5 Days Old - PDA

I'll go back and tell backstories eventually.

Lincoln "Link" is down to 585 grams.  That's about 1 pound, 4.5 ounces.  In addition to losing weight again today, I was there for rounds.  The doctor hit us with a heart condition today.  Link's blood pressure is about 38/16.  Apparently, his bottom number should be 22 or higher, and definitely over 20.  What that number tells them is that his heart is not pumping as it should.  This told doctors that Link probably has PDA, and they did an echo which confirmed it.

PDA is:
"Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that occurs soon after birth in some babies. In PDA, abnormal blood flow occurs between two of the major arteries connected to the heart.

Before birth, the two major arteries—the aorta and the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery—are connected by a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. This vessel is an essential part of fetal blood circulation.

Within minutes or up to a few days after birth, the vessel is supposed to close as part of the normal changes occurring in the baby's circulation.

In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent). This opening allows oxygen-rich blood from the aorta to mix with oxygen-poor blood from the pulmonary artery. This can put strain on the heart and increase blood pressure in the lung arteries."

Essentially, Link's heart cannot efficiently pump blood through his body.  He was receiving his third blood transfusion when I arrived, and once that ended, the doctors will begin a treatment of medicine for the purpose of closing those arteries.

Lincoln's Log

I will begin blogging again, now as a Mom of Four.  When Addie & Charlie were in the NICU, it was the scariest, most exhausting time of my life.  David and I found out in April that we were pregnant again and expecting a child on Christmas Day.  The pregnancy was going very well for months - my easiest of the three pregnancies, and suddenly, our lives changed forever.  Our son, who was to appear around Thanksgiving by most doctors' guesses, arrived a few days shy of Labor Day.  September 3, 2015, Lincoln Alexander forced his way into our world, far before he or we were ready.  Blogging about the twins experience made me feel purposeful in a world where I couldn't do much to help them.  I am hoping that since Lincoln had only made it to 23 weeks, 5 days before labor started, that this will help me again.  I will post almost daily here stories from before his birthday to current day stats and progress.  It isn't really meant for anyone but me, but those who know and love our family will likely find this helpful as well.

Three! THREE? (Daddy's Ode to our Twinkles)

Three! THREE? How can they be THREE?
I’m telling you folks that I’d pay a small fee
To tell me how possibly they could stay wee!

(I’m sure that you see that my twin poetry
is the annual affair that I want it to be.)

They bring me such glee to the highest degree,
Even more than I ever thought I could foresee.
I’m speaking of course of A.Q. and C.B.
Who are getting so big that they now often pee
In the potty (which is quite a burden off me).

They know numbers through ten and the letters through Z,
They know mommy drinks coffee while daddy drinks tea,
When to flee, when they’re free, how to see whether she
Is the key to what is annoying to me!

Let me tell you it’s true that the first, Addie Q,
Is able to make my day one that I’ll rue.
My patience each day is tried one time or two
(Okay, alright, fine... it’s no less than a few!)

But then, as if on cue, she knows just what to do.
She looks at me and tells me “Dad, I love you!”
(But more often than not it’s because Mom told her to...)

The glorious hue that you’ll find on her shoe
Must always be pink, this I promise to you.
It’s the way that we do make it easy for you
To tell her apart from the one she’s next to!

That girl that’s ne’er far is the one we call “Char”.
She stays right on par with her twin when they spar.
When one goes too far, her twin raises the bar.

I wonder, would she have been great at guitar,
If she still had that finger where now there’s a scar?
Don’t worry, we keep it around in a jar.
(Not really, I’m kidding! Hardy har har!)

Perhaps you now know that each girl was a star
In a movie (don’t see it... it was, well, subpar).
We went to the theater by way of our car,
And gave them our money, twenty bucks au revoir!
We witnessed a plot that was really bizarre,
But we got to identify them from afar.

Before I wrap up here and tell you goodbye,
I want you to know that I’m one lucky guy.
When I write up these poems, I try not to be shy,
I am not embarrassed to tell you that I
am so very happy each day that goes by.

I watch over my girls in bed where they lie,
I want to protect them from what makes them cry.
I’ll always be with them, till one day I die,
And then I’ll still watch them, from high in the sky.

Till next year, when certainly once again I
Will wonder how yet one more year has gone by,
Three days before math nerds will celebrate pi,
I’ll sit here and hope that my words won’t run dry,
And wonder how one day the twins might reply.

Busy March

March is always a busy month for us.  The Mommy (that's me) directs the school musical which occurs in March.  That means almost daily rehearsals and 11 hour work days.  This year the musical is Shrek the Musical, Jr. on March 27 & 28.

More importantly are the many birthdays in March, beginning with the twins.

March:
11 - Adeline & Charlotte
15 - Nana
17 - Aunt Mara
18 - Monty & Zoe (doggies)
21 - The Daddy
22 - Cousin Molly

And I'm probably missing some!

Looking forward to hitting April 1st and things slowing down!!!

We're Going to Be Three!

Potty Training Times Two!

So thrilled that we spent this Winter Break successfully potty-training the twins!  Addie and Charlie are doing a FABULOUS job of letting us know when they need to go.  Potty training was definitely one of the more daunting tasks of being a twin mom - glad it's done!

Happy Halloween!

Charlie 

Addie

Elliot

Addie, Elliot, Charlie