Now for a update on how the little ones and Jacqueline are doing. First and foremost in my world...Jacqueline is doing great! She is moving better and having to be held back my me, to make sure she isn't over doing it. If I wasn't around she would be down at the babies side every minute and not resting enough for herself. I love the mother of my children!
We go home today and will have to figure out a new schedule for seeing the kiddos. After Emily and Evan made their grand entrance we got to see them for a minute or two and then they went to the special care nursery (what they call the NICU to help parents deal). The two of them have been tough little ones from the start. Emily is doing great. She is feeding well and hasn't needed any kind of assistance until today (more on that in a second). Evan is a little lazier in his feeding, but still doing well. Evan had low blood sugar when he was checked on Sunday so they started an IV. Normally this would have stayed for two or three days at least, however after about 12 hours he decided he didn't need it anymore. He had a talk with his doc and said he wanted it out so that mom and dad could hold him easier. The doctor said no, so Evan pulled the IV out on his own. No really, they were changing the tape on the IV and he pulled it out! I like to think that he was letting them know he wanted to do by himself because it makes dad's heart hurt to think of how much pain that must have caused. No matter how it came out he has been able to regulate his blood sugar and never needed another one.
Both kids are doing well, but their billy ruebens (bilirubens, which means they are jaundice) are high so today they got the bili blanket. They're levels are not that high so the doctor decided to have them on a blanket that provides a light to help break up the biliruben so that it can be pooped out. The blanket means we can pick them up more and not worry how much time we have them out of the isolates. After two nights in a minimally heated bed they decided to move the two to isolates to keep them a little warmer. They were able to stay warm enough on their own, but it was using a lot of energy. The warmers allow them to focus on sleeping and eating, which means growing.
Emily is down to 4 lbs even and Evan is down to 4 lbs 2 oz as of this morning. The docs tell us that this is too be expected. The two of them have made a lot of friends and win over ever nurse that sees them with their amazing hair, especially Emily.
The docs tell us that the two will go home after their biliruben levels are normal, they are putting on weight, and are in open air cribs. That could be a matter of days or it could be a few weeks. At this point dad thinks Emily is going to beat her brother home just because she is a more enthusiastic eater. I am praying for them to be home as early as possible, but have been specifically praying for next Friday the 1st of June. We continue to trust the Lord's timing in this process and praise the Lord for the 34 weeks and 4 days that the two of them hung out in mommy's belly.
As many of you know Jacqueline went into pre-term labor in April at 30 weeks and 3 days. It is hard to explain how it feels to watch other babies roll into the NICU that are around that 30 week age. It is rare in life that we see Lord's work laid out in front of us like that. We pleaded with the Lord for more time in mom's belly and He gave us two more pounds each and it makes such a difference. We know others have walked the path of more intense NICU stays and thank the Lord for their support and encouragement during the past month and look forward to it going forward, but praise the Lord for the health he gave Emily and Evan.
Now for the fun stuff - Pictures!!!
Look for a message to Evan and Emily tomorrow (or again in 18 years depending on how sane mom and dad can stay).
Ryan
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