Time Flies-- The Boys are Three Weeks!

I cannot believe it, but the boys are already 3 weeks old. Considering I spent most of that time awake, you'd think it should have dragged by, but to think that my boys are already nearly a month old is absolutely amazing to me.
Both are doing wonderfully at home. They are beautiful and healthy, adjusting well, growing bigger by the day. Auntie Jessica is going to get to come by this weekend, and I think she is going to be amazed at how much bigger they are than the last time she saw them a couple weeks ago.
My mom is here this week; she is a huge help. I have been pulling all the night shifts so that Todd could sleep, but last night I pretty much passed out. She was able to take over for the night, and I feel much better today having slept nearly a full night. Joel is much better about sleeping through the night now (not getting nights and days confused as he had been), so usually I am able to get around 2 hour chunks of sleep at a time between feedings. Better than nothing.

And finally, our big news, we bought a van! There was no choice in the matter, we absolutely had to have a bigger vehicle, so on Saturday we spent the day at Carmax and were able to find a really nice Town & Country that was in our price range (our price range being "the cheapest minivan on the lot with under 50k miles".) All throughout the pregnancy, Todd said he does NOT want a minivan (wanted an SUV.) We find this one, and he LOVES it. He kept talking about how great it is, all the room, the features... yep, he's definitely hit fatherhood now!

Here are some three week photos that we took. The first one is Joel, the other two are Evan, then them sleeping together. Notice the pacifiers-- these are the only ones they will use, but they want them all the time.
Enjoy!


The boys say Happy Belated Birthday to Grandma Janice!

Two Weeks and Counting!

In honor of turning two weeks old, the boys got their first baths at home! Turns out they are NOT fans of bathtime (particularly Evan, which is obvious.)

Joel's bathtime... check out the size of that gut!



Evan is NOT happy!


Daddy makes up for the torture with some good cuddle time!

I had to include this because it is so cute. Evan was using the pacifier to relax, and Joel was using Evan's fingers!


Awww!

Yesterday was the two-week checkup. Joel is 6lbs! Evan is 5lbs 3oz.! Both are obviously eating well. The doctor said everything looks perfect, and they don't have to come back until the two month appointment since feedings are obviously not an issue.

Todd and I have now figured out a sleep schedule that seems to be working, so we are finally starting to feel like we can function (slightly) again. I'm sad that he has to go back to work on Monday... for both of us. I have loved having him around, and he's loved being around. He's a very devoted Daddy. I guess I'll just have to send him lots of photos each day.

Homecoming Pictures

Here are a few pictures of the boys arrival at home! The top two pictures are Joel (Monday night). The last two: Evan's on the left, Joel's on the right.

Our Angels are Here!

Just wanted to quickly post that our little guys are now home. We brought Joel home last night... it was exhausting... my naive idea of "no problem, I'll just keep them on the hospital schedule and we'll be fine" was quickly tossed out by Joel, and instead we were up until about 4a.m. with his screaming to be held all night long. Todd had planned on working today, but at 4:00 he turned to me and said, "Guess what, I'm staying home today!" After the 4a.m. feeding Joel was wiped out and slept well the rest of the day.

Evan passed his car seat test, so we got the call this morning that he could come home as well. Both boys have done wonderfully for the whopping three hours that they've been here together. Fingers are crossed for tonight...

I'll try to get on here to post video and pictures as soon as I can.

Babies' Progress Report

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONS

Time for an update! Joel and Evan continue to do well and are very close to coming home. Both have had their feeding tubes removed, so now everything they take in is what they eat. Joel is starting to look like a little porker to me; his face is really filling out. They look pretty different from each other right now because of the size difference, but Todd says he notices Evan starting to fill out as well.
We think there is a really strong chance that Joel will be coming home tomorrow! He has not had any difficulties in the NICU, so at this point hasn't shown any reason to be kept in any longer. Evan should be right behind, as he is doing really well with his feedings over the past 24 hours (eating full/nearly full bottles, which are 2oz.)
I am both thrilled and terrified at the realization that they are going to be here... with me... by myself... each and every day. Today I attempted to care for them both at the same time. It went fine, but by the end the three of us collapsed into a deep sleep for an hour or so. It is a great feeling to be able to care for them myself, though; at this point, the NICU nurses have pretty much let Todd and I just take over while we are there.

So... progress is good!

One Week Photos

Just thought I'd share some of our photo shoot from yesterday. I spent the day at the hospital; it was great being able to be with them for so long again! They continue to do well, especially Joel. Sounds to me like he may be coming home within a few days-- his feedings are going really well, so that needs to continue (along with some weight gain).
Anyway, here are are boys at one week! (Evan is on the left, Joel is on the right)

The boys are one week today!

On the one hand, it feels like, "wow, it's only been a week?", but then I am also filled with some sort of sadness that I haven't been around the whole time to experience my boys' first week of life.

But... we have good news! Today they are being transferred to Good Shepherd, which is only about 20 minutes from our house. It is still the same hospital group, just much closer (the one we originally had been scheduled to deliver.) They will be there within the hour! This is wonderful for us. LGH was 1-2 hours away depending on the time of day. Now, Todd can drop me off in the morning, and I can spend the day with them; if I need to be home, it's okay, too, because we will get there much earlier in the evenings now. I am so happy with this change in placement, and the hospital has an excellent reputation so I am confident in the staff.

The boys got their circumcision yesterday. Both are doing well, although Evan was clearly not feeling too great last night. Joel took a full bottle from Todd, and the nurse told me he did the same this morning. If he keeps this up, he should be coming home very soon! Thanks to Adrian and Linda, we are going to get a house cleaner in here to get this place scrubbed up before they come home. Todd has had to do all the housework for the past four months, and between working full time, caring for me, all the appointments, and having three dogs, the house is definitely in need of a good scrubbing!

Todd just walked in, so it's time to go see our babies! We took video last night (with the awesome new camera), so I will try to post that when we come back.

Life is Beautiful!

It is such a great feeling to be overwhelmed with such love for these little boys! Evan and Joel continue to do well in the NICU. They were moved to a different "pod" (yes, that is really what it is called; ironic, isn't it?) and I was told it was a graduation for them, so apparently this one is for the healthier NICU babies. For those wondering, last week's youngest in NICU was 22 weeks old. Most of the others were around 28 or so weeks. So compared to everyone else, our boys looked amazingly healthy, big and strong. I think that took a lot of the fear away that we otherwise might have felt. Plus, we know the boys are in excellent hands.

I came home from the hospital Monday evening. It has been terribly difficult to cope with leaving them behind. I'm not so depressed with the fact that they are still in the hospital; I'm upset that I am not there with them. I am very tempted to start staying in the NICU area myself each day and night (they have a "living area" set up for NICU families; no bed, but furniture, bathroom, shower, computer, and phone.) However, I know it would be difficult, as there is a lot to take care of at home. Last night the nurse explained to me that it may be possible to get the boys transferred to our local hospital, though, so I am looking into that today. (The hospital they were originally to be delivered at is about 20 minutes away; LGH is well over an hour, sometimes nearly two.) This would make visiting the boys SO much easier, so hopefully the insurance will approve the transport. We don't expect them to be in the hospital a whole lot longer, but it may still be a couple weeks before they are eating consistently enough to come home. So pray that we can get them moved! (The local hospital is also a fantastic place, so we know the level of care would equal that which they are already receiving.)

Our days now consist of Todd going to work, leaving as soon as he can, picking me up, and us rushing off to the hospital until about 9:30 at night. We get home around 11:00 or so. So please do not be offended if we are not on top of answering calls, returning messages, etc. I am confined to my top floor for the next four weeks, so I spend most of the day in bed trying to heal (which I am, quite nicely actually).

Oh yeah, Janice and her side of the family bought us a video camera as a baby gift. I am THRILLED at the idea of being able to video our boys. It's something that I have wanted for years (Todd says I used to say I wanted one to video the dogs), so finally having one is the absolute greatest! I think tonight we will start testing it out. Joel and Evan will be so proud to be able to look back on footage of their poopy diapers and loud tantrums. (Yes, they do throw tantrums-- I've heard the nurses mention their temperments on more than one occasion!)

I just can't wait to bring the little buggers home!

Sunday September 9th

Its Todd,
Sarah will be in the hospital until Monday evening, and at best guess the boys won't be home for at least a week. Joel is doing great is already really increasing the amount he eats, Evan is a starting to get the hang of things and although progressing slower than Joel, is also doing great. I would like to thank everyone for the overwelming response we have had so far at the hospital. We spoke with the nurses yesterday and it was decided that it is not a good idea to continue to have so many visitors. The boys are still in the NICU and they are doing great, but having 6-7 new visitors a day since they were born may be too much. The other babies in the NICU are very fagile compared to Joel and Evan and need to be considered too. So with that said, we would ask that at this time that you plan to visit the babies when they get home, or if you are close family, that you CALL FIRST and schedule a time to see them. Sarah has missed several feedings, and the boys got off schedule a couple of times already, and at this point the more care and feeding Sarah is there for the sooner they will be home. Once they are home we plan to have people over to see them...we will keep you informed. Until then, enjoy the latest pictures of the boys! Joel is on the left and Evan is on the right!

Quick Hello

I thought I'd post a quick hi since I am up and about. I'm feeling good overall-- sore at the incision site, but the medication helps. For those who were wondering... the OC itching seems to be GONE (hallelujah!), and my blood sugars seem to have returned to normal, so I am no longer being considered diabetic (yippee!)

The boys are absolutely precious. I try to join them for each feeding. Evan is eating through a tube, as he can't quite figure out how to suck yet. Joel is getting better at sucking during each bottle feeding, so we are starting to practice b'feeding now. Both are looking great. Evan is still in his isolette, but should be coming out soon (he needs to be able to regulate his temp. a little more.)

Hopefully we can get some more pictures up soon. The computer access has been a bit of a pain here, so we can't post too often, but there are lots of pics available for posting, so there should be new ones up sometime this weekend.

Time to eat, then off to the boys' feeding.

Introducing Joel Kieran White and Evan Matisse White!

They were born Joel at 12:15pm 5lbs 9 ounces, then Evan at 12:16pm 4lbs 11ounces.
Pictures are in order of Sarah,Joel,Evan,Joel, and Joel again. More to follow once I am better!

Guess What...

Tomorrow is the big day! Dr. decided to move up the c-section to tomorrow (Sept. 6th) due to the placenta wearing out. At noon, we become parents!

The plan is to bring the computer to the hospital; hopefully Todd will be able to update this blog fairly quickly. I'm sure we aren't going to be able to make a million calls (I know cell phones are not allowed in L&D), so please don't be offended if you don't get a call from us; do make sure to keep checking the site for updates, though!

As of today's ultrasound, the guessed weights are as follows:
Joel: 5lb 12oz
Evan: 4lb 9oz

We'll see how close these are to the real weights tomorrow...

The Boys (Early Peek)

I just found these images on my computer and thought it would be nice to share. These images were done at 21 weeks. Obviously the boys have grown a lot since then! It was pretty hard to get clear shots, because they were so tangled together. I kept getting complimented on all the fluid in the womb (you need good fluid for clear images.) Turns out, I had hydroamnios (too much fluid-- not a good thing!), which is why I grew so big so fast. (It went away on it's own during the 3rd trimester.)


Joel


Joel Stretching (into Evan)


Little Evan

For Strong Stomachs Only

You've asked, so here are some pictures. Bloated face, stretchmarks, and all... you've been warned!
(These were taken at 34weeks 5days)