Twins-Day 14

Good Morning,
Not alot is new today.  The weights were within a half ounce of what they were yesterday; Brienna weighs 4lb 1 oz and Brooklyn weighs 4 lb 7 oz.  So, they're each within an ouce of their original birthweight, but neither one is quite there yet.  Brienna's billiruben level was up slightly this morning, but I think that's typical on the first day that they remove the lights.  So, we'll see if it was significant enough for them to bring the lights back or if they give it a day or two to correct itself.  Otherwise, they're doing very well.  Last night's nurse commented on how "delightful" the girls are to take care of and how they seem to do everything together-from "spells" to dirty diapers.
Below is a picture that we took yesterday of Brooklyn and Brienna....or Brienna and Brooklyn...I'll let you decide!!

Mike

Twins - Day 13

This will be short post, but just wanted to update with the happenings of the day.  The bili lights are gone.  Both girls numbers came down since yesterday so hopefully they will stay down!  No more goggles for them!  The girls have also been gaining weight at  wonderful pace.  Brooklyn weighed in at 4 pounds 6 1/2 ounces. Brienna weighed in at 4 pounds 1 ounce which is technically her birth weight!!!  If they keep this up they will be out of the isoletts very soon!  I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Kelly

Twins - Day 12

Hello!  I hope that everyone kept safe and warm during the snow storm!  Yesterday, was the first time that we got to hold the twins together at the same time!  It was very exciting to see how much they actually look alike.  Here is a picture of them together...

Brooklyn and Brienna Side by Side for First time at 11 days.

The girls have been doing very well.  The only set back is the bilirubin.  Brooklyn's went up again and so she is back on the bili lights.  Hopefully, she will come down quickly and we can get moving on to the next steps.  The girls are currently weighing in at 4 pounds 3.1 ounces and 3 pounds 13.3 ounces respectively.  They are still close to the same length with Brooklyn at 17 inches and Brienna at 17.2 inches.  The nurses always comment about how much the girls are alike.  Evidently even when they have identical twins in the NICU they tend to have some huge difference in size or some other characteristic that allows the nurses to easily tell them apart.  At least at this point we know which is which cause the are still hooked to their own giraffe bed!

Well, I better get on the road to visit them!  Have a wonderful day!

Kelly

Home Sweet Home

Well, we made it home after all the snow and it's nice to be home again. 

Here's a brief rundown of what's new in the past couple days:
1.  Both girls are gaining weight.  Brooklyn weighed 4 lb 3 oz today and Brienna weighed 3 lb 13 oz.  So, they're still a bit below their birthweights, but at least they're gaining!
2.  Both girls got rid of their IVs.  The doctors were able to discontinue their IVs because they are now tolerating their feedings through the feeding tubes very well.  It's nice to be rid of the IVs because they don't last very long in babies and the nurses would have to find a new vein every 24-36 hours.  But, now, the only cords connected to them are their feeding tubes and the monitor wires, which is really nice!
3.  Both girls are nearly up to full feeds.  Today, they were recieving 32 and 35 cc each feeding.
4.  They are both still having some trouble with "spells" where their heartrate suddenly drops.  This tends to happen 2-6 times per day, each.  They each have good days and bad days, but in the grand scheme of things, evidently even 6 times isn't too serious, since they are usually quite mild spells and the girls both come out of them by themselves.
5.  Brienna's billiruben was back up a bit today, after they removed one of the lights.  So, she may have to have the second light again if it continues to go up.

So, all in all, they're still doing quite well.  We hope that continues!!

With all the time spent in the hospital in the past months, Taiton has made LOTS of new friends.  Here's a picture of him with one of them...

Merry Christmas!!!

Here are a couple pics of the girls!!  We are so thankfull this holiday season for the blessing god has given to us in the form of two little miracle babies.  Thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers and messages.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours.  Enjoy the pictures.

Brooklyn trying to get her nuk.

Brienna with her hat on.

Twins-1 week old

Well, Brooklyn and Brienna will be 1 week old tomorrow.  A lot has gone on in that week and things are going really well.

Since Brooklyn's PDA (duct) closed, they have begun feeding her through a feeding tube.  This is going VERY well and she has almost caught up to Brienna, who started feedings a few days before Brooklyn did.  Tonight, they are recieving 11cc and 14cc each, every three hours.  This gets increased daily until they are up to 30cc each every three hours.  30cc is considered a "full feeding" for their weight.

Speaking of weight, each of them have started to gain some weight back.  Brooklyn was down to 4 lb 1 oz and Brienna was as low as 3 lb 10 oz yesterday.  However, they've both turned the corner and gained weight from Monday night to Tuesday night.  They will weigh them again tonight at midnight and I'd imagine that each of them will have gained weight again, especially since their fluids and feedings are increasing.

Also, both girls got rid of their nasal canulas today, which means that they are breathing completely on their own!  As the tubes on their faces are slowly removed (only the feeding tube is left), we're able to see more of their facial features.  They are starting to look more and more like their older siblings did when they were babies.  And, all of the nurses can't get over how truely identical they are-they seem to be an exact carbon copy of eachother at this point...except for their personalities.  Brooklyn tends to be very laid back and likes to be held, while Brienna tends to turn into a "drama queen" every time anyone messes with her.  Ironically, this is exactly how they acted when Kelly was pregnant.

So, both of them are doing very well and progressing rapidly.  Their billiruben levels are also dropping and they'll likely be done with the billi lights within a couple of days.  We'll try to get some updated pictures put up here tomorrow.

We are in Sioux Falls for the rest of the week.  We decided to get a hotel and not try to drive through the snowstorm that is heading our way.  So, Kelly and I will be taking turns in the NICU and with Sydney and Taiton from now through Christmas.  I called Santa today and told him to leave the kids' presents in our van outside the hotel instead of bringing them to our house tomorrow night.  Hopefully he checks his messages...

Mike

Twins - Day 5

Well, I guess the responsibility of updating has been passed back to me!  Thank you all for the well wishes!  We are very happy and excited to have the girls here.  I am getting back to myself again, just a busier version than I have been for the past 8 weeks!
Mike and I spent some time with the girls today.  Both are doing very well.  Brooklyn had an ECO done on her heart today and the PDA (duct) is closed!!  It is great to know that the treatments worked.  She seemed very relaxed and content today.  She held her oxygen level up where it should be and had no "spellls" with her heartrate dropping today.  She has began to gain a little bit of weight back, too.  Since her PDA is closed she will be starting feeds through a tube in her nose tomorrow.
Brienna is doing good as well.  She has been taking her feeds very well and the amount was increased today from 3.7 to around 5 ccs.  The bili lights are working and her bilirubin has finally started to come down.  So that is really good news.  She will continue with the light and blanket until it has dropped even more. 
Both girls were awake with their eyes open for a period of time today which is so much fun.  I love being able to see them awake.   Thanks for checking in with us!  Enjoy your evening!