Double Trouble

I am learning different ways of handling two hungry babies at once when I'm on duty solo:
1. Two reclining highchairs
2. Two Boppy pillows in their crib or on the floor
3. Double stroller (reclining side-by-side model)
4. Both propped up on a sofa pillow
5. Feed one baby while the other one screams like someone's sticking a pin in it, focus all of my mental energy on willing the first to finish faster so I can get a bottle into the other one's mouth before one of our heads explode.

It does get a bit tricky when one needs to be moved or have its chin wiped or something, but tonight I did manage to burp Kathryn while James was still sucking away. It helps that she often burps with no more help than a change of position.

On the fun side, James has started smiling a bunch of times in a day. Hard to tell if he's smiling at us or just at random, but it's still wonderful to see and melts my heart every time.

Tummy time

Big sister Kirby was here for two days and finally got to meet the new additions. She jumped right into the big sister role and did a great job, helping with feeding, changing diapers, playing, and cuddling.

Other than that, there's not much new. They're still changing and growing every day -- I uploaded a batch of new pictures to the photo page. We're sleeping less and less every day, or so it seems. The babies have been looking for attention in the wee hours the past several nights, and it's starting to take its toll. On the plus side, I'm finally getting tired enough to be able to nap during the day! They let me get to bed a little earlier last night, so today was a bit better. I even made it out to the store this afternoon, though I almost fell asleep on my feet waiting in the checkout line... I was OK walking around the store, but standing still was another story!

I am amazed at how much they have grown and how different they look and act today compared to their first couple of weeks, or even the first few days here at home. We're starting to see some personality in them now. Kathryn makes lots of noise when she's awake (and sometimes in her sleep), which gradually turns into a cry when she's hungry or uncomfortable. James spends a lot of tme just quietly looking around when he's awake, but lets loose with a piercing cry when he's unhappy about something. When they have "tummy time" on the floor, they both pick their heads up and turn them from side to side, and also pick their legs up off the floor and squirm around. They are fascinated by lights, whether it's a lamp in the room or daylight outside. I took them for another walk in their stroller this afternoon. They slept through most of it, but James woke up in time to enjoy some of the scenery on the way home.

Announcing...

(click for a larger version)

Weights & Measures

Update after the babies' appointment with the GI doc this afternoon: James is up to 5 lbs. 7 oz. (up 12 ounces from a week ago), Kathryn is at 5 lbs. 10 oz. (up 10 ounces from a week ago), and both are 18 1/2 inches long!

Full-on new mommy mode

Now they're definitely becoming regular babies. The schedule is mostly out the window, except that we do wake them up for bottles if they don't wake up on their own after 4 hours. The babies make no distinction between night and day in either their feeding or wakefulness patterns. I have also lost track of what day and time it is, though at least I know what the bright light outdoors means.

We are sticking to the "one eats, both eat" rule (if one wakes up hungry, the other gets a bottle too) to forestall utter chaos. Splitting up the night time duties is also working out fairly well. We each get a shot at 4 or 5 hours of relatively uninterrupted sleep each night, barring monitor alarms or extreme crying.

I am still having trouble napping during the day, though it's getting easier as I become more zombie-like. Putting a snoozing baby on top of me is also a great sleep-inducer. Someone should bottle that and sell it, but it's probably even more addictive than what they've got now.

On the upside of regular-baby-ness, they are spending more time awake, and are more alert and aware of what's around them. They're both getting better and better at lifting their heads, looking around, and focusing on interesting things. On the downside, they are also getting better and more insistent at expressing their displeasure at being hungry, having a dirty diaper, or being subjected to the indignity of a diaper change. They are also soiling things (clothes, bedding, blankets, Mommy, etc.) in various ways at an alarming rate, times two. But they're really cute doing it.

The week everything broke

Perhaps it's required to maintain the cosmic balance, but we've had a string of bad luck in the form of things breaking all around the house. Shortly before the babies were born, one of our (wall unit) air conditioners conked out, and Russ had it replaced with a "mini split" unit that's a nice step up. We also had a new roof put on as the old one had a slowly growing leak.

Snice we've been home, the other air conditioner quit (no replacement yet... July in Florida is a bad time to expect a call back from the A/C man), the clothes dryer broke (on the plus side, I now have the new washer and dryer I've been eyeing for several months), and the Truckster is in the shop having its transmission replaced. Whew!

Other than that, we're all doing fine. We go see a specialist later this week for their reflux, which we hope will continue improving. They have been taking less medicine since Friday's pediatrician visit and seem to be doing alright.

The lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with me. If I write everything down, I have a shot at remembering what I need to do next. If I remember where I wrote it down.

One month old

The twins are one month old today! This morning was their weight check and one-month doctor visit. Kathryn tipped the scales at five pounds, and James weighed in at 4 pounds 11 ounces. They have both grown to over 18 inches long too. They are eating like crazy and doing better and better with their other problems. Since they are doing so well, we are going to start decreasing their reflux medicine to see how they do with less of that.

My mother arrived on Tuesday and will be here until the middle of next week, so we have another pair of hands around for a little while -- very helpful! We're getting everything a little more organized around here, but we are still short on sleep and the to-do lists just get longer. We'll catch up eventually. Or not.

Drink 'til ya puke

Who knew they'd be such partiers already?! :-)

We don't have to measure everything as carefully anymore, so they get as much as they want (within reason)... the doctor assured us that they'd "give back" whatever formula is too much at a feeding. Last night they were both looking for more after finishing their bottles, so more they got. So far it hasn't been too much, though their appetites are starting to fluctuate through the day and night. We go back to the doctor on Friday to weigh them again and make sure they're still gaining.

Last night they both fussed a lot during the night, so we didn't get much sleep. James and Kathryn are becoming more and more alert and active as Russ and I become zombies. I can hardly believe it's Tuesday already. The weekend went by in a blur. We have many things to catch up on, and people to catch up with, but we've been in a daze most of the time since we got home. I expect to keep updating this blog, but the updates & pictures will probably be fewer and farther between.

They are starting to act more and more like regular babies, changing by the day. It's hard to tell what to expect next. They're nearly a month old, but also still 4 weeks from their full-term birth date. We know they'll likely be somewhat delayed, especially on some of their early milestones, but it's impossible to predict which ones and how much. The best the books can tell us is that they'll probably do things in roughly the same order as a full-term baby, but maybe not at the same age. Or maybe so. Yikes. They are starting to lift their heads and look around when on their tummies, they seem to focus on our faces and voices, they find their fingers to suck on sometimes, and no matter how we put them down in the crib or how nicely swaddled they are, they manage to squirm around until some part of them is touching each other.

First doctor visit, Settling in

Yesterday's doctor visit went well. Both babies gained some weight -- they're getting weighed with diapers now, and on much less precise scales, but James gained about an ounce and Kathryn almost two ounces. We will have to go see specialists to monitor their reflux and bradys/apneas (monitor their monitors?), but they should outgrow both problems soon enough. Other than that, they continue to be healthy & growing well. We see changes in them every day!

We are beginning to find a routine that works for now, so we were both able to get a little more sleep last night. After their 9:00pm feeding, I napped & watched TV for a couple of hours, did the 1:00am feeding by myself and then slept until around 7:30am; Russ went to bed earlier and got up for the 5:00am. It takes about an hour altogether to prepare medicine & bottles, feed & diaper both babies, and get them settled back to sleep. Fortunately they are are so far sticking to the 4-hour shedule they were on at the hospital, though sometimes they need some distraction before feeding time or a little bit of an early start. We're trying to stick with it at least while they are on the medication to keep things simple and avoid waking them (or us!) up between feedings just to take medicine.

They are both eating very well now, taking almost 2 ounces at each feeding, and we can turn off the alarm clock because they're having no trouble waking up for their feedings and letting us know they're hungry! The home monitors are a little clumsy to handle, but we have had relatively few alarms, and they both fix the problem themselves usually before we even get into the room. It's reassuring to have the monitors, because every now and then they do need a little stimulation to get their heart rates or breathing back up. I am amazed at how well my sleeping self can tell the difference between the "problem" alarm sound (rush in to make sure they're OK) and the "loose wire" (someone moved the wrong way, just wait a few seconds) alarm sound!

I finally got the camera out and added a batch of new photos to the baby album!

Home at last

We got home around 8pm last night (Thursday) and all is well. The drive was long, but not too bad. We made a stop at Babies R Us so I could run in and get a few necessities -- diapers (we had two cases of newborn size stocked up, but only a few packages of premie size), formula, baby monitor, spare crib sheets, etc.

Just now got the laptop in from the car. Haven't dug out the camera with going-home photos yet. Cats have been demanding attention all night, as have babies. Just fed them breakfast (babies, not cats). We have both managed to get a little sleep. Unpacking the car little bits at a time, haven't really made a dent yet.

We got see the pediatrician at 1 pm today, then right back home. One of us will have to go food shopping sometime, the leftover Chinese food we had delivered for dinner won't last forever.

Babies are sleeping, back to bed for me now!

Ready to GO!

It's 5 am and I have been awake for a couple of hours now. After an hour or so, I realized that I wasn't going to get back to sleep, so I got up, dressed, reorganized the diaper bags for the trip, made a pot of coffee, and I'm pretty much ready to go right now.

Too bad the babies won't be ready to leave for three or four hours yet. And Russ is still sound asleep. At least I got a few hours of sleep, and he's driving, so I can nap in the car (time to practice "sleep when the babies sleep", right? :-).

We have a pair of bulging diaper bags from the hospital, filled with enough formula, bottles (they'll still need their formula measured carefully for a little while), and diapers to last a couple of days. Loading those up really made the whole "times two" thing hit home, as did trying to cram enough into one bag to last for the whole drive. Then again, my idea of "enough" is probably more like "enough, even if we get stuck in traffic... for three days."

The NICU staff has been very helpful in getting us ready to go without much stress at all. Everything that could be scheduled or done a day or three in advamce, they've done. The babies have had a whole day to rest without pictures, procedures, baths, and so on. They've been on the home monitors (along with the hospital monitor) since yesterday, so we know those are working well and that we can hook them up correctly. Last night we practiced measuring and giving the medicine that we'll have at hme. The doctor even said he'd get the babies checked out and ready to go first thing this morning so we can get an early start (their usual schedule puts NICU discharges in the afternoon or evening). By the time that and all of the paperwork is done, we should be able to get their 9am feeding into them just before we leave, so we shouldn't have to stop for the first few hours. It's usually an 8-hour drive, but it will take us at least a few hours longer with baby stops, so it will be late tonight before we get in.

I can hardly believe that we are taking them home today, after all that has happened -- especially since they aren't even supposed to be born for another month. I'm amazed at how far they have come in just a few weeks. I'm also amazed at how good they are... when they wake up early, before feeding time, they usually just lie there quietly and look around, or make cute little waking-up noises. They've rarely cried or been fussy at all unless someone was doing something unpleasant to them. Is it too much to hope that the behavior and the schedule will keep going this smoothly?

Even if it doesn't, at least we'll be home, and everything should be a lot easier to handle there. There are many things here that we will miss when we leave, but it will be nice to sleep in my own bed again after two months away!

Stay tuned for Twins... The Home Game!

One more day!

Barring any major problems between now and then, the babies will be released from the hospital Thursday morning and we will all be heading for home!!!

Today was a whirlwind of preparations, insurance company phone calls, a photo session (this picture is a quick one I took of them in the outfits they wore for their photo shoot... I crocheted the sweaters and pants while I was here awaiting their arrival), training for the home monitors (they'll be on monitors for a few months to alert us if their heart rate drops too far or if they stop breathing), James's circumcision, and the Tuesday night weighings and baths. We're all pretty well exhausted, but both babies are still gaining weight and both took their whole bottles tonight. Kathryn is up to 4 lbs. 3.4 oz. and James is up to 4 lbs. 2.4 oz.

We had yet another moment of hilarity in the NICU toinight... we let down our guard for a moment with his diaper open (one of the many rules there -- go without pooping for 12 hours and you get a glycerin suppository), and he retaliated by squirting Dad right in the face. Fortunately this time it was just pee. We both jumped to get things under cover, and lost a blanket and his pacifier to the floor (another hospital rule -- once something hits the floor, into the trash or laundry it goes) while trying to keep all the fresh post-bath bedding from getting soaked.

We are very excited about heading home so soon, and very happy that the babes are doing so well. We'll be pretty busy between now and then getting the truck packed up and everything ready to go, so I may not post any more until we get home. Maybe not right away then either... don't worry, it'll just mean we have our hands full of babies with no nurses around to help out!

More of the same, but closer to going home

Not a lot of news today, other than James finally catching on to the bottle feeding thing. The nurses say "the light bulb went on." At his overnight feedings, and all day today, James sucked away like a champ at his bottles. A few he even finished faster than his sister. He's certainly using less energy than he was to get through them, and he seems to be enjoying the whole process a lot more.

If the babies keep up this progress with the feedings and weight gain, we may be able to take them home as soon as the end of this week! They will have to be on apnea monitors for two or three months at home, but even though it's an added hassle, it is reassuring to us as they are both still having some episodes of bradycardia and we'll feel much better knowing about it if they need some help. They did pass their car seat tests, which is reassuring.

Although this is right around the doctor's initial optimistic estimates of their stay in the NICU, the actual preparations for their discharge caught us a bit off guard. We've suddenly gone from a sort of holding pattern in the nursery and here at the apartment to making ourselves ready to leave this place. Fortunately all of the nursery essentials are already set up at home!

One of the nurses, who has been off for a few days, asked about their last weight gain and remarked that Kathryn's face seemed to have plumped up quite a bit (on babies this size, even a few ounces can make a big difference). It made me think about all of the changes we've seen in them just in this short time, and how different they are now than just a couple of weeks ago. They have been transformed from strange, spastic little naked creatures, surrounded by tubes and wires in plastic boxes, to nearly normal babies -- on the small side, but they look and act much more like regular babies now.

Sunday baths

We had a nice surprise when we got to the hospital this morning to find that both Kathryn and James ahd their NG tubes removed! Kathryn was doing well enough feeding that hers was removed overnight, and after James pulled his own out (again), they decided to leave it out unless he needs it again.

We gave them bottles at four of their feedings today (9am, 1pm, 5pm, and 9pm). We don't go in for the two overnight feedings (1am and 5am)... we're getting our sleep while we still can! Kathryn is a real champ with the bottles, but is still having trouble with the reflux and accompanying bradycardias. James is having more difficulty with the bottles. At their 5pm feeding, right after their baths, he was so tired out that he only took half his bottle. He got another chance to escape the tube because that was right after a bath, and those baths really wear them out. At 9pm he did somewhat better, but he still had a lot of difficulty finishing the whole feeding. We're hoping he continues to do well enough to stay on the bottle, but he does need to get enough nutrition and gain weight at the same time.

Speaking of weight, they both gained weight again! Kathryn is up to 4 lbs. 2.4 oz., and James is at 4 lbs. 0.4 oz. The bottle feedings are more work than the tube feedings, and they're no longer on the high calorie formula, so they didn't gain very much this time. We're happy as long as they're on the plus side, even a little bit. They are both getting very close to the 1.9 - 2 kilograms (around 4 lbs. 3 oz.) that the doctors like to see before they are discharged. The weight is not an absolute requirement, but they do have to be eating well from bottles at every feeding, gaining weight consistently, and not having major apnea or bradycardia issues.

Our babies will get their first shot at the "car seat test" sometime tonight. They're placed in their car seats for an hour or so, with the monitors all on, to see how well they tolerate the position they'll be in for the ride home. We'll probably end up going home with them on monitors anyway, but they'll still need to pass the car seat test.

There are several new photos on the week 3 photo page, including their faces with no tubes and tape, and their first baths with no tubes or wires attached (the monitor wires are usually removed for bath time, but the NG tubes and oxygen weren't so they always had something still attached before)!

Ups and Downs

Today was a day of ups and downs, fortunately bigger ups than downs. The babies are making great strides and took bottles at four feedings in a row today. James sort of pooped out at the last one, and had to get the end of the feeding through his NG tube. This is disappointing because it means the tube can't come out just yet. Kathryn's might be out by morning if she keeps up her 10 minute bottles. She is still having the reflux and bradycardia episodes fairly frequently, though. The doctor has increased her medication, but it will take a little while to see if that helps.

They seem to be happy in the crib together (you can tell me he's not really smiling in this picture, but I won't believe you :-). We didn't put them down like that, they tilt their heads together all by themselves. Amazingly enough, one of them can be crying and fussing, even get a diaper change and all the associated business, and the other sleeps right through it. One plus to the NICU environment is that by the time they get home they should be able to sleep through anything -- there are near-constant lights, noises, babies crying, machines beeping, and people talking all around them, and they snooze away peacefully. This hospital does what they call "clustered care", where everything that needs to be done for a baby is done at one time, right around their feeding, so that they have several hours of uninterrupted sleep in between.


They are getting closer to going home, but James will have to take the bottles better and Kathryn will have to get over the bradys before they can be released. She may end up going home on a monitor as well. We're hoping that won't be necessary, because we are really looking forward to being rid of the tubes and wires. On the plus side, with all the practice we're getting now, changing clothes and diapers will be a breeze when the tubes and wires are gone!

It's a little frustrating when they take a big step forward and then backslide a little. We know it's normal and expected, but we want so badly for them to be strong and healthy that it's a bit of a blow each time there's another brady or a feeding issue. We also get a little nervous when we're feeding or holding them because we don't want them to "lose points" for our ineffectiveness at getting them to suck or burp, or because we've got them in a bad position that sets off a brady or breathing problem. It's a silly thing to worry about, especially because we have to do all of these things ourselves before they'll even discharge the babies, but we can't help but feel a little bit of personal failure when they have a setback, however minor.

Together again at last

Today was full of fun stuff. We gave the babies their bottles this morning, and then Kathryn had her oxygen removed completely, and they got moved into the same crib!

Russ and I spent the day shopping at a nice mall in Atlanta. We both needed a day off, and I found some very cute baby clothes at Janie & Jack and Oilily (on sale, too :-). It will be a little while before they grow into most of them, but I couldn't resist. There was another store there, Strasburg Children, with absolutely precious outfits, but about the only things they had in these babies' size were their doll clothes so we'll have to check them out again when they get a little older (or mail-order from their catalog).

After dinner, we went back over to the hospital to give them their night time bottles too. Kathryn moved her feeding time up by a whole hour by being cranky and fussy and HUNGRY. We tried to settle her down, but the pacifier just made her mad when no food came out of it. Meanwhile James fell asleep again and didn't really want to wake up to eat, but once Russ got him started, he did fine. They're both sucking well and finishing their bottles in good time. They are also emitting some tremendous burps for such tiny creatures. It's hard to believe there could be enough gas in them to make those noises!

Kathryn is still having quite a few bradys, maybe due to the reflux. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse with the bottle feedings, but it needs to get better before we can go home. James is doing much better with those, he only had a few last night and today. Otherwise they're making great progress, and several of the nurses have commented that it won't be long now before they're ready to head home. They have been very good babies so far, but they're starting to be awake more, and aren't entirely happy with the NICU's 4-hour feeding/diaper schedule.

We also heard from the lawyer's office that the interstate paperwork that has to be approved before we can take them home has been sent on its way and should be back (it has to go through some approval process in both states) sometime next week. We're hoping it all comes through in time, because neither we nor the doctors want these little ones to spend any time in a germy hotel room.

Nippling!

Both James and Kathryn took bottles tonight, and emptied them in short order -- both sucked down 40ml, or an ounce and a third, in about 20 minutes. They also weighed in at four pounds each!


We gave them both baths tonight, which they are starting to enjoy a little more. It takes both of us to maneuver a slippery, soapy baby and a wet washcloth in the little plastic bath tubs they have at the hospital, but we have fun. We had a hilarious diaper incident with James tonight involving three new diapers, and poop and pee everywhere. Yes, I know you're supposed to keep things covered, but you have to open the diaper at some point in order to change it, and he had perfect timing with both barrels. It would probably be less humorous at home, but here any poop is cause for celebration, even if it's all over your pants.

We have been at the hospital almost all day, and it has been an exciting one, so I'm pretty tired right now. I uploaded a few pictures to the new Week Three photo album page. Tomorrow I'm hoping to be able to give them a bottle myself (the nurses have to give the first one, at least, to make sure everything is going alright).

Two weeks old and eating well

Today we hit two milestones: two weeks old, and both little ones got started on "bolus feedings", or receiving their formula over just one hour instead of gradually over three hours. They also switched to a special thickened formula to help with their reflux.

Both James and Kathryn seem much happier with the bolus feedings, perhaps because it makes their tummies feel full, where the gradual feedings never really filled them up. They're also tolerating it extremely well, no spitting up, and had nothing left in their tummies after the first two feedings (they check each time just before the next feeding). That means that all of the formula they were fed -- 40ml now -- is moving through their system.

The next step is to let them try "nippling", or feeding from a bottle. We're not sure exactly when that will happen, but it could be in the next day or two. One of the challenges for preemies is that their breathing is often too fast for them to be able to suck and swallow without choking, or their brains can't quite coordinate all three of those things at once. The nurses and doctors will evaluate their breathing, their sucking, and how they're tolerating their feedings in order to decide when to try the bottle. We have let the nurses know that we want to make sure we're there for the first bottle.

Tonight we held them for quite a while before and during their late-night (9:30 & 10:00) feedings. James went right to sleep as soon as his belly started getting full, but Kathryn stayed awake through her whole feeding and then some. She wasn't fussy or crying, just awake, looking around, sucking on her pacifier, and grabbing onto my finger. She finally drifted off around 11:30 and we could go home... I can't stand to leave as long as they're awake, I want to cherish every moment!

Check out the photos on the week 2 album page. Tomorrow (Thursday) starts Week Three!

Bath time

Russ got back up here this morning, and we both made it back to the hospital for bath time.

Today was the first real bath for both babies. Since their belly buttons are all healed up now, they could sit in the water while we washed them instead of the quick sponge baths they've been getting. We all had fun for most of the process, James got a little upset towards the end of his bath but settled right down once he got wrapped back up in a nice warm dry towel. Kathryn liked her bath a little better.


Both of them are keeping thier temperatures up very well in the open cribs. They were warm enough this afternoon that they can go without hats for a while, and only need light blankets wrapped around them. Now that they're out of the incubators, they get to wear clothes and we can hold them more often. They seem happier dressed and swaddled in blankets than they were even with the snugglers in the incubators. They're also starting to act more and more like babies. Their movements are getting more coordinated, they are more alert when they're awake (which is more often), and they're even making happy baby noises instead of just crying.

Weighings were tonight too, and we got more good news. James is up to 3 lbs. 12 oz., and Kathryn is up to 3 lbs. 14.5 oz -- a great accomplishment considering that they have burn calories to keep themselves warm now too. They are both getting regular (preemie) formula now, and are both up to 38ml (about an ounce and a quarter) per feeding. Tomorrow they will try a bolus feeding, which means giving the fomula over one hour instead of gradually over three hours. Once they're able to tolerate that well, we will be able to try a bottle feeding, maybe as soon as the end of this week!

Houston, we have temperature control!

This evening both of our babies were moved from their isolettes into open cribs -- bundled up nice and snug -- and several hours later were both keeping their temperatures up very well!

This is great news not only because of the progress it represents, but also because it gives us a lot more contact with them. We can hold them more often now, and get them in and out of their cribs much more easily without upsetting them (or, if we're lucky, even waking them up). We can also touch and cuddle them without a wall of plastic between us.

Kathryn is still having a lot of trouble with reflux, and it has been causing her to have more "bradys", or episodes of slowed heart rate. She usually recovers right away without any help, but there was one episode this evening that had us a little worried because her breathing and oxygen saturation (the level of oxygen in her blood) also dropped quite a bit. It turned out that it was probably caused by her her NG (feeding) tube not being in quite far enough -- the babies love to yank on their tubes and wires -- but the doctor ordered some blood work anyway to make sure she doesn't have an infection or some other problem behind all this. She seemed to be doing much better later this evening.

They both had a little formula left in their tummies after their evening feeding as well, which was probably just due to the excitement of changing beds and getting dressed for the first time ever. Even the little tiny sleepers were pretty huge on them, but they didn't seem to mind once they got all bundled up in their blankets.

Russ flies back up here toimorrow morning, and tomorrow night is weighing and baths again, so I'm sure we'll have more news then. Thank you all for the emails, phone calls, and good wishes. Even if we don't get back to you all right away, please know that it all helps keep our spirits up during this stressful time!

Making progress

There isn't a whole lot to report, nor many new pictures, because the past several days have been pretty much the same routine. I have spent at least an hour a day with each of them in kangaroo care, and it seems to be doing them good.

Tonight was baths and weighing, and we were thrilled to find that James and Kathryn have each gained a few more ounces. James is up to 3 lbs. 10.5 oz., just half an ounce shy of his birth weight. Kathryn is a little bit ahead of him, and ahead of her birth weight, at 3 lbs. 11.6 oz.

Their "A's and B's" have decreased over the past couple of days, and they may be able to move to open cribs soon as they are getting better at keeping themselves warm and gaining weight. I have been spending more and more time with them. Even if it's just sitting and watching them, reading, or knitting while they sleep, I like being close to them and being there to touch and talk to them when they do wake up. Once they are in the open cribs we'll be able to hold them more, dress them, and hopefully move on to bottle feedings before too long

I am also doing as much as I can to help with their care -- at this point my contributions are pretty much limited to diaper changes and baths -- so that I get some practice handling them. They seem so tiny and fragile, it's a comfort to me to get used to doing these things under the watchful eyes of the wonderful nursing staff in the NICU. The tubes and wires, not to mention maneuvering through the portholes in the isolettes, make everything a bit more challenging, so I should be a pro by the time we all get home.