Boys got their first postal mail yesterday…..their social security cards. Funny the things you think are cute as a parent. I ooooo’d and awwww’d over their mail. I guess they are now part of the beast…..soon they will be getting credit card approvals in the mail.

Harrison was taken out of fishbowl and is now in big boy crib!! He has to keep up his good feedings and be able to regulate his body temperature in order to stay out of incubator. He’s doing much better on his feedings. He will probably have sleep study test done in a day or so.

Hayden’s sleep study test came back showing some apnea..several over 6 hours, lasting about 20 seconds each. Doc will treat with caffeine (strange) and they will re-do test in 12-48 hours, and of course he will stay in hospital until they feel he’s ok. Doc said he will most likely come home with monitors so we can see what’s going on.

Just got text from Jason…both boys had their circumcisions done. From a man’s standpoint I guess they can handle anything that comes their way now, no problem.  :)

One day at a time…things change so quickly. I’ve been running errands, getting groceries, and getting the house in order today since leaving the hospital. Oh, and I’ve noticed no one has volunteered to bathe the dogs yet. :) JJ, it’s on my list for this week.

Last night at 8:00 they started sleep/apnea study on Hayden. Hooked him up to all kinds of monitors and put oxygen-looking tube in his nose. They were to run study until 2am last night and would do two feedings during study. This checks his heart rate and oxygen levels during sleep and feedings. I was there for first feeding and he did well. No drop in heart rate and his oxygen flucuated between 87-100%. The 87% is a bit lower than they want it, but the nurse said it was ok because it only dropped this low at the very beginning. Hayden gets greedy and starts drinking, and forgets to breathe at beginning of feeding. He is learning and corrected himself after the first drop so this is great.  Will find out how rest of study went today. He’s doing well out of fishbowl and I believe they will do circumcision today so that’s a great sign (this was one of the last things they would do before release).

Harrison feedings going well. The nurse last night said he had done well the last several feedings…drinking 10ml more than his minimum and finishing bottle in 15-20 minutes (they want feeding in less than 30, prefer 20 minutes). I had her feed him last night to witness it myself and she was right…quick feeding, did 10 ml over minimum, and he was actually still rooting around after bottle was empty. She said as of last night no order had been done to move him from fishbowl, but said that there is a minimum of good, steady feedings that have to be done before that can happen. I’m not sure if this number is 5 or 25…will see what’s going on when I get there today. Before release he will have to get moved to regular crib, maintain temperature, continue with good feedings, pass sleep study and get circumsized. I’m not sure if all of this will/can be done by Thursday, but as of late last night no one has told us otherwise. Again, I will talk to day nurse around lunchtime when I head to hospital. I’m hopeful that even if he doesn’t come home Thursday with Hayden, that he will only need maybe a few more days to catch up…he’s done VERY well on progress the last few days. Keeping fingers crossed, but everything is one day at a time and things change very quickly it seems.

Jason and I are doing well. We’re tired, but seem to be ok. My sister-in-law Cindy made us some homemade flour tortillas and taquitos so we are set for food. At least now I know Jason will be eating a good lunch…Rice Krispie treat from a vending machine doesn’t count. Will update again when I’m home from hospital later this afternoon. Gonna try to fit in a trip to the nail spa while I’m out….I need a quick re-vamp so I feel like a girl again. :)

Babies are doing fine. Feedings are still going well. Hayden is up to 4.9 pounds, Harrison at 4.4 pounds. Hayden doing ok out of his fishbowl; they are giving Harrison some more time to better work on feedings before moving him out of fishbowl and into real crib. All is well.

Spent all day at hospital. Good day. Early yesterday the docs discussed with us the possible need for Harrison to be put on feeding tube. He’s kinda traded places with Hayden on the feeding issue…upping food intake is wearing him out and he’s possibly burning more calories than taking in. He’s asleep most of the time I see him. Today docs said he’s doing much better. We witnessed this firsthand; he was wide awake for the longest period I have ever seen him and he ate much better than our previous feedings. He was responding to my voice better than ever before, looking directly at me, and holding his head up and looking all around the room while doing burps. It was fabulous.  Like everything else, if it doesn’t continue this well, things may change….we are taking things one day at a time. He’s still in fishbowl to stay warm..takes too much energy to keep self warm so they are giving him some time.

Hayden doing well today too. Eating like a champ and very, very alert and active. He’s doing well outside of his fishbowl bed. During our switching around with babies, we were able to put babies in front of each other and show them to each other for the first time.  They weren’t much interested in each other. Not sure what we expected, but somehow I figured they would be excited to see each other, haha!

Special thank you shout-out to Lindy for the baby brushes…..boys had their hair brushed for the first time today. They looked super cute with their hair parted on one side :) I’ll get pic tomorrow of it.

Jason and I are doing well. Yesterday was hard thinking about the feeding tube issue, but today was much better. We got plenty of sleep last night and feel better today. Jason finished up his class and feels like one major load has come off of his shoulders. Aunt Cindy is making us some more homemade flour tortillas so things are looking great :)

Going to feed dogs, shower, and go watch TV in bed. We’ll be at hospital all day tomorrow. Talk soon, and love to all.

Hayden was taken out of incubator today and now has a big boy bed….looks like a busboy dish cart. :) Rumor is that Harrison will move out of his incubator later today. Yeah! Nurse said they would have to prove themselves to make sure they can maintain temperature outside the fishbowl. Big step today.

Good baby day today. Hayden and I did 45ml milk in under 20 minutes. No one cried, we didn’t fight, no one got choked, no one forgot to breathe, it was good.  He (and I) are learning that Mommy is boss.

I was able to spend about 10 minutes with Harrison actually WIDE awake. He’s been asleep 90% of the time since birth. I know in a month from now I’ll be wishing he’d sleep more, but it sure was wonderful looking into those eyes knowing that he sees me there.

Yep, good baby day.

NICU docs saying that babies will come home next Thursday the 29th. They will be 35 weeks along. They are anticipating that their issues will be either gone or minimal by then. All is tentative until my boys are home in their cribs. Stay tuned….

This is how I feel after over a week with no sleep.

Hi all! We have SO many people calling and emailing us asking about the babies that I’ve decided it’s time to start posting details on here as we get them. We are so fortunate that we have so many people concerned about us and the boys, but we just can’t respond to everyone. We can’t thank you enough for all the concern, offers to help us, prayers and well wishes.

Hayden and Harrison were a week old yesterday. Born just under 33 weeks they are doing fabulous for their size and premature age. Docs say they are going to be fine, and any problems they are having are just due to immaturity. Both are just over 4 pounds now and IV’s were taken out yesterday, yeah!! No IV’s mean they can wear real clothes now so that’s been fun dressing them up a bit. No apnea, no oxygen needed since being born, and heart rates are good. They look healthier every time we see them, not just every DAY, but every visit they seem to be healthier and doing better. They are so small, and doing things they aren’t expected to know how to do for at least another 3 weeks…the world is expecting a lot from them…they are doing their best.

Monday we were told that they were doing so well that they anticipated them coming home by Friday or Saturday. Doc said today that they are for sure going to keep Hayden a little longer. He’s having trouble eating the amount they want him to. In the simplest of explanations, since they keep upping his food amounts he is having a hard time keeping up. He gets tired, forgets to take breaths while eating, etc. He’s often burning more calories working on eating than he’s getting. Doc said they will keep working with him and may have to do feeding tube. This will allow him to be able to get the amount of nutrition he needs, while still working on actually eating smaller amounts. And this will allow him the rest that he needs now. He’s so little and he’s working so hard that he is just worn out. It’s been a long, hard week for him.

Harrison’s schedule is tentative as well now. While he seems to be eating better than Hayden, his biggest trouble is monitoring his own body temperature. Both boys are still in their heated fishbowls (as we call them). The nurses drop the temperature based on baby’s body temp. Temperature has to be a certain level in order to transfer them to real beds, then they will be monitored to make sure they are keeping themself warm enough. He needs to drop fishbowl temp by two degrees in order to get out; they have been going down 1/2 degree on average a day.

Jason and I are doing well, considering all. Jason trying to work as much as he can until babies come home, and he’s still going to school. I’m recovering nicely and will be a different person when I can drive again next week and quit bumming rides. My first trip will be to get a manicure and pedicure…I’ll feel like a new woman. We are having our ups and downs emotionally, but certainly having more UPS than downs now. We know the boys are going to be fine; we just want them home where they belong. It’s been a crazy ride since our unexpected trip to the hospital last Sunday morning. We miss them terribly when we are not at the hospital. Hayden and Harrison are the sweetest, most precious things we have ever seen; they are truely the most amazing people we have ever met. They are so strong, keeping fighting along, doing so well….we are just floored by their progress and determination. The best part is we have a lifetime ahead of us of watching them continue to amaze us; we can’t wait to see what wonderful little boys they continue to turn into. And I know we are biased, but hands down they are the most beautiful babies we have ever seen. All of the NICU nurses and doctors seem to agree with us so it’s now fact, not opinion.  :)

Thanks to all of you that have helped us so far, and the offers of help keep pouring in every day. For right now, what we need are continued prayers and positive thoughts, and for all of you to rest up. Once they are home, we will be calling on many of you for all kinds of help. First and foremost, Kaiser and Schatzi need MAJOR baths!! They are so dirty right now I’m afraid the Boxer Rescue is going to be knocking on our door at any time to take them back. haha! Again, once our boys are home, we’ll start assigning duties, errands and projects for everyone. Fair trade for all of the Girl Scout cookies, Christmas wrapping paper, scented candles, sausage/cheese baskets and candy bars that we have bought over the years from all our friends with kids. Payback is hell.

Future news posts won’t be so lengthy; many will be one sentance long I figure but we for sure want to keep everyone up to date. I just had to give some thanks, and brag a little bit about my beautiful, amazing boys a bit. I’m constantly connected via email and text so feel free to keep contacting me directly at terriglim@yahoo.com

Take care, and love to all. I can’t wait for everyone to meet my little guys!! Soon, very soon.