Happy two months to Yip and Yap

Addison and Evangeline are now two months old. They have some exciting news to share.
"Early Intervention" came by the house to determine if they needed any types of therapy. The girls were assessed by a physical therapist, occupational therapist and a nurse. They were very impresses with the girls. Evangeline and Addison were holding their heads up like a three month olds. Each can say hello in Spanish and good bye in Korean. Needless to say, they passed with flying colors. So they just need to focus on growing and eating to catch up to other babies their age.

Ah sleep, those were the days. I remember being on bed rest in the hospital and the nurses would say that i should take all of this in because soon I will not be getting any sleep at all. Boy were they right. The girls eat about every three hours, but sometimes every two. I have been lucky to get some overnight help. Both Grandmas and Aunt Ann have come to join in the overnight fun. Even with the help, the girls make a lot of work. I just keep walking around saying "two babies." Oh sleep, how I miss the.

Christmas is soon approaching and the girls have not decided what they want to do. They have asked for bottles filled with milk and a full nights sleep for their mom. What nice girls. Sleep, I know I have a one tract mind. Well, this one or that one is crying so I must get going. We have a big day of shots at the doctor tomorrow :o( I will let you know what they weigh.



Evangeline is to the left of Kermit and Addison is to the right.

We were supposed to be born today!

Yip and Yap were due today. This means that today is the day we base all of their milestones on as it will start their corrected age. With preemies one goes by their original due date when figuring what they should be doing when. Addison and Evangeline are already ahead of the game. Each of girl can hold her head up, turns toward sounds and is focusing on light. I always knew that these miracles would just continue to impress us, but I did not realize how much. They went to the doctor this week and you will never guess how big each is.

Addison

Weight 5 lbs 15 ozs

Length 18 1/8 inches

Evangeline

Weight 7 lbs 11 ozs

Length 19 1/2 inches

I apologize for not updating as often as I used to, but I am sure you all can understand. It is funny, when one is sleep deprived one of the first things to go is language. I cannot remember simple words such as alarm clock. I stood there and said oven like three times before I could get the correct word of alarm clock when talking to Ryan the other day. They are great babies, just not sleeping through the night as to be expected.

Happy One month to Yip and Yap

The girls turned one month yesterday. They celebrated by eating, pooping and sleeping. Crazy women. They are both doing so well Addison is now 4 1/2 lbs and 17 inches long, Evangeline is 5 1/2 lbs and 18 inches long. They are sleeping anywhere from 3 to 4 and sometimes 5 hours at a time.


Note: The picures above are inspired by Auntie Kerstin, our friend who took pictures of her daughter every month with the same stuffed animal. Who better for that then Kermit?! So Evangline is at the top and left and Addison is the bottom and right.

"We are ready for our close-up"

The pictures of the girls are up online

Go to
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/hospitals/hbp/login.aspx?i=H038


The second password for each is the same "boul"

1802008212
1802008236
1802008237

We had each of them have a picture and then did one together. Addison was the only one awake for her big debut.

Yip's first night home.

Yip came home today and boy was Yap so very happy. No more wires, alarms or daily trips to the hospital. (Since there is no pudding involved, the hospital has been a lot less of a good place.)


So the family is back together again. Daisy, again, did so well in meeting Miss Addison. she just sniffed and wagged her tail, then looked at us and laughed as if to say, "Yea, have fun with that." Darn smart ass dog! So our first night is starting well, Dad and I have an assembly line going with diapers and feedings. My hope it that everyone has scared the crap out of us so much about having two babies, that is cannot possibly be as bad as everyone warned us. So far this has been the case. That is not to say anyone should stop praying for us. :o)

Yap's first night home

Miss Evangeline came home on Saturday. It is so nice to have her here and hold her without cords of beeping, like some sort of baby cyborg.

We have now "survived" two nights with one baby, good thing we do not have another ba DUH! We just keep laughing and looking at each other and saying "and we have another one coming soon." Honestly it is not so bad once you get over the whole never sleeping again thing. :o) Daisy is being a great big sister. The first night I was out with Evangeline doing her night feeding and changing and boy does that girl holler when you change her pants. So Daisy heard this from the bedroom and started crying, she would not go back to bed until Dad took her out here and showed here that Evangeline was alright. It was very cute. We went to see Addison and she is really working hard to make it home. She took out her own feeding tube and they decided not to put it back, so she gets to eat whenever and however much she wants. She could be home by mid-week. I cannot wait for that, so we can finally get some sleep.

In the words of ozzie osbourne...

"Mama, I'm Coming Home."

Much to my delight and surprise, Evangeline is coming home on Saturday. (This is very common for twins to come home on different days, Addison will most likely me home within the week and I can bring Evangeline back to the hospital to visit her until she is home as well.) When we went into the hospital on Thursday they told us that she had eaten all of her feedings in the past 24 hours by mouth, in addition to consistently gaining weight and not having a breathing episode since the 20th. So, our favorite nurse A said, she will be going home on Friday. This really freaked me out, I did not expect her to be going home on Friday, nor did I expect only to get a 24 hour notice. With much vigor, I drove home and enlisted the help of two wonderful people to get the house read, my friend Nicole and my cousin Lindsey. (Thank you both, so much!) In the process of getting the house ready, the hospital called and said that Evangeline would have to wait until Saturday to come home due to the fact that she had not been off of her caffeine medicine for a full week yet. I have to tell you, I was relived. I am very nervous to be a new mom and to bring home such a precious little baby. At the hospital they are on monitors and the nurses are there, at home it is just Ryan and I. We will be without a net. I guess we do have an advantage over parents who go home right away as we have had three weeks to parent our babies with the nurses education. I am sure once I get her home without her wires and hold her in my comfy chair then it will all be alright.

(Notice above, no feeding tube for Evangeline!)

Happy Halloween

The nurses dressed up the girls for Halloween. Happy Halloween!

Pictures to show their dates when older

So today was bath day again, and what better way to celebrate bath day then with a baby mohawk. They look like little cupie dolls. Fun for us now and fun for us later. They are doing so well. Today Evangeline took a whole bottle for me and Addison took half of one. The nurse today said that Evangeline's feeding tube might be able to come out soon. Addison, I am sure, will be right behind her. They are both gaining weight and tolerating their feedings really well. Evangeline has not had an episode since the 21st, Addison had one this week but is was while she was eating. So, in general, things are going really great. Just time a patience at this point.

Together again!

Saturdays and Tuesday are bath days and the babies take them on Wednesday, HA!

Seriously, Saturday was bath day and boy was it fun. The girls screamed and screamed, it was great. They were really stinky, who knew babies that small and cute could smell so bad? (Can't wait to show their dates this someday) They are back in the same crib and doing so well. Evangeline is now almost 5 pounds and Addison is almost 4. Evangeline is taking every other feeding my mouth and Addison is starting to take a whole bottle. Their favorite nurse, Angela is starting to talk "car seat test,"which means that Evangeline may be home in about 10 days or so, maybe even by next week! Addison will follow soon after.

We will soon get back the test from their birth to determine if they are in fact identical or if their is a possibility that they are fraternal. I will let you know. Interestingly, if they are identical (which I think that they are) then they are mirror image. Cute.

So they are now two weeks and two days old and developmentally they are thirty-five and one day. Wow. September 13th (the day I was admitted to the hospital feels like a long time ago. Yay Yip and Yap, you are doing so well.

The little piggies

Addison and Evangeline are doing great. They are eating so well. Evangeline is now taking only every other feeding by tube. Addison has now taken one bottle today and did very well. She is also almost out of here box. Their nurse today said that they may wrap them up together in a twin burrito and keep them in one crib. I will defiantly post pictures of that. So they are continuing to make Dad and I work hard to get the house ready for babies (which is slow going with spending time at the NICU.) Tomorrow Evangeline and Addison will be two weeks old, for their two week B-day I hope they get to be in the same crib.

Being a Mom

The girls are just amazing us. Today I went to see them and Evangeline is in a big girl bed, she no longer needs the isolette to regulate her tempurature. Both girls have gained weight to the point that they are now their birth weight.

Neither of them have had a respiratory episode since 10/20. Evangeline passed her hearing test (Addison was too wild to be tested today :o)

The big news is that they are being moved to the step down NICU. They are doing so well that they can move now. So many things to be grateful for.

On the topic of gratitude, I am so grateful for the support of so many people and at the top of my personal list is my mother. Barb Doyle is the most amazing person I know and I am now fully realizing that as I become a mother myself. She was here with us for almost a week and I know I could have not done it without her. She clean, cooked, listened to my worries, and DROVE IN THE CHICAGOLAND. For those of you who do not know my mom, she does not drive in areas like this much less in high traffic areas where she lives. But that is what a mother does. A mother gives of herself to benefit her children. I always saw that in my mother, but now I am a card carrying member of the mother club, so it means so much more now. This all came to me as I walked from the NICU to the ER to get my wedding ring removed and this we the only time to eat so as I walked I managed to put down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (Long story about the ER, basically in a fit of glee that some of my swelling went down, I attempted to put my wedding ring back on, and much to my chagrin I could not get it off.) So I guess the basic thesis of this post is that being a mom involves a tight rope walk of taking care of yourself and of your children. I am in amazement of any mother that I can come into contact with, and all of this from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

PS My mom is the most humble person I know, so do not tell her about this post as she will kill me :o)

Daddy's little girls

Wow, Daddy's little girls are doing so well. The top picture is Evangeline and the bottom is Addison.

Addison is now 3lbs, she is tolerating her feedings and has not had an episode since yesterday. Episodes are were she either forgets to breath or she has a high or low heart rate. These episodes are due to Apnea (see below.) She got a bath yesterday and was a wild woman the whole time. The nurse took her diaper off and placed her on the blanket, she peed and screamed. Very cute.

Evangeline is now 4 lb 1/2 oz. She is tolerating her feedings very well. Both girls are at the maximum feeding for their weight. Evangeline also has not had an episode in a day and got a bath yesterday. No wild woman behavior that we know of as of yet. She also has graduated closer to room air, she was bundled and in a little shirt yesterday as they were testing to see how she regulated her temperature. She did very well. She looked so cute in her little shirt.

They are both doing really well with their feedings that today they get to try nursing. This will be done during their Gavage feedings (http://oce.sph.unc.edu/phnceac/babyguide/gavage.pdf)

I am very excited about this and any non-NICU/real mom things I get to do.

Days that the girls entered this world 9

Days until their original due date 41

Time Daisy has looked around the house for the babies and cried- COUNTLESS

"Apnea
Apnea is another common health problem in premature babies. During an apnea spell, a baby stops breathing, the heart rate may decrease, and the skin may turn pale, purplish, or blue. Apnea is usually caused by immaturity in the area of the brain that controls the drive to breathe. Almost all babies born at 30 weeks or less will experience apnea. Apnea spells become less frequent with age."

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/preemies.html

The little roos

Boy were Dad and I surprised to see that neither girls needs their IVs any more. This is such a good thing on many levels. First, it simply means that they are needing less help to maintain their nutrition and hydration. This also means that Dad and I can get in some serious Kangaroo time.

"Kangaroo care is a way of holding a preterm or full term infant so that there is skin-to-skin contact between the infant and the person holding it. The baby, wearing only a diaper, is held against the parent's bare chest. Kangaroo care for preterm infants is typically practiced for two to three hours per day over an extended time period in early infancy. With babies who are medically stable, there is no maximum duration for kangaroo care, some parents may keep their babies in-arms for many hours per day.
The label kangaroo care was chosen to describe this strategy because the method is similar to how a kangaroo is carried by its mother. It is estimated that more than 200 neonatal intensive care units practice kangaroo care today compared to less than 70 in the early 1990s. One recent survey found that 82 percent of neonatal intensive care units use kangaroo care in the United States today.
Researchers have found that the close physical contact with the parent can help to stabilize the preterm infant's heartbeat, temperature, and breathing. Preterm infants often have difficulty coordinating their breathing and heart rate. Researchers also have found that mothers who use kangaroo care often have more success with breastfeeding and improve their milk supply. Further, researchers have found that preterm infants who experience kangaroo care have longer periods of sleep, gain more weight, decrease their crying, have longer periods of alertness, and earlier hospital discharge. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_care

Dad and I went up the visit them last night and had a wonderful time. We got to kangaroo and it is really starting to feel like they are mine. A simple thing like cleaning the sleep out of Addison's eyes made me feel like a mom. It is truly the little things. I cannot wait to change my first diaper. I hope that I can hold the same desire after they come home, but somehow I think that will be very different. Dad took today off work to take care of me and to visit them again. I cannot wait. I will fill you in on any exciting news.

(Addison on left, Evageline on right)

Days since the Evangeline and Addison were born, one week.

Number of diapers changed so far-0 (how many new moms can say that :o)

Home again for Mom, Womb with a view for the Addison and Evangeline

Well I am home now and doing well. Grandma Doyle came to take care of me and help out with everything. I could not have done it without here. She and Daisy are getting along really well.

Evangeline and Addison are doing so well. They have both gained weight, neither are one oxygen. Evangeline is at the max for her tube feedings, so that means she could be off of her IV today if Dr H says it is okay. Addison is going up in her feedings just as well, she just had to start a little lower due to her size. They are both over their jaundice for now, so no lights.

These pictures were taken the day I left the hospital. I really wanted Daddy to hold both babies, nothing makes it more real that we had twins then holding each little burrito(dad's term of endearment when they are all wrapped up.) Yip and Yap love to lay close, they fall asleep every time they are held together. They get to be in the same bed as soon as they can maintain a constant temp and are off their IVs. So we are going to see them today and will fill you in on any major developments.

Addison and Evangeline's first days

Addison and Evangeline are doing really well. As of now, neither of them need oxygen or help breathing. They were on light therapy for jaundice, now only Evangeline needs it. Jaundice occurs when a baby's immature liver initially cannot dispose of excess bilirubin, a yellow pigment in the body produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells. They look really cute under the light because they have to wear little goggles to protect their eyes, like little superstars under lights and" their futures so bright they have to wear shades." Evangeline also had her IV out for a while because she was doing so well with her feedings, now she is a little dehydrated and will need to have one put back it, but still better then before. Addison has an IV in her belly button, they were talking about putting in another line that involves more of a procedure and will go to her heart. The good news today's is that she has been tolerating her feedings so well, that by tomorrow night she may not need any IV at all. She is also forgetful at times and has to be reminded to breath, for this they are giving her caffeine. Funny how I have to spend my whole pregnancy avoiding caffeine and now it is a treatment for the little ones. Their second night Dad and I got to do what is called "Kangaroo Therapy." This is a skin to skin therapy between the parents and the babies. Being close to the skin regulates the babies temperature and heart rate. It was also really nice for us, very relaxing having them so close. We have not been able to hold them due to the light therapy, so maybe they will come of that and we can Kangaroo them again. I know most of you may be wondering one thing most of all (besides if I have been able to have pudding, Yes of course) and that is when the babies can come home. This is the point where we go back to taking things "one day at a time." If we ask the Dr or nurses when the babies get to go home, they always give the same response, "it depends, but you can plan for them to be home around their due date." You can relate this to when you go into a busy restaurant and ask how long for a table and they say an half hour, knowing full well they can seat you in 15 minutes. The whole under-promise, over-deliver. So we really have no idea when the babies will come home, and that is okay. Just like when I was on bed rest, they are where they need to be. I am sure toward the end of their stay I will be going crazy to get them home, but now they just need to grow and progress. So once they can breath, eat, suck, swallow and breath and once they are putting on weight are the general things that need to happen. So we are being patient with them and boy are they progressing really well. So once again thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Evangeline and Addison are so grateful for all of the support and prayers. I will keep you updated on their progress.

The Babies formally know as Yip and Yap

Mark you calenders because on Friday October 12th at 11:14 and 11:16 Yip and Yap made their grand entrance into this world and Ryan and I's hearts. After talking with Dr Y and getting a second opinion from Dr M it was decided that the best course of action was to deliver the babies sooner then later. We had a little bit of a scare Thursday night. Dr C entered my room to inform me that I did in fact have preeclampsia and based on that and the blood flow issues with Yip, I was a ticking time bomb. (Dramatic I know, but his words not mine.) He then asked me when was the last time I had eaten anything, and I have never been so grateful for Honey Smacks cereal in my whole life. Eating when I did would have meant that they would have preformed the c-section and 12am Thursday night. Totally not cool for me as Ryan was not there yet and this would have given us no time at all to discuss it or mentally prepare. We decided that: 1 I wanted a second opinion and 2. 10:30 the next day would be no greater risk then 12am that night. We were so glad to have Auntie Val with us until Daddy could get there after work on Thursday.

Friday morning came and despite all the stress, Ryan and I were woken from some pretty good sleep by Dr M. She stated that she agreed with Dr Y that I should be delivered that day. One of the risks of Preeclampsia is the placenta becoming detached from the uterus leading to less blood flow to the babies, so with Yip having blood flow issue as it was delivering was the best course of action.

So we were preparing for the delivery, Dad and I holding the beads from the mother's blessing and getting a calm as possible when we got a surprised phone call. Uncle Mike had, on a gut feeling, taken the day off work and driven up to visit us. Boy was he shocked when he saw me in my gown about to be wheeled into surgery. It was a wonderful surprise. So off to surgery we went. Getting the epidural was not as scary as I thought, once that was done and I was prept, Daddy was able to come in for support. Then as I laid their I saw many other birthday party guest. We had to have a set of Doctors and Nurses for each baby, so there was a party of 12 (at least) on the room. There did not seem to be a problem getting Yip out, but there was with Yap. Yap was really high (on my ribs remember) and combine with a contraction that lead Dr C to have to make an extra incision. On top of that I also had a different reaction to the spinal blocker (epidural.) What kind of reaction you may ask, well basically I could feel A LOT more that most women do. They had to give me some more meds on the fly, and unfortunately the one they needed was not in the room. By the time they came back with it, the whole thing was done. So I really impressed the others (and myself) with my pain threshold. I think adrenaline has a lot to do with it.

So to our shock and surprise the doctor announced one at a time as they came out that Yip and Yap were not Monkeys, nor Boys, but beautiful baby girls. What a surprise. I really thought Monkeys.

So Yip was born at 11:14 am weighing in at 3lbs 1 oz and 16 and 1/4 inches

Yap was born at 11:16 am weighing in at 4 lbs and 3 oz and 16 inches

The delivery started at 10:46 and I was in recovery at 11:58

We had not really talked about girls names, except Dad liked Addison for the street that Wrigley field is located. In my groggy state a name that I had been rolling around with and never shared came out. I asked him what he thought about Evangeline. We spent the good part of the day meditating on the names and by evening it was settled.

Yip became Addison Elizabeth (Elizabeth after Grandma Boulware)

Yap became Evangeline Barbara (Barbara after Grandma Doyle)

Both babies are doing great. Addison is on the left above and Evangeline is on the right. They have some help breathing and have IV for nutrition, but are really doing so well. No major issues have come up that one would not expect from a 32 and 6 day preemie.

So total time on bed rest one Month.

Day pregnant when delivered 32 weeks and 6 days.

Number of beatiful miracle babies to date - 2

Weighing in

So today was a big day. Yap and Yip had their daily scan and their bi-weekly weight scan. Their scan went really well, they both scored a 10 out of 10. They also are continuing to pack on the ounces.

9/27 Yip weighed 2 lb 7 oz and was in the 11th percentile
Yap weighed 3 lb 5 oz and was in the 37th percentile
Today Yip weighed 3 lb 3 oz and was in the 10th percentile
Yap weighed 4 lbs 5 oz and was in the 40 th percentile
There is an possible standard error of 3 percentage points in either direction, but this is great news.

I am still really puffy, I mean really puffy. Everyone who sees me mentions it, so it must be really bad. My hands, legs and feet are puffy to the point where it makes it difficult to move around. They have not ruled out preeclampsia at this point, but so far my blood work has come back negative. If I do in fact have this, and it is gets severe, then they well talk about delivering the babies. I have to tell you I am starting to really have to dig deep here. I did really well the first three weeks in the hospital. Now I have been here for a month (minus my four days at home.) I am still dedicated to doing what it takes for these babies, but looking at these four walls is starting to take a toll. This time I cannot leave my room, expect for my daily scan. I have to depend on my nurses for everything, and I did not realize that I was such an independent person. I hate asking for water, my blinds being opened, and other things. I do not mind asking room service for pudding, but that seems different. So I am trucking along here at bed rest central. Some days better than others. At the end of the day and am so glad we have made it this far, we have made it one month on bed rest.

So 32 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

One MONTH on bed rest

Days Yap has been digging her/his head in my rib 8

The plot and my ankle thickens

Yea for Yap and Yip. Today's scan was great. Yip had 5 centimeters of fluid, where what they wanted to see was 4 centimeters. So the little monkeys (yes, that is what I think they are) are doing really well. Now for Momma. Mom's blood pressure has been elevated for a couple of days now and I am so swollen that I make the Marshmallow man here look svelte. At first I thought it was the pudding, but how could you blame such a perfect, simple food. So they have taken some blood and are going to watch me to make sure that I do not have preeclampsia.

"Preeclampsia Overview
Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy associated with the development of high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Women diagnosed with preeclampsia may also complain of blurred vision, headaches, extreme swelling, and experience greater than normal weight gain. Toxemia is a common name used to describe preeclampsia"

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/preeclampsia/article_em.htm

Today is also Ryan and I's 4th wedding anniversary. Hopefully the 4th year is the year of the bed pan or hospital gown, if not I am so ill prepared for a gift. Maybe the 4th year can be the year of the twin babies, Dad will just have to wait a while to get his gifts.

So 32 weeks and 4 days pregnant.

Three weeks and 6 days on bed rest.

Times I freaked out the whole hospital by walking by myself in a hospital gown with IV pole in hand looking like an escaping patient - Once

Important Blog update as of 12pm. My blood pressure has gone down and my blood work came back okay! Yea!