3 weeks since water broke...

Addie - 3lbs, 15.5oz

Charlie - 3lbs, 4.5oz.

Both girls on their cannulas, same old, same old.

Week 34

Today we hit week 34 of the pregnancy. If only I had been able to carry them this long!

Addie - 3lbs, 13oz

Charlie - 3lbs, 4oz

We're trying Addie off the cannula again...she did have a stim this morning, but nurse Christine said she cleaned some big nasty boogers out, so perhaps we'll have some luck!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Ah, the joys of the NICU. After celebrations yesterday for the girls being off their cannulas, both are back on today. *sigh* So frustrating!

Addie - 3 lbs, 12 oz

Charlie - 3lbs, 3.5 oz

In silly news, Charlie decided that during her diaper change last night would be the most opportune time to projectile poop. Turns out you get a new isolette if you cover yours in poop!

The girls tried their first bottles today, and neither one had much interest in it. We'll try again tomorrow!

Another Day in the NICU

Addie gained 61g last night to bring her up to about 3 lbs, 11 oz. Her birthweight was 3 lbs, 6 oz, so that's great progress! Charlie gained 2g since yesterday, which is actually good news, because yesterday she pulled out her feeding tube and lost at least 1/3 of a feeding. I was worried she would drop weight (taking her below her birthweight), and was hoping she'd at least maintain her birthweight.

Addie is off her cannula, making her the first of our twins and the twins across the hall - Ethan and Tyler, who were born at 28 weeks and were due May 19. The girls' doctor (Dr. Courtney) was applauding Addie being first :) Then, since Charlie was on only 1L of pressure with her cannula, they decided to take her off of it, too. She did well for quite awhile, a Brady or low heart rhythm here and there, but tonight has been put back on. Likely the A's and B's are results of very congested noses, which are the result of using the cannulas. Definitely a vicious circle.

My favorite most bestest news of the day is that Charlie was a ROCKSTAR at nursing! I let Addie try this morning, and like her Daddy Dave, she wanted to sleep and was willing to pass up yummy food for a few extra minutes of shut-eye. This afternoon, Charlie got another shot at it (each of them have tried once a day for three days now), and she took to it like nothing else. That girl was in Mommy-milk heaven! In fact, I had to peel her off and she was NOT pleased! I kangaroo-ed with her after that, and she spent most of the time rooting around and licking me, trying to find her way back to the liquid gold! So proud of my miniscule milk-lover!

Mommy (that's me!) is feeling some good old-fashioned Mom-guilt over not going back to the hospital tonight. I was there twice today, though, and frankly, Dave and I are EXHAUSTED. While, yes, we are sleeping through the nights now while the twins are the hospital (and can I just say I LOVE sleeping on my stomach again?!), we are also spending lots of our free time at the hospital, going to bed later than normal (mostly me - mostly due to pumping), and getting up at our regular going-t0-work times. I did call the NICU, though, and their nurse tonight, Amy, assured me that they are doing great and that I should sleep while I can still get sleep.

16 Days Old

The girls' starting weights were: Adeline - 3 lbs, 6 oz and Charlotte - 3 lbs, 2 oz. They are now 3 lbs, 9 oz and 3 lbs, 2 oz! Charlie FINALLY hit her birthweight again!

Adeline was taken down to 1 liter of oxygen from 2 to try to wean her off of the cannula. For both girls we're working toward fewer breathing issues (a's and b's) and unassisted poops. They seem to have had a good night, and I am so relieved that both gained weight since yesterday!

Big Sister Elliot

Elliot's dream has come true and she is finally a big sister. How is she taking it? She doesn't really know. Don't get me wrong, she knows the babies have been born. Yet if you ask her what our big news is, she'll tell you that we're having twins! She knows the babies are out of my belly, yet sometimes she still kisses my belly and talks to the babies. She knows the babies are at the hospital and is having a hard time with our visits up there when she gets left at home with a babysitter.

The hospital has a ban on all siblings coming into the NICU under the age of 13. Elle is only 4 1/2. They say the ban should lift soon, as early as April 1, as long as no cases of flu come into the ER anymore. Actually seeing the actual babies should help her understand better. She is a very smart, very independent, and very well-behaved 4-year old, so sometimes we forget that something so abstract is hard for her to understand. She can't wait for her sisters to come home, though, so that "we can all be a family and you and Daddy can stay home."

ColorSplash'ed Girls

Adeline Quinn - Born March 11, 2012 - 15. 75 inches, 3.6 pounds
Charlotte Baily - Born March 11, 2012 - 15.5 inches, 3.2 pounds

Pictures of the New Girls

Adeline - Taking a Break from her Nasal Cannula - (Like that Preemie Pacifier? Giant!!!)
Charlotte - Kangaroo-ing with Mommy
Charlotte - Under the Bili Lights for Jaundice
Charlotte - March 12, 2012 - One Day Old
Adeline - March 12, 2012 - One Day Old

15 Days Old

The twinkie girls are now 15 days old! They've survived with much love and care in the NICU for over two weeks now. I was able to head to the hospital today and kangaroo care with Adeline this morning after dropping Elliot at school. Around 11 I headed off for the doctor, and afterward turned right around and headed back to the hospital to kangaroo with Charlotte.

Adeline ("Addie") is now taking 27 cc's of fortified breastmilk at her meals, down from 30 cc's. The girls are spitting up a lot and having decent sized residuals before their next meals, so they've backed down their feedings a bit. Addie has reached her birthweight and is fluctuating there now. When she was born she was immediately intubated, and the cpap she was wearing broke down the skin on her nasal septum (that little piece that separates both of your nostrils). It turned black and wore away. Luckily, because she's such a little thing and still growing rather quickly, the skin is growing back mostly on its own. She is being weaned from her cannula now so that there is nothing touching that spot, and the nurses are putting ointment on her nose every 8 hours.

Charlotte ("Charlie") is now taking 22 cc's of fortified breastmilk. This girl does NOT like the fortifier. She is quite the spitter-upper. When the nurses don't use the fortifier, she does fine, but she really needs the added calories and vitamins the fortifier provides. She has NOT yet reached her birthweight, and for the first time today, the doctors sounded a bit concerned about that. Charlie has polydactyly, which means she has an extra digit. Charlie's happens to be a sixth finger (pinkie) on her right hand. Because the finger has a bone in it, it will require surgery to remove. We found out today that that surgery will take place at about three months. While the plastic surgeon was there talking to me today, he also checked out Addie's nose, which he said should heal itself. Charlie is also on the nasal cannulas, and had two stims today while I was holding her. She has to go seven days with no stims in order to come home.

Birth Day!!! - March 11, 2012

On Saturday evening, March 10 around 10:15 PM, I decided to go to bed. I was using the restroom, about to change into my jammies, when my water broke! Off to the hospital! The contractions started not long after arriving. I never felt contractions with Elliot's delivery. I FELT contractions this time!!! I finally was prepped for my c-section, and David and I were close to being parents of 3.

Though I went into surgery around 1:45am to be prepped, the babies arrived at 3:48am and 3:50am. It sounds like a long time between being prepped and the birth, but the time changed - skipping time from 2am to 3am!!! The girls are Adeline Quinn & Charlotte Baily. Pics and more info to follow <3