September 25-October 1, 2011

Sunday, September 25, 2011

What a busy week! So busy...we forgot to blog. Well, not really forgot just didn't have the time to sit down and do it. So now for catch up! Sunday was a great day! It was Aidan and Jacob's 4 week birthday! We took pictures of them with their Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet and could not believe how big they have gotten and how much they have changed! We were amazed! Nana came to visit with the boys and we ended up staying a little later than we normally do on Sundays. We enjoyed plenty of family time before we headed back to Newport to start the week.



Aidan has out-grown Pooh!

  

Jacob used to be SMALLER than Piglet!

 

Monday, September 26, 2011

On Monday I headed back to visit with the boys. I am getting more and more used to the drive and I have learned that having the window open, listening to the radio loud and eating sunflower seeds is a great way to stay awake. When I walked into the room I was greeted by the boys laying in their crib with their bare bottoms straight up in the air. Seems that they had a bit of a diaper rash and airing their bottoms out is the best medicine. It was a sight only a mommy could love...of course I had to take pictures of them. They'll love that when they get older! I also had my last trip to the doctor and my blood pressures are great! No more meds...thank goodness! Our favorite nurse, Greg, gave me all the handouts that we'll need to look at before the boys can come home. I can't even believe that we are to that point now! We also talked about starting them on botttle feedings and how we should handle that. The doctor suggested waiting another week until the boys feel more comfortable with nursing. I was all for that...want to do what's best for the babies! I discovered on the way home that I hate making the drive back to Newport in the rain at night ..this may pose a problem in the PNW! I'll make sure to plan the drive times better as the Fall/Winter season is upon us.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

On Tuesday we got our regular call from the doctor and he suggested we start working on bottle feeding sooner rather than later! The boys were giving out some great feeding cues so we couldn't pass up the opportunity! Gavin and I have always talked about having me nurse the boys but also giving them bottles so that he could help out and bond with the babies as well. Once he heard that they were trying bottles he wanted to come ASAP and help out! Both boys tried nursing first and then attempted to finish their feeding with bottles. They both did great! Each of them finished at least half of the feeding this way and then once they were worn out they got the rest of their feeding through their NG tube. It's amazing how much energy it takes for them to get such a small amount of food into their tummies! We were very excited about their progress though! The nurses were amazed at how well they were doing as well. Right now they can only feed like that one or two times a day. Can't wait to get to the point where we can feed them all by ourselves!



Jacob and his bottle!



Aidan and his bottle!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Happy One Month Birthday Aidan and Jacob! I slept in a bit before heading to Eugene knowing that I would be staying the night there. On the way I stopped at the store and bought some cupcakes so we could celebrate their birthday with all of their friends and nurses in the NICU. Everyone was excited when I walked through the door with goodies! I wanted to get party hats for the boys but I was sure they wouldn't fit ;0) Both boys are going up every day on their feeding amounts and today Aidan went up to 47 cc's and Jacob to 46 cc's. Jacob is closing in on his brother weight-wise so his feedings are almost the same as his brother's. I was very sad when I went to change their diapers and found one of each of their feet had been pricked. They each had a bandaged heel from their blood draws in the morning to check on their blood and metabolic levels. Not a good birthday present! Aidan also had a great feeding session! He got 38 cc's on the breast! That's huge for a little guy. I was so proud of him. After nursing and feeding I went back to the Guest House to eat my own dinner. When I got back I was able to give them each a sponge bath. Greg weighed and measured each of them. Both of their heads measured 32 centimeters and Aidan is 46 centimeters long and Jacob is 45 centimeters long. Big Boys! After their baths and all the excitement of being measured, we all needed a break. I spent some time cuddling with them before calling it a night.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Thursday was spent with the boys again nursing and bottle feeding them. They are both doing so well and getting the hang of it.  Their nurse Brian is very impressed with how well they are feeding.  He said, "Considering they are not even supposed to be here yet, they are doing fantastic!"  I keep reminding myself of that everytime they are too tired to nurse or drink from a bottle at a feed.  The doctor also added a tiny bit of a special formula for preemies that will help build their caloric intake.  We are going to get these kiddos fat no matter what we have to do!

After their 2pm feeding, I snuggled with them a bit and then headed home to Newport.  I had a date with my husband!  We decided to take advantage of our time before the boys come home and sneak in a dinner date at one of our favorite local restaurants, Saffron Salmon.  Once I got home we changed and headed out for what may be the last date we will have before the boys come home. We had a great dinner!  Gavin had fish and I had steak.  We shared a Moose Drool Beer (thanks Dad and Dawn) and watched the sunset behind the bridge.  After we were done with dinner, Gavin presented me with a ring box and inside was my "push present".  A diamond and peridot birthstone Mother's Ring to add to the birthstone rings for Samantha and Katie.  I was so excited!  After I put it on our waitress came over, saw the box and gasped!  She thought Gavin had just proposed to me! ;0)  We explained that we were already married and that the ring was for the birth of our twin boys.  We did a bit of bragging about them to her and then she came back with a free dessert for us to take home and enjoy!  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Today daddy got to come and visit!  We woke up and headed to Eugene to catch the 2pm feeding.  We brought in the car seats so that when the time is right the boys can be ready for their "car seat test".  They have to be able to sit in their car seats for the duration of a car ride home for us and be able to maintain their heart rates and correct respirations while sitting up.  It was funny to walk into the hospital with two empty seats.  The nice ladies in the hospital gift shop pointed out to us that there were no babies in the seats.  After a good laugh with them we headed up to see the boys.  (Mommy suggested that we walk through the hospital talking to the empty seats as if there were babies in them...) When we got there they were just waking up and Gavin could not believe how big the boys had gotten!  He was changing Jacob's diaper and in awe of how fat his little feet had gotten.  He then began to look back at some of the early pictures we have of the boys and that's when I noticed a huge change!  I see them everyday so for me I don't notice the changes as much. He goes 4-5 days without seeing them and he is amazed at the changes!  Gavin also got to feed both of the boys with a bottle for the first time.  He was very excited even though Aidan and Jacob were pretty tired and didn't take much of the feeding this way.  We know that there will be LOTS of other feedings for daddy to enjoy! 

After a yummy dinner at BJ's Brewery, we headed back to catch one more feeding and spend some down time with the boys.  Just as we sat down with the boys in their room, Gavin got a call from his mom.  Her car had broke down on Hwy 20 outside of Philomath and she was stuck.  We put the boys back in their crib and headed to rescue her.  A tow truck was on its way to tow the car and we were happy to know that her dog Cody was with her since it was 9:30 at night!  After picking her up in Corvallis we all headed back to Newport for the night.  We finally made it home about midnight but didn't head to bed right away.  Nana Lillian is making the crib set for the boys so we spent some time looking at the fabric for the set and choosing how we wanted their bedding to look.  After all that fun we all finally headed for bed.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Jacob after his bath

Aidan after his bath

I can't believe that it is October!  Holy cow where has the time gone???  Actually, I am wanting it to speed up so the boys can come home!  Speaking of which, the doctor called this morning and said that the boys are doing great and that they are going to begin to "liberalize" their feedings which means that if they wake up before their scheduled feeding time and they are hungry, they will feed them.  It also means that if the boys eat more than the "prescribed" amount of food, they will let them eat to their hearts' content!  Another big step in the right direction!  They are still thinking it will be another 7-10 days before they come home but we are getting closer and closer!  We made it back to Eugene for the 2pm feeding.  Aidan was a superstar and took his entire feeding on the breast!  The nurses couldn't believe it!  Neither could we!  Jacob was a superstar too!  He took a bit from me and then daddy got to feed him the rest!  After dinner the boys got their sponge baths.  While Gavin was giving Aidan his bath, I worked on nursing with Jacob a bit more. He was not ready to be outdone by his brother!  He took 34 cc's from the breast and then got the rest from a bottle.  Aidan took most of his feeding from the bottle as well!  A great feeding day for all!  After some quiet time with the boys, we headed back to the Guest House for the night.  We can't wait to see how much the boys have grown tomorrow for their weekly Pooh and Piglet pictures.  5 weeks and growing!

Sleeping brothers