July 26, 2010
Almost 12 weeks old!

Where has the time gone? I've been meaning to write many times, but my desire for sleep seems to outrank anything else I want to accomplish for the day. There are other essential priorities-washing bottles,bottles, bottles, pumping equipment, garbage, garbage (all those diapers), AND the nonstop LAUNDRY! Whew. Who knew you could wash so much? I better get used to it. I can't imagine how much our electric bill will be this month!

Anyways.... going on week 3 with both boys home. Honestly, it has been brutal at times and others--nothing but pleasure. I've had the "moms" here to help out. Kris' mother came the first week and my mom the second. It's always nice to have a second pair of hands--especially hands with more experience! Having two infants is an awesome responsibility to a new mother. I can't imagine having three or four or five for that matter.

We are making progress here. Feeding times have remained the same from the hospital-every 3 hours and I have to mix recipes for their feeds to "beef them up." Or, add more calories to the milk. Ryan is our little "fat man", no, we're just kidding. He has the baby rolls and is packing on the pounds quite nicely. He has quite the appetite! He still grunts and groans and makes all sorts of interesting noises and faces. We laugh all the time!! Nathan (I believe) has made a great transition home. The first week was kind of shaky on the feeding, but now has an established-great desire for food! He is starting to increase amounts with feeds. Ryan is up to over 3 oz/ feed and Nathan is 2-2.5 oz. Not so bad for preemies...but I guess I don't know how much an infant is supposed to eat!! I've heard a rough estimate of 10 mls per pound. So if he's 9 pounds, he's eating correctly--90 mls. Ryan is probably 9 or 10#. Nathan's last weight was 7.7#. So, they're getting there.
Nathan continues on his home oxygen and apnea monitor. We want to THROW THAT THING OVER the balcony as it brings more headache to us and wakes poor Nathan up for loose leads. Man!! IT is as loud if not louder than a fire alarm in your house. Having that in close proximity to sleeping at night produces alot of angry words to come out of your mouth!! We have a 20 foot cord for his oxygen concentrator and have to haul it back and forth along our condo. IT sucks! Kris and I pray that his lungs will have healed and he will be able to discontinue it on August 6th (pulmonary appt). Nathan has pulled the prongs out of his nose countless times and hates the stickers on his face that hold the tubing intact. It is a constant battle to monitor and make sure he has it on. We use a sleep sack on him at night--otherwise known as the "infant straight jacket" according to Kris to keep his hands inside and not to pull on the tubing. He still struggles with fluid accumulation and remains on Lasix and Potassium chloride to help pull fluid off and keep his electrolytes in check. (one of the side effects of his lung disease).

Summer seems to be passing unusually fast through the windows of our condo. I say that because we have been on the inside caring for our babies. Kris and I work as a team (when he is home) each getting one baby to care for. I get some time outside when he comes home from work to relieve me of baby watching. I've learned how important the sun and exercise is to survival! I am an outdoorsey person, so remaining on the inside has been difficult, but all for good reason. Babies are such a blessing. My life has completed changed...for the better and challenged me in ways never imagined. Sleep deprivation can get the best of you, but learning to organize, organize, and organize with a schedule is mandatory in this household!! I love being a mom as much as Kris loves being a dad. We may complain, we may gripe, but these boys are our world now. We couldn't imagine life without them. We look forward to the days in which we can bring our boys out of this "cocoon"--our condo, and share them with others. We are giving them some extra time to grow, get strong, and of course, for Nathan's lungs to heal and mature. There will be plenty of time to play with others, but we have been protecting them from others in their first month or two out of the hospital. After a total of 64 days in hospital, we do NOT want to return there anytime soon--if ever!! So, we will stay at home to prevent any recurrences! They will get there.....just give them some time!!