Bye-bye 2009!

These pictures are actually from last night that Aunt LeAnn took through the window but we thought we were especially cute in them!

Kitt: I am having a good day today. I am up to 7 pounds, 3 ounces and officially the biggest baby in the nursery! Everyone who looks at me says it's time for me to go.....maybe I will be leaving soon. I have done well with most of my bottles today. Hopefully I will be up to 8 bottles in the next couple of days and then I will be on my way out. When Mommy came in today I was still wearing a hospital t-shirt so she asked the nurse why I wasn't wearing the clothes she brought me. The nurse said I've outgrown all the preemie clothes so she is going to bring me something cute to wear tonight that won't be so tight!

Garet: I have done well with all my bottles today and have been so much more awake than I previously had been. I am up to 6 pounds, 9 ounces now and am the second biggest baby in the nursery. It is about time for us to move on, don't you think? Like my sister, hopefully it won't be long before we get moved to 8 bottles and then once we do that for a couple of days we can leave. We will see if progress continues for the next couple of days like it has been.

We're both on 6!

Kitt: I have been going back and forth with my progress on my bottles but for the most part have been doing very well with them. The speech and occupational therapists both came down again today to watch me eat. I always do well when I have an audience!

Garet: Mommy was very surprised when the doctor told her I was getting increased to 6 bottles seeing as I haven't been doing the ones I was getting! Apparently, the speech therapist told the doctor I needed more practice. I'm not really sure how I feel about this....it seems like extra work for me.

Aunt LeAnn came to see us tonight, too. We have heard so much about her from Mommy and were glad to get to see her through the glass. The doctors made a special exception to open the window since she came all the way from California to see us.

Could it be?

Kitt: I got increased to 6 bottles today! I have been doing so great with them even though I am really slow. It's not a race, after all, but slow and steady still wins the race. I also had my eyes checked again today. The doctor does not think the xanogranuloma has gotten any smaller but it also hasn't grown any. He seems to think it is a bit more translucent which makes him think it might be breaking up. He wants to continue the eye drops for another few weeks before we try anything more aggressive. If I can do 6 bottles for a day or two, I think we will try eight. Now I just need my little sister to catch on.

Garet: The occupational therapist came down today to give Mommy more advice on bottle feeding. It's nothing Mommy and Daddy are doing.....I just don't want to take a bottle. Of course, while that lady was here, I did great and finished the bottle in 17 minutes but then I did not want the one later in the day and had to take it from my feeding tube. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Early morning success :)

Mommy wanted you all to know what happened with our bottles last night so this is an add-on to last night's post.

Kitt: I finished BOTH of my night time bottles! On top of that, I weigh 6 pounds, 14.1 ounces now. I wonder if the doctor will up my bottle intake today since I have done all of them for the past day and a half. I also get my eye examined today. I will update you on our post tonight.

Garet: I finished my 11:00PM bottle but didn't do very much of my 5:00AM one. On top of that, I held my breath and had a little problem. I'm okay, though, and will try again today. My new weight is 6 pounds, 4.6 ounces. Lucky for me, I don't have an eye exam today....just Kitt. See you soon!

Another Monday.....

Kitt: I seem to be doing well with my bottles. Daddy came in to do our 5:00AM feeding and I didn't finish that one but I did my next two with Mommy. I was just too tired early this morning. The first one I finished took the whole time (plus a few minutes) but the second one was fast! The doctor referred to me as the big, lazy one (he didn't think I heard him) but I am going to prove him wrong! I have one more bottle tonight at 11:00 so we will see how it goes. Grammy and Granddaddy came to visit today but they didn't hold me because Mommy was giving me my bottle.

Garet: I, on the other hand, am having a hard time with my bottles still. I did a little bit of each of them but didn't finish any today. I still have one more chance late tonight so we will see how it goes. The speech therapist came again today and worked with both of us for a little while to help our mouths know how to eat. Granddaddy held me for a little while today after I ate.

See you tomorrow!

We're both at 4 bottles

Kitt: Despite not really finishing all my bottles today the nurse convinced the doctor to let me try 4 bottles per day. She seems to think having to take a bottle every other feeding with a rest time in between (tube feeding) will help me get in the habit of having to work for my food. I did well with them for the most part. We will see how it goes the next couple of days. I am up to 6 pounds, 13 ounces now!

Garet: I am still at 4 bottles per day but I did not totally finish any of them today. The nurse said it is because I did not rest much yesterday and spent too much time wide awake. Everyone hopes she is right and that I will do better now that I am getting into the routine. I weigh 6 pounds, 3 ounces now. Mommy says babies as big as us need to be at home!

Granny and Grandpa came by to tell us goodbye. We will miss seeing them but Granny says she will come back as soon as we come home. She hopes it is soon!

Back to four

Kitt: Our nurse today was excited to have us because she says her specialty is getting preemies to take bottles. I did well with the two bottles that I did while she was here (Daddy did one of them and Mommy did the other). I am up to 62 cc of Mommy's milk. Hopefully tomorrow they will up me to 4 bottles so I can keep up with my sister. Later tonight, Grammy and Granddaddy came and Grammy held me just for a few minutes.

Garet: I am up to 4 bottles a day (again!) Hopefully this time I won't tucker out and I can keep going with them. Once I get 4 down, they will move me to 6, then 8, then home! I am now getting 55 cc of Mommy's milk.

Granny came to visit us today for an hour or so and held one of us while Mommy was feeding the other one of us.

Aunt Bernadette, Uncle Phillip and Aunt Janet came and looked at us through the window. We are glad they got to see us. Unfortunately, Mommy and Daddy forgot their camera......

See you tomorrow with more good news, we hope!

Christmas Videos

Mommy got a brand new video camera for Christmas. She is still trying to figure out how to use it but we know it's been a while since you've seen us in motion so she wanted to get some videos posted.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Enjoy the pictures from today! Aunt Kristen, Uncle Michael, Mark, Granny and Grandpa came to visit us today but they wouldn't let everyone in the nursery. At least they still got to see us moving around live and in person. Remember to check out the rest of the pictures on Snapfish, including some from yesterday of us with Grammy and Granddaddy.

It's Christmas Eve!

We are not really sure what all this hype about Christmas is, but our parents sure are disappointed we are not going to be home for it. Our nurses made us First Christmas crib hangars using our footprints. They are really cute and add some great decoration to our beds. We also got special little ornaments from one of our other NICU friends that say "May you find yourself home this Christmas." Our Mommy really liked these ornaments. Everything is fine with us, and we wish you all a wonderful Christmas!

Maybe we're getting it???

Kitt: I got moved to three bottles today! Not only did I get upped, but I completely finished the first two and almost finished the third one. The nurse was so impressed since my third one came the feeding right after the second. Normally they try to give us a break between bottle feedings. Both Mommy and Daddy came a couple of times to feed me and hold me.

Garet: I did two of my three bottles today. The second one was super fast.....only 11 minutes! I finished the third one but I had a couple of breathing episodes during that one. Mommy did what she was supposed to do to help me recover and I was able to finish. We are getting some of our newborn shots later tonight but they are going to give us a little Tylenol so we won't hurt too much. Mommy is relieved that she doesn't have to be there for these!

A few things....

Garet: Thanks to the speech therapist, we do tongue calisthenics 2 or three times a day. Mommy did them for a few minutes with me today and Daddy did them on Kitt (hence his blue gloves). I am not sure they really helped me though as I did not finish any of my three bottles today. I had my eyes checked again today, too, and everything looks fine. My new weight from last night was 5 pounds, 11.2 ounces. I am catching up to my sister! We are told our Aunt Kristen came to town today but the rules of the hospital won't let her come in to meet us. She was even wearing the "Awesome Aunt" sticker that we sent her for her birthday! Granny did come back and held us both again today.

Kitt: So the eye doctor came back today to check the progress of my eye. The good news is the bleeding is clearing up and he was able to see in which means I can see out! The pressure is down but the small growth of cells is still there. He even said these only appear in newborns every 15-20 years. He is still trying to get rid of it with the eye drops so hopefully they will work. I did both of my bottles today, although very slowly. I got credit for doing both though! My weight from last night was 6 pounds and 7 ounces.

Kitt: I didn't quite finish my bottle this morning but I sure did work hard at it. The nurses say I sure am slow and steady. I did my second bottle for Daddy tonight...again slowly, but I did it. The other nurse said we're doing well, but we're sure not going to win any races! The doctor talked to Mommy tonight and said she is going to keep watching our progress on the bottles but if we don't make any we will go home on feeding tubes and Mommy and Daddy will have to work on the bottles with us since that is the only thing keeping us here. Mommy and Daddy are sure hoping we figure it out before that happens. Granny came to visit us today and held me for a while before my feeding. She also changed my diaper, too!

Garet: I did my morning bottle for the nurse even though it took the whole 30 minutes. Then I did another bottle for Mommy in only 15 minutes! My third bottle got off to a great start but I sure tuckered out. The doctor called the speech therapist down to watch me eat to see if there is reason for this problem we have. Of course, there is no problem; I just don't seem to want to eat. Granny held me for a while, too, and tried to tell me about taking the bottles, so Santa Claus would come and see me, but I don't even know who that is! Granny brought us both stockings with our names on them, too, so now we have one at home and one here.

Our apologies.....

So many of you have called Mommy (or called Mommy's friends) to be sure we are okay. Rest assured everything is fine. Mommy was a little frustrated with us yesterday and she just didn't sign us in to write anything. So really she is the one apologizing for not letting us write. We overheard her asking the nurses today if they thought this was the last time she would be frustrated with her daughters. The nurses laughed and so did we!!!!! Mommy also promises to bring her camera tomorrow so you can see how we've changed.

Kitt: My reflux seems to be getting better. I did both of my bottles today (the first one really slowly and the second one really quickly). I also don't seem near as agitated and moody all the time like I had been last week. I am up to 6 pounds, 4.7 ounces now and am still eating 56 cc of Mommy's milk. She thinks that cow's milk was irritating my reflux so she has stopped eating all dairy to keep it out of her milk. Maybe that is helping; maybe it's the gas medicine they give me; or maybe I'm just growing out of it. In any case, we'll see how I do tomorrow. Grammy and Granddaddy also came by today so Grammy held me right before I ate tonight.

Garet: Well, I am the source of Mommy's frustration right now. I was cruising right along and up to 4 bottles on Friday. They were talking about me maybe getting to come home and all that. Then on Friday night, I stopped taking bottles. I haven't done one since! Then what really gets Mommy is that I smile, and when they put me back in bed so I can get tube fed, I just grin and grin. Now I only get 2 bottles a day so once I remember how to suck, swallow and breathe, I will get it all together again. I know I will!!!! My weight is 5 pounds 8 ounces now and I am up to 50 cc of Mommy's milk. Granddaddy held me for a while tonight during my feeding.

We will see you tomorrow. We will try to make sure Mommy posts something everyday until we come home!!!!!

Kitt: Well, not much progress has been made with me today. The speech therapist came in this morning to watch Mommy feed me. The good news is that I know how to eat. The bad news is it hurts me so bad that I just won't do it. The speech therapist talked to the doctor to get me some drops for gas and that seems to be giving me some relief but the reflux is still there. Daddy gave me my bath tonight and cuddled with me instead of suffering through my second bottle of the day. That was nice! My new weight tonight is 6 pounds, 3.3 ounces.

Garet: I already got moved to 4 bottles per day! I did my first two for Mommy today without any problems but did not do so well on my third one. Starting tomorrow I will eat at 2AM, 8AM, 2PM, and 8PM. We'll see where it all goes from there. My new weight is 5 pounds, 6.2 ounces.

We're closer to the elevator!

We got moved tonight to the final level of the NICU before going home! Now we could be in our new environment for a while but as the nurses say we are closer to the elevator which leads to the parking lot. Three babies got sent home today so they chose the three most stable babies from where we were to get moved and we were two of them! We still have the same nurses and visitation rules and hours.

Kitt: I am still having some problems with reflux during feedings and also with my eye. I am getting another eye drop to help lower the pressure in my eye and they will recheck it on Tuesday. I will let you know how it goes. I didn't gain any weight last night, but I also didn't lose any either.

Garet: I got moved up to three bottles today and am doing well with them! I also gained weight and am up to 5 pounds, 4 ounces now. My feedings also got increased to 47 cc of milk. Everything else is pretty much the same with me. See you tomorrow!

Weighing in....

Kitt: I hit the 6 pound mark! My current weight is 6 pounds, 1.2 ounces. In case you can't tell in the pictures I am really getting chubby. I finished my whole bottle for Mommy this morning and finished almost all of it for Daddy tonight. I think the nurse is going to count it as being finished because she didn't put it in my tube. I still seem to be a little agitated because of the reflux but it wasn't as bad today as it has been. Maybe it is getting better.

Garet: I weigh 5 pounds, 2.9 ounces now! I am really getting big, too. I finished both of my bottles for Mommy today, AND I did them fast which is the trick to getting increased. Maybe tomorrow I will get increased to three bottles a day. There is not much else new with us today. We will see you tomorrow!

One of the nurses lets Mommy hold us together for one of the visits each day so here we are back together again!

Kitt: I am so close to 6 pounds!!!! I weigh 5 pounds, 15.8 ounces. I had my eye checked again today. Mommy told me this story about when she was a little girl and after falling off her bike, had to have this huge shot. Her mommy (our Granny) got so lightheaded she had to ask the doctor for a Coke. Mommy said she thinks she knows how Granny felt: she didn't think she could watch so she waited outside while the doctor looked at me. It was a good thing since I screamed the whole time. Bottom line is there are still some problems with my eye. The doctor gave me some different eye drops to try to get the pressure down and to get the clot to clear up. Unfortunately, I will have to have it checked again next week. I did my whole bottle tonight for my Daddy and the good news it didn't seem like I was as uncomfortable as I usually am. Maybe I am turning a corner! Be sure to check out the picture with me and my "friends." Mommy thinks I was having a staring contest with them. The nurse told her that I stared at them for at least an hour before I finally fell asleep.

Garet: I weigh 5 pounds, .4 ounces now! Barely over five pounds now but every little bit counts. We are both still having a really hard time taking our feedings so the nurse talked to the doctor and we are getting a visit soon from the Speech Therapist. She is going to watch us eat to see if she can give Mommy some tips and suggestions on how to help us eat better and not get choked on our milk. Of course, we will let you know how it goes. For the most part, it was a good day for me. I just hung out trying to get bigger and trying to figure out how to drink milk from a bottle. I did drink my whole bottle from Mommy tonight. Also be sure to check out my picture with Santa!

Turns out we are not totally getting the hang of the bottles. Mommy came in later than usual (because of the new admissions which turned out to be triplets) and tried to give us our bottles. Neither one of us did well for Mommy or when the nurse tried. Of course, the nurse told Mommy that one day we will just get it. They all seem to say that! Then Daddy's car died so Mommy went to go pick him up...she didn't get to see us this afternoon but luckily, they both came back this evening. Kitt did not do much of her bottle tonight but Garet took all of hers for the nurse and Mommy combined. It was a good team effort. The trick tonight was switching to a slow flow nipple which keeps the milk from flooding our mouths. We'll see if it works again tomorrow.

The best news of the day is our new weights:

Kitt weighs 5 pounds, 14.2 ounces and Garet weighs exactly 5 pounds!!!!!

Garet: I took all of my first bottle for the nurse but had some breathing episodes during it. The good part is I recovered mostly on my own and was still able to finish the bottle. I liked being held with my sister today, too. Tonight, Daddy gave me my whole bottle! I had some more episodes during it, but for the most part I recovered on my own and Daddy did a great job with it.

Kitt: Today when Mommy and Daddy came in, the nurse had already given us our first bottles. I took about 20 cc of my first one. My day went pretty well. Mommy came back in later in the day and the nurse let her hold me and my sister together for about 30 minutes. It was nice. Then Mommy and Daddy both came back tonight. I took 30 cc of my bottle tonight for Mommy and then fell fast asleep before finishing it.

There are supposed to be two new babies coming in tomorrow so we're not sure when Mommy will come in the morning but we know we will see Mommy and Daddy some time.

Mommy's doctor (who delivered us) came in today to see how much we had changed since last he saw us. He said we looked great and he was surprised at how big we had gotten! He also told Mommy how cute we are. We think so, too (so do Mommy and Daddy).

Kitt: I took some of the first bottle Mommy tried to give me this morning but left about 20 CC. My feedings got increased to 56 cc. Just when I start to do bottles, the doctor keeps increasing how much I have to eat! I finished my second bottle tonight and even had about 5 minutes to spare. My new weight tonight is 5 pounds, 12.9 ounces.

Garet: I didn't do either of my bottles today. I am starting to have issues when drinking them where I won't swallow. It's like I get so excited to get the milk in my mouth that I keep drinking without swallowing what's already in there. My new weight is 4 pounds, 14.7 ounces. Maybe by Monday I will be in the 5 pound range, too. Remember when the big milestone was making it to 3 pounds? We have come a long way!

Trying to put it all together

Kitt: I had a good day today. I took all but 9 cc of my first bottle for the nurse and then I took ALL of my second bottle tonight for Mommy with six minutes to spare. My weight tonight was 5 pounds, 11.5 ounces. My mood seemed a little better today as I wasn't so whiney but I still was grunting a lot. The nurses say that grunting is very common with preemies. Tomorrow is another day and we will see how it goes!

Garet: I was wide awake when it was time for my first bottle. Mommy gave it to me and I took the whole thing in 20 minutes. The second one tonight was not so great. I only took 20 cc. I had a little breathing episode during it which really tuckered me out. My weight tonight was 4 pounds, 13.4 ounces. See you tomorrow!

Slow and Steady....

Kitt: I took both of my bottles today for the nurse! She said there is a chance I will get advanced to three very soon. We will see what the doctor says. Clearly I am feeling much better. I enjoyed visiting with Mommy and Daddy today. They come early now so that they can hold me before I eat which I like.

Garet: I took one bottle today and almost all of another one. Maybe tomorrow I can do two. Other than that, I am just chillin' as I get bigger and better at eating. Mommy and Daddy came late tonight and watched me finish a whole bottle.

We'll see you tomorrow!