am feeling a bit nostalgic since today was the day the twinners were supposed to be born (if I did not have the twins by 38 weeks I was going to be induced today or have a c-section). We all know how often things actually happen as they are supposed to, but still I can't help but ponder what things would have been like if I had made it to 38 weeks. One thing I am sure of, I would be huge! These girls occupy a lot of space on my chest and if they were inside we would still have 2 placentas and all their amniotic fluid as well. I think it is safe to say I would be GIGANTIC! Yes making it to today would have been a much better way for the girls to start their lives. However, then I would not have the amazing bond with them that I have developed over the past approximately 3 months. I may not have as strong of faith as I do now. I may not know first hand that God is still performing miracles. This journey has not been ideal, but as strange as it sounds I would not trade it for anything. Dave & I will always have this unique experience that has brought us all so close together and shown us how truly strong and feisty someone can be at 1 lb 15 oz and up.

Enough of that mushy stuff :) on another note Emma had her eyes checked again today. I am happy to report that her eyes are starting to heal! She is still ROP stage 2 on the outer portions of her eyes, but on the nasal portions she is down to a stage 1. Praise God, I am so pumped about that! Dr. D actually said she did not have to come back for 2 weeks. But since we are coming back next week anyway for Adalyn he said they might as well check Emma and get the 2 girls on the same schedule.

We are continuing to thicken the girls feedings. It seems to be helping. They are still refluxing and spitting, but it does not seem to be as often or as much. I am happy to report that between the 2 girls there has only been 1 brady alarm in the past 24 hours. So hopefully that trend continues.

Please pray that God continue to heal Emma's eyes. Pray that their reflux continue to improve, that they continue to gain weight well, continue to have few to no alarms so that they can come off their caffeine and their monitors and that GOD continues to protect them from infection.