Sydney, Santa and Sleep...or lack thereof

I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone already. We had dinner on Christmas Eve with my family, and then Casey's family came over on Christmas Day. Having young kids makes the holidays so fun. Clare was very excited about Santa and everything he brought, including this Elmo tent. I know next year will be even better. I think she must think that Santa and Elmo are good buddies because almost everything she got is "Melmo."



Of course, the best part about Christmas this year was getting Sydney home on Christmas Eve. Sydney is snuggly and sweet, but she has a set of lungs that will wake the dead. She is still getting used to being home, and her sleep schedule isn't quite regulated. I think she has her days and nights confused, which makes for two very tired parents. Amazingly, she will cry so loud right next to Jane's head, and Jane never moves a muscle. She is eating really well and gaining weight like a good girl. She is up to 6 lbs!



Clare has reacted surprisingly well to the arrival of her two sisters. She doesn't give them a lot of attention, but tries to be very helpful when she is paying attention. She will take them their pacifiers or bottles....and sometimes tries to cram them in their mouths. Her favorite thing to say to them is "Hi two babies."



This last picture has nothing to do with this post, but I just thought it was cute. Here is Clare getting ready for a day of golf...just like her Daddy.

A Few Pictures

More pictures later...and a Christmas recap!

Merry Christmas

Sydney was able to come home yesterday afternoon. Here is our first picture as a family of 5. Merry Christmas!

Anticipation

Hospital visits continue to be part of our everyday routine. Sydney is doing really well, and we are eagerly awaiting her homecoming. Everyday we get a different report from whichever nurse or doctor that we talk with, but everyone seems to think it is a matter of days before she is home with us. She has passed her car seat study, her feeding tube has been removed, and she has taken all of her feeds for the past 24 hours by mouth. If she continues to eat well and gain weight, I think there is a chance that she could be home for Christmas.

This pregnancy and "post-pregnancy" have brought with it many situations requiring adjustments to our "normal" lives. During my first trimester, I, like most pregnant women, was totally exhausted and never felt quite right. Then, being put on bed rest at 23 weeks made it necessary to have lots of help. Thankfully, our families eagerly stepped up to the plate. Now, almost 3 weeks into this NICU stint, I am growing weary of traveling to and from the hospital and dealing with all the emotions that are a part of having a child in the hospital. With Sydney's homecoming looming on the horizon and the prospect of beginning this new phase of our lives, I am anxious to get back to "normal." I am aware that normal will take on a whole new meaning, and I don't even pretend to know how difficult it is going to be to have three small children under one roof. But I have to think that we will eventually settle into a comfortable routine that will become our day-to-day family life. So, as Sydney's big day approaches, I feel a variety of emotions. I am excited, anxious, thankful, relieved, and nervous. But mostly, I am ready.

A Day of "Firsts"

Yesterday was a big day for Jane. She had her first pediatrician's appointment, where she got a clean bill of health. She is gaining weight and is currently up to 5 lbs. 13 oz. That places her in the first percentile for weight. She is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Clare, who always topped the charts in the 90th percentiles!

Then, Jane got to meet her great-grandmother for the first time. Mamma was able to come over and hold Jane for a bit on her way through town. Clare even posed for a picture with both of them, but only when bribed with cookies!

Finally, we finished off the day with her first home "bath." She didn't seem to mind it too much. She is such a good baby, spending most of her time asleep. We are amazed at how much she sleeps, and we have to keep reminding ourselves that she isn't even supposed to be here yet!

Other family updates....Sydney continues to do well in the NICU. She is taking about 5 bottles a day now, but she isn't always finishing them. We are hoping to increase to 6 tomorrow. Baby steps. Clare has pleasantly surprised us all in her reaction to Jane being home. She likes to go look at the baby and tries to put her pacifier in for her. Our biggest challenge is getting her to whisper and be gentle when she is around Jane. So far, we haven't had any major meltdowns. We'll see what happens when another baby is added into the mix.

Making up for Lost Time

Sweet Baby Jane

Jane is home!

Clare met her sister this evening for the first time. She was very curious about this new little person. She "helped" Mommy change her diaper and Daddy give her a bottle. She kept calling her Sydney, so I am not sure she understands that another baby will be coming home soon. We'll see how she does in the upcoming days. For now, we are thrilled to be one step closer to having our family under one roof.

Christmas, Clare and Hospitals

Here is Clare during a trip to see Santa with her grandmothers. From the report, she was more interested in the "snow" than in Santa. Let's just say her picture with Santa does not show her beautiful smile. I will try to scan it later. Despite not wanting to sit with Santa, she knows that he will bring her toys, and she is thrilled by that. She seems to like the Christmas decorations and calls everything Christmas, "ho ho." She especially likes her Santa hat, which she wears frequently.

It is so strange to think what a difference a year makes. Last Christmas, Clare was 8 months old. We were getting into the groove of having one child and excited about her first Christmas. We had not even started to think about having more kids. Fast forward a year, and we are now a family of 5, praying that we will all be home for Christmas.


Speaking of the girls, they continue to do well. Jane is slated to come home at the early part of this week. The doctor has ordered her car seat study and vaccines, which are reportedly some of the last steps before being discharged. She has to sit in her car seat for 2 hours without compromising her breathing. I think this will be done either today or tomorrow. She is eating well and no longer has the feeding tube.

Sydney is making progress. I was able to nurse her for the first time today, and she did really well. She is still taking a bottle 2-3 times a day, but has yet to finish a complete bottle. She has something going on with her right eye that we are going to have to see a pediatric opthamologist about once she is discharged, but hopefully it won't be anything serious. Her right eye doesn't seem to be moving as well as her left. The neonatologist said that she didn't think it was anything neurological, probably just an eye issue. She said that Sydney is doing well and has no other symptoms of anything going on. All that to say, we will have to get that checked out once she is home. Of course, anytime you hear something needs to be checked out, worry sets in. I am trying not to be overly concerned until we know what is actually going on.

Side By Side

Sydney on the left; Jane on the right.

Jane is getting all of her feedings from a bottle now. If she continues to do well with, then she could be home by the weekend. Tomorrow, I will attempt to nurse her for the first time. We'll see how that goes. I am not overly optimistic, but I am so thankful that she is doing so well with the bottle.

Sydney is attempting to bottle feed at 2-3 feedings per day. She still is just not that interested in the bottle. Hopefully, she will get interested soon. I don't want her to be left in the hospital alone for very long!

On all other fronts, the girls are doing really well. They are both gaining weight, maintaining their body temperatures, and snoozing a lot. I can't wait to have my whole family at home!

In light of recent events, I decided to start a blog so that I can remember the details of this crazy time in our lives. Last Tuesday, December 4th, I gave birth to twin girls. Jane Jennings weighed 5 lbs. 6 oz, and Sydney Scott weighed 5 lbs. 1 oz. I delivered them one day shy of 34 weeks, so they went directly to the NICU. Hopefully, they will be able to come home soon to join their 20 month old siser, Clare Morgan. I was released from the hospital on Saturday, but the twins will remain there for an undetermined amount of time.

Jane

Sydney

Jane and Sydney are doing really well. They haven't required any oxygen and are maintaining their body temperature without any assistance. The last step before going home is getting them to take 8 bottle feedings/day. As of today, Jane took one full feed from a bottle today, and Sydney took half of a feed. It is a slow process for them to work up to 8 feedings, but hopefully they will continue to be successful. As of today, they are cobedding.





Many people have asked how Clare has responded. Sadly, she hasn't seen the girls yet. In order to visit the NICU, you have to be 3 years old. So she won't get to meet them until they come home. She knows that Mommy was in the hospital with the babies and where the babies' room is, but I am not sure she really knows what is coming. She has had a crazy past few months, with me being on bedrest and then me being in the hospital for several days. I am anxious to get back to "routine" although it will be crazy with 3 kids under the age of 2!