24

As of 10am today the girls were put on 24hr request.  That means they are being fed on their terms, when they scream momma comes a runnin'!  So far this morning they both did great for their first 2 feedings.  I have been given a sleep room for the remainder of their request.  My oh so fancy room for the night consists of it's own tiny/half kitchen equipped with a sink, fridge and microwave.  

A twin bed that I will probably be getting to myself tonight since the hubs has to work in the morning.

  As well as a bathroom that even comes with a shower!  Although...no towels, hehe.   The one thing it doesn't come with...A TV! Not that it matters since it is a "sleep room" and I have my laptop ready to go with Netflix and Hulu.  

Mr. Adam's aunt was nice enough to come by this morning to see the girls.  It was a big help to have a second set of hands for when one would scream while I was feeding the other.  =) Not to mention great talking with her. 

After 24 hour request IF they do well (we all know they can) they will be then put on "demand".  I see that  as the exact same thing as 24hr request because demand is where you spend a day (24hrs) feeding them as often as they need.  The only requirement that they really have at this point is to eat and gain weight and show that it's not wearing them out.  I'm crossing my fingers and toes, giving the girls pep talks in hopes that they gain that weight and keep up their amazing work.  

We never thought we would make it this far and we have so I know the end is near!

The same

but different....

I have yet to ask the doctor if their was one placenta or not after delivery.  Even though we were told it's one, no one told me for sure after.  So this thursday I will be asking.  If there was one and it did not look fused, then we are still going to assume these little ones are identical.  Then if not...well I'm pretty sure we aren't going to all of a sudden put them up for adoption! 

Point is I was able to see how different, even if identical, twins can be.  They put both girls on 12 hour request. I'm sure I explained this but will again.  It means that they will have to do about 4 back to back feedings and meet a certain amount each feeding.  If they meet a good average within those feedings they can be pushed to 24 hour request.  24 hour, if the babies do well, is a huge step forward to going home.

Anyway, The last couple days Oakley had seemed to make a 180.  Eating a great amount at each nursing and crying within the time she felt hungry.  Yesterday was another story, it's as if she knew she was being put on the spot and decided to shut down a bit. It was almost like wake the dead a few times, haha.  I would take her out of her bed and hold her up right without  blanket, talking to her and tickling her.  LOL, yeah that wouldn't work!  She was a limp monkey.  She still got a couple good feedings but only from the bottle which had me a little worried.  The nurse mainly pushed the bottle the 2nd time in hopes of keeping her neck and neck with her sister.  Sometimes 24 hour request is easier than 12 and we are hoping that's the case for this girl.  We know she can do amazing I guess we just tuckered her out.

Kenzington, obviously, did a little better.  Each feeding she did increasingly better.  It really was bitter sweet to watch her do so well but want her to slow down so her sister wasn't left behind.  that is when I really needed to realize that they are different and one may progress in certain things much more than the other.   It's kind of hard to get your mind to think that way with twins, at least it was for us.  

We brought a blanket home from their crib to have the dogs smell.  Thinking they may want to get used to their smell for when they are around.  Well that didn't work amazing due to the dogs not giving 2 hoots about it, haha.  I guess we will just have to cross that bridge when they come home.  

So today may be just as hectic as yesterday if not more.  I guess we will just have to wait and see. :)

Then what?

The last couple days I've been watching a lot of NICU moms go home.  Almost each baby that was in there with us from the beginning or after us are gone and home.  I'm so happy for those moms and glad to see how quickly some of the babes can just turn around and you know they're ready. On the other hand it's also very hard to see that they are going home and you're not.  Especially when your kid has absolutely everything going for them expect they do not have those hunger queues to eat correctly.  I've just been trying really hard to remind myself that they are only 38 weeks and shouldn't even be born.  

I also hear the moms talk about how nervous they are to be finally taking their child home because they are so used to having someone else there helping take care of them.  When I hear that I can't help but think the exact same thing.  I have no idea what I'm going to do when they get home and we have to put them on our own schedule.  It's going to be rough, I know.  I just hope I can do it right.

Our little goblin and gremlin are doing great though.  I'm so proud of the 180 that Oakley has made in the last couple days.  She's waking up on her own and screaming at us to let us know "FEED ME"!  You would never think hearing your baby scream for food is a pleasant thing.  It is...for now at least, hehe. :)

I haven't asked how much they weigh lately but I'm sure they are reaching 6 1/2lbs each.  

The doctors and nurses at this point have been asking when we want the girls to move forward which has put us at ease a little bit and is helping us learn how to read the girls.  I've been able to tell lately when they are too tired for things or they aren't or are hungry and it has made me fell more like their mom.

Today we are thinking of taking a step forward to 12 hour request.  It will probably depend on how they do at their 10am feeding. So, we'll see.  I'm in no huge rush these days because I understand we are following what the girls want and need. 

Whoa

"Did you hear that?"

So I've started to wonder if all babies after they're born make the same crazy faces as Oakley and Kenzington do.  They have been quite gassy these last couple days so this morning while nursing I was doing my best to help those bubbles from causing them to not focus.  They would arch their back turn bright purple and release their latch.  I then would pick them up and hold their neck and upper body while patting their back....soon after for example, Oakley burped twice with the last being pretty big and violent to the point her eyes crossed and her lips quivered. I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable it was to watch and never knew a burp could cause such an effect.  Ha ha.

Kenzington didn't cross her eyes  like her sister but she did spasm her entire body as though I just jumped behind her scaring her to death, widening her eyes in shock as if to say "Whoa! What was that?!".  Again, I couldn't help but laugh at her discomfort.  What a mean ol' mom I am!  ;)

I'm telling you too that those smiles they do are NOT gas pains...always...haha,  I can tickle their feet or under their chin and they seem to naturally smile.  They may not know what's going on but dang it melts your heart!  (I may have said this before but I'm stating it again) 

Last night we probably saw another adorable thing I hope we see more of.  Mr. Adams was changing Oakley after Kenzington was fed and put back next to her sister.  Well miss Oakley was not happy with the changing process on top of being hungry so she was screaming away.  Just as she started to reach her peak of screaming Kenzington reached over looking at her sister and reached for Oakley's hand.  Oakley would pull away as she wailed but time and time again Kenzlee kept reaching as if to try and calm her sister.  :( I wanted a picture so bad but didn't have a camera at the time, sadly.

Anyway, they both are getting big each still just a bit into 6lbs and getting longer.  I swear their legs are longer than their head and torso combined!  I can't wait to put them in their own clothes and take some cute picture without that silly tube in their nose, that obviously neither of them enjoy since daily they remove the tube themselves!  It's quite funny to watch actually as they pull on it and sneeze about 7 times in a row as it slowly comes up and out.  =p

Doctors and nurses are saying they are close to coming home though!  Hopefully before their due date!  ...hopefully.

Lovers

I asked you if you liked me, you said no. I asked you if I was pretty, you said no. I asked you if I was in your heart you said no. I asked you if you would cry if I walked away, you said no. So I walked away ... you grabbed my arm and said ... I don't like you I love you... you're not pretty you're beautiful... you're not in my heart, your my soul ... and I wouldn't cry if you walked away I would die.....

Wake up

Suddenly my dream turns to shambles as people start holding their ears and squinting in pain at the loudest sound anyone has ever heard.   I look around to find the culprit realizing that I would have no control in this dream world to stop the gut wrenching noise. 

I slowly wake...searching the night stand beside me, "click".  I shut off my alarm just before I wake the husband quietly snoring next to me.  Listening I can hear the grunts and yawns from our 2 yr old (dog), Auzzie. My 5:30am wake up call I feel is my favorite time of the day (when I'm not with my girls of course).  The house is quiet as the sun slowly rises, with only the sounds of the ceiling fans and breaths of my sleeping family.   My puppies get up with me as they follow me around the house as though they haven't seen me in years when it's actually just been hours.

I can't help but smile at how calm everything is around me, I take it in.  These calm mornings will soon be changed to a more hectic routine.  I'm ready for it but I cannot help but take the time to enjoy these quite moments at home.

I am so thankful for everything that has been given to me and the people in my life.  I pray that our family will keep progressing so strongly.

Family love is what makes everything seem so perfect. 

<3

Twitch

Anyone ever had that nervous twitch in their eye?  The one that no matter how hard you try to relax it persists, like a two day old mosquito bite that still itches.  Well, that's what I'm experiencing right now.  

Life is bitter sweet currently.....isn't it always I suppose?

I've thought about blogging about lots of things but in turn I think they would have been more of me venting than anything.  That's all people probably hear these days from me.  I'm sorry for that.

I'm happy, we're happy.  It's a fact but also a fact that gets stampeded by fears and stress.  Things will get better eventually and it will all be worth it.

I've made some changes to the blog.  Small ones really but I'm happy with them, for now.  Comments are now working properly again.  The design is different (I hate this new "Template Design" thing they came up with cause in reality I didn't use any of their dumb templates and you can't change things like you used to).  Oh well....

Made the little header/logo at the top that I find fitting for this period in our lives. 

 I miss my doggies that sit at home all day without me.  I miss my kids who sit in the hospital for most the day without me.  I miss my adoring husband who works then spending his afternoon alone at home, without me.  I miss seeing my family on the weekends without the stress of having to leave the comforts of home.  

There I go again---venting.

So on that note I'll end with this:

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is it real?

One day I know I'm going to wake up and this dream will become more of a reality.  I just know it! When that day comes I think things well be easier to cope with and we will be able to slowly get into our own groove of things once again....at least we hope so!

Most people seem to think that babies don't have their own personalities, that a personality is a learned thing.  I'm afraid I will have to disagree and think that other NICU moms will feel the same way.  Even with babies born at 28 weeks seem to have their own personalities.  I know from the past 5 weeks of being at the NICU daily I notice certain babies fuss more around certain times or when certain things are happening around them.  There are timid babies that I have never heard a peep out of who seem to be content with the world around them.  People will tell you that our girls are feistier than most in the NICU while the little one across from us seems to be the calmest.

Even the cries are different.  They have different cries for different situations and it's too crazy to think that at this stage it's even possible.  Our girls for example have this adorable squeal that lasts maybe 5 seconds when they are frustrated that they aren't getting milk fast enough.  While when they are dirty you can tell their cry is more strained as if they are annoyed.

Last night they went through their saturation tests.  Which is 12 hours of being monitored on how well they do without being on oxygen.  Both passed.  The only one that seemed to have a bit of an issue was Oakley during her car seat test.  The doctor said it wasn't a big deal but that for the first little while it be best if someone sat in back with her to watch her closely.

The last few days the nurses have been so sweet and taken lots of pictures of them for us.  It means a lot to me since I am not able to be with them around the clock and feel as though they are growing without me.  They made their "1 Month Old" posters and put them by their beds, they are so adorable!  I haven't taken a picture of them yet but will soon.

We've had to take some steps back the last 2 days due to a few things.  So we are slowly trying to work our way a few more steps forward.  It has now simply come down to getting them to nurse a full feeding.  We know they can do it, it's just a matter of them having the strength to do it back to back.  Austin and I are patient and will do what it takes to make sure they are ready to come home.  Boy do we want them home!  The nurses think by this weekend they will be back up to being able to take full feedings.  I really do hope so...they are 37 weeks now and growing so much I just wish they could grow at home with us.

Here are some of the pics the nurses took for us  =)

Babies first time in car seat--

Rubba' Dub Dub 2 sisters in a tub!

"Hey sis! Did you see that?"

First Fathers Day

It was such a beautiful day yesterday!  We were able to get out and go spend time with family for a BBQ for Fathers Day.  The food was GREAT and the people even better.  :)

Yesterday was our first fathers day for Austin and the girls.  I'm pretty sure the little ones did one of the best jobs at getting Austin gifts! =D

Gift 1:  Doctor lets us know they both have been removed from their oxygen and are doing great.
Gift 2:  Each was given a full bottle feeding in the morning and took them without issue.  (we weren't there).

Kenzington's first bottle.

Gift 3:  While we were there last night they both took a full feeding from nursing!
Gift 4:  A card to their dad from them-

Gift 5: Adorable hand molds-

Oakley

Kenzington

Most of all we were just so proud of how well they are doing these past couple days!  The doctor mentioned that since they are doing so good with having no oxygen and gaining weight that she suggested if they do not get a full feeding from nursing that we end with bottle chasers.  Both Austin and I are fine with that as long as we can balance it and they take more to nursing.  Which they proved they could do after have 2 bottles yesterday they did perfectly fine and ate a full 40ML from nursing last night.  Austin and I could not believe it when we were doing the math after each baby.  Austin just kept saying, "that's so great!".  I couldn't agree more!

We know there is the possibility of steps back but this big step forward was so great to see.  I cannot explain how frustrated I was getting because they were able to get much milk from nursing.  They are now 37 weeks gestation and I'm hoping that the little switch in their heads has finally switched.

Once they take a couple days of oral feedings they will be bumped to eating every 4 hours instead of 3 so they can get more rest as well as we will then try back to back oral feedings.  If they take to that well, then we are put on notice where I will have to be there practically all day.  I really hope that the end is in sight and taking our little babes home is soon to come. 

The night nurses were so awesome and took some cute pics for us for their One month birthday!  (They are even putting up a little banner for them but hadn't yet, so we will see that tonight).

The prevacid seems to be working wonders as well, we have not seen any arching of their backs or spit ups.  Them eating so well is probably another sign of it working for them.  

They were weighed last night just before bath time and they each weight 5lbs 15oz.  :) Our big girls. (to us) lol

I'm excited and nervous to see how they do this morning.  I know they can do amazing but I worry that I'll get my hopes up and they'll be too sleepy or something and not eat as well.  BUT that's ok, I just need to remember that they can do great it just need to be the right time for them, hehe.

<3

One month old!

Happy one month birthday to my little rock stars!  It seems just like yesterday we were told that we were going to see your beautiful faces for the first time.  I still remember hearing your tiny cries for the first time and feeling the tears begin to pool in my eyes. We cannot wait to watch you grow and mature into two amazing people!

<3

A bit of an update:

Both girls are growing strong.  The doctor has let us know that they are growing so well it's almost too fast!   Each weighing roughly 5lbs 13oz.  Ha ha, so they will be cutting back on the amount in their tube feedings which should help further with their reflux as well as hopefully help them focus more on hunger cues and their oral feedings.  The prevacid has helped as well with the reflux, they are notices less arching of the back as well as less drop in their blood saturations.  We aren't to the point of more on demand feedings, which will be our next step, but we are that much closer.  

We found out that the mark on Oakley's forehead is called a stork bite and it's due to her being shoved in my pelvis for the last 4 months of their stay in their own personal hot tub.  It's the best way for us to tell them apart so far.  

Both are crying a lot more which is getting us ready for when they will be home! Oh boy are we in for it! All the nurses say they are the feistiest of the bunch.  =) Makes me a little proud to be honest.

Here are some pics of them in their first sun dresses after a bath that are obviously drowning on them!

Oakley Elizabeth

Kenzington Lee

Yeah they are pulling funny faces but I love em anyway!

A micro update

Just a little bit of an update on the little ones.

They are doing really great!  Both are slowly gaining weight (roughly 5lbs each) which is allowing for their food intake to increase.  Oakley has been off caffeine for 2 weeks now and Kenzington was just taken off her dosage 2 days ago.  They say after 7 days of being off it and they don't have any issues then they will not be put back on, ever.

They each are able to nurse on average 10-15ml a sitting which is great!  On good days they'll get up to 25ml.  Their little cheeks get chubbier and chubbier I swear!  Reflux seems to still be a small problem but has gotten better in the past week, still NOT on medications for it.

It was so cute to walk into the nursery this morning and see that the night nurse put cute little outfits on them and had both their hair done into little fo-hawks with bows!  It made me think to myself that these are definitely our babes.  <3

The doctors are still saying they probably wont be home till around their due date.  I'm trying to be optimistic and say that they are little fighters and will be home sooner.  If not that's ok because then that's where they need to be.

A family friend is coming to give them a blessing tonight.  I simply felt that it would be good for them and it couldn't hurt.  =p Also will put my mind at ease I think.  I miss em bunches when I'm not there but am thankful that they are being so well cared for!

Lucky

  I know in about 15 years I'm going to have to remind our girls how lucky they are to have their father.  When I first met Austin and wanted to get to know him better I would have never imagined he would have such a caring and nurturing personality.   When I look back now I think I should have known, he has always been one to make sure you're happy and things are right.  Always willing to help out and learn new things that come his way.  

  As soon as his babies came into this world he started to show just how amazing he can be.  =)  I love him more than anything knowing I could not have made it through any of this without him by my side.  Honestly if you would have asked me 5 years ago, "Will you get married?  Have kids?", I would have told you flat out, "NO!".  I never saw myself settling down and thought there was no one out there for me.  Boy was I wrong!  I found one of the best men out there who I can trust and call my best friend.

It only adds to the cake when I hear him talk about how much he likes to hold his baby girls.  You can truly see it in his eyes how much he cares for these little ones and how he cannot wait to teach them all the cool things he knows.

I thank my lucky stars every night to be with him no matter the hard ships we have gone through, it's made us that much closer and stronger in the end.

Love you babe!

Sleep?

What's sleep!?  I've never heard of the word.  =p

I don't think I'll know what sleep is for a loooonnngg time!  It's what we live for right?

The past little while has been great.  Our little ones are slowly being taken down on their air flow through the cannulas.  They just bumped them down to 1/2 liter yesterday and seemed to be doing good, of course until we got there and both of them decided to have brady episodes at the SAME time!  Someone should have warned me about those I swear.  While I was pregnant I read up as much as I could about twins, preemies, babies in general and I do not remember every reading about things like that happening.  It's probably one of the biggest nerve racking things we see with them now.

Kenzington seems to be the only one I see cry and throw fits which in turn makes me think there is something wrong with her and not with Oakley.  =P  Now I sit there and watch her closely to make sure she's doing ok.  Everyone just says, "She's a baby.  Babies cry"!   Well, then she needs to see that Oakley doesn't like to scream in our faces! hehe, YET!

Being there for two feedings a day is great.  I get to see them more, but the lack of sleep and being away from your home pretty much all day every day is really wearing and by Saturday I'm ready to sleep for 24hrs straight.

Everything has pretty much been put on hold for now.  We have a family wedding coming up as well as a family reunion, oh and a baby shower!  =( I wont be able to make it to any which has bummed me out a bit.  I don't know what I'd do if I went a day without seeing them though......Go nuts maybe?  Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, Austin and I have pretty much been on autopilot that last couple weeks so I haven't had much to update.  I did get the cutest picture of him holding both the babies that I will have to put up ASAP.

So exciting I know!  Think of it this way, it's a dull before the storm....then once you pop you just can't stop..or something like that.

<3

Great job!

I'm so proud of both of my girls tonight!  We have been working on Nutritive nursing and they haven't been getting much milk.  After a few minutes of practice they are fed through their tubes about 45ml of milk.

Oakley was doing really good with her latching and Kenzington was have a little bit of a struggle.  The last couple days Kenzington has shown lots of improvement getting really good with her latching.  Tonight they both did great though, they both showed rooting signs and pretty quickly latched on.  We do test weights before they nurse to see how much they gain, if any, after they nurse.  Oakley did so well she got 27ml (while making some good farting noises in the process), while Kenzington got 4ml, not as much as her sister but she did amazing compared to how much she seemed to be struggling before.

Neither of them choked and seemed to have the suck, swallow, breath thing down tonight.  It's a really good sign and I hope it persists.  I've seen moms and babies around the nursery have on and off days with nursing which I'm prepared for.  =D It was just so great to see them do so well like a complete 180 from the nights before.

Even though I'm completely exhausted from no sleep and not being home all day, I cannot wait to work on it again in the morning. <3

Long Haul

From the sounds of it we will be at the hospital another few weeks. They keep saying that they probably wont catch on to feedings for at least another 2.  Then at that point it's going to be more practice for them to be feeding from bottle or nursing on all their feedings.  They haven't directly told us, "You're here another month", but they do keep saying twins are naturally a couple weeks behind on development so even though they are 35 weeks they consider them to be 33 weeks.  Which in all honestly I am not understanding, especially when I've been reading and was told by my doctor they consider twins full term at 37 weeks....way confusing.  Or it's just 3am and I'm going to be confused by default!

Bottom line, it looks like we are in for the long haul.  I don't know how either of us are going to tough through it.  It already feels like it's been forever!  The girls have changed so much and are already up to 5lbs from their original 3lb 13oz.  Which is great!  I couldn't be happier that they are putting on weight and growing strong.  I just wish that it meant the end was in sight.  When in reality to us the end seems far away.  I really hope I'm wrong and we are closer than we think.  :p This is one I wouldn't mind admitting I'm incorrect.  That will be a first I guess, he he.

Oh well, I'm enjoying my time with them as little as it may be it's all fun, exciting and worth it.  I can tell it's a little early for them especially when they both do great for about 5 minutes then end of getting tired and scaring mom and dad to death by choking on the milk!  Little buggers! Non the less they are doing really good for their age and we couldn't be happier.  We were more than blessed due to the fact they weren't born earlier than their 32 week mark.

It's all about the prayers, hope and positive attitude!

Graduated!

The doctor called this morning and it's official.  The girls are progressing so nicely they have graduated them to Nursery B.  The "feeder and grower" side, where our main focus will be to get the nursing thing down so they can make it that much closer to going home!  I've been told I need to be there for 2 a day feedings since within the next week or so they may need to progress to 4 a day feedings.  If the hospital didn't already feel like a second home, it sure will now.   I don't mind too much the people are more than nice and the NICU has a great parent room to relax, eat, watch TV and use a computer during the times we want to leave the bedside for a break.

Kenzington is still having some brady episodes the worst we've seen was last night while the hubs was holding her and she turned a little blue.  We are a little worried but hope the doctor is right about her growing out of it within the next couple weeks.

So, we are that much closer and I see them changing daily!  I can't wait to see them today and help them in their progression.

Practice

The last couple days have been a bit frustrating.  The twinks are doing very well.  All the nurses say they are just so great and love taking care of them because they are so easy to watch.  (We know that will change when they get home right? ;). )  

The other day we gave them their first tub baths--

 it was probably one of the single most frustrating yet coolest nights of my life.  Being tired probably did not help the situation on the frustration part.  I simply felt like I didn't know what the heck I was doing.  I've bathed babies before while babysitting and such but it was like all of that just went out the window and my brain acted like the action of a bath was alien.  I was in charge of Kenzington and she seemed extra peeved at me for even waking her up to do so!

I think them being so far away from me and not seeing them throughout the day has weighed on me pretty dramatically lately.  It's made the feeling of being a mom seem like a dream, like it hasn't fully set in yet and wont until their home.  The hubs has been amazing in trying to let me know things are going to be alright.  I love him so much for being there for me and being strong for us.

I'm really hoping once all 3 of us get the hang of nursing things will seem a lot better.  They are so young/early and I shouldn't be so frustrated that they didn't catch on right away.  Practice makes perfect right?  That says it all for everything really, if you think about it!  

The fact that I have completely lost my appetite since they've been born has sure to of added to the list of all things.  =p  Blood sugar levels are probably not the greatest.

I really need to just keep telling myself, "They are doing amazing, we are going to be fine, just be patient".  I'm impatient, haha,  go figure right. We can do this though and it's just going to take some time.  Even through the frustrations of nursing, it's all worth it just to sit with them in my arms while they look around their new world and try their hardest to focus on who is sitting in front of them.  Who would of known something so small could grab your heart so tight. <3

So many changes!

Whew!

There has been a lot of happenings in the past few days or it feels that way to us at least. It has definitely been an emotional roller coaster thus far and I'm certain it will be till the end.  One thing I can say for sure is these little ones are totally worth it!

Since last post they are both off the C-paps still.  For a little while there Kenzington wasn't doing the greatest and so they kept her on a high flow nasal cannula while Oakley was put on a low flow.

They stuck Oakley's feeding tube down her nose which I think should have been done for Kenzington as well--but Kenzlee has had it down through her mouth since she was put on the cannula.

Oakley without c-pap!

Wide awake looking at mom!  We noticed she really likes to take in the things around her, more so than Kenzington.

Here's Kenington with dad-  she made this weird face a lot because of her feeding tube being down through her mouth--

On Monday they both were doing really good with their respiratory rates so we were able to start trying non-nutrative breastfeeding.  Which in short is them getting used to, well me! :p  

It was probably the first of many close and amazing experiences I am going to be able to have with my girls.  It was almost like it was just me and them being able to bond in our own little world.  

Oakley did great!  She seemed to get the idea right off the bat.  While Kenzington got frustrated pretty quickly because of her feeding tube getting in the way. Which them made her began to breath a little fast. So we cut it short with her and put her back to bed so she could rest.

We were happy to hear they both have been gaining weight and are not above their birth weights.  They are eating about 38-40 ML of milk each feeding and taking to them well.  It was apparent when it came to how many stinky diapers we would have to change while their.  As soon as we could clean one up and put a new diaper on she would just mess in it again!  

Tuesday my mom was nice enough to take me to the hospital for an early morning non-nutrative.  It was really great for her to be there and be able to watch the girls for that period of time.  They even began to smile!  Even if it was the kind of smiles that you can tell they don't know what the crap their mouth is doing yet but they do it anyway! Since then they have just been smiling more and more! Later that night my grandparents were able to finally drop by and see them. They seemed to enjoy seeing how tiny they were and all that good stuff.

Wednesday Austin's mom was so great and took the time away from work to take me in so I could spend some one on one time with the girls.  When we got there we could hear one of them crying and saw they had been working on Oakely.  The nurse let us know that earlier this morning they were debating on putting both girls back on their c-paps because their respirations were so high.  Which would have been a step back.  Instead they decided to do some suctioning and see if they could get any gunk out of the way that may be causing them to breath heavier.  They had already finished with Kenzington when we got in.  I could see her in her bed passed out from the stress.  It was almost too hard for me to stand there and hear Oakley scream as they suctioned her throat and nose.  After a few tries and getting some good amounts of gunk suddenly this huge booger just flew out of her nose!  I swear it was the size of a freaking skittle.  A skittle seems small but think about how stinking tiny their noses are!

The nurse doing the suctioning laughed saying she had to go show this off.  I was just glad it was over and she could finally rest.

 I was there for almost 4 hours, mostly watching them sleep and rest.   I really wanted to take the day to just let them relax so hopefully there would be more progression in the future.  After the mornings suction they both were doing so good it was great to see.  The nurses on duty were so awesome!  They saw me running back and forth between the two beds and 3 of them decided they would get together and put their beds closer together so I wouldn't look like one of those silly cartoon characters running round!  They really made things a lot easier. 

Just as I was about to leave that afternoon the Doctor on duty started her rounds on the girls.  She said they both seem to be doing really great and she was even a little surprised at their progress.  Seeing as they were doing so good and had reached their 14 days since birth she thought it would be great to get those picc lines out right away.  Oakley was going to be taken off all of her medications even the caffeine since she hadn't had any respiratory problems in the past couple days.  Kenzington on the other hand they were going to keep putting the caffeine in her food for now since she was still on her high flow cannula due to faster breathing.

Last night while there we were able to give them another bath and this time we weren't going to be putting them back in a heated bed.  We got to put some actual clothes on the girls and the nurse was going to see how well they maintained their body temps.  It was so cute to see little Kenzington wrapped up with a beanie on her little head looking like an elf!

With their picc lines out and their meds practically non existent we knew it would be close for when they could be co-bedded.

We were right..
When we got there this evening sure enough they were together!

(Oakley left making her "worried" face-Kenzington Right just chillin)

They were both wrapped up in the blankets the Parents Network had given us the night before.  With their little onsies on underneath.  

Not only were they together, but they had taken Kenzington off of the high flow nasal cannula and put her on a low flow as well as they took her feeding tube out of her mouth and put it through her nose.  I could tell right away that she was much happier without it in the mouth!

(If you're wondering--no we cannot tell them apart! LMAO Not yet anyway.)

We spent the first hour or so just hanging out while they slept.  At their 7pm feeding we tried some more non-nutritive feeding which turned out really well for both of them.  Oakley did so well she got a little over excited and bit me! lol  Yeah..owe!...  Kenzington did much better now that she had all those changes made.  They did so well that the Occupational Therapist and the nurse said they were going to speak with the doctor to see if it would be possible to upgrade them to the B nursery!

Now the B nursery is like a step forward in their stay at the hospital which is also called the "feeder/grower" side.  It's a lot quieter and a little more private so that moms and babies can focus on what's needed for their return home.  =D

SO, we will see if tomorrow when we go in if they are in their same spots or have been moved. :)  We can only hope and pray for the best.  If not!  It's ok too!   I've learned through this that set backs happen, it's just life.  The best thing to do is just work through them if they happen and be grateful if they don't!

I've been thinking about putting together a post about my experience/frustrations with c-section and breastfeeding.  Simply due to the fact that those have also caused a good portion of these emotional ups and downs.  :)  We will see. I've been pretty scatter brained and most of my re-caps I feel like I'm missing details I hope to remember later on.

Anyway in closing--Here's looking to the future!