Growers and Feeders

There are two words that long-term NICU parents yearn to hear for many weeks- those words are the terms "growers and feeders." For the non-NICU parents that read this blog, the title, "growers and feeders" is given to babies whose respiratory and digestive challenges have resolved themselves to a level where they no longer require constant monitoring, and they just have to "grow and feed" in order to graduate from the NICU all together. When Nurse Rosie told us that our girls were officially "growers and feeders" Saturday afternoon I almost broke down in tears out of sheer joy.

Hope and Grace are now both off of the nasal cannula and breathing the same air you and I are right now. Their heart rates are monitored and they are watched closely. However, as they have matured, they have also been weened from many of the interventions they had earlier. They no longer need daily blood gas work. Jeni and I can take them out of their isolettes and put them back in all by ourselves. Gradparents are allowed to hold the girls' hands. Both girls are learning to breast feed with Jeni (and are doing a great job at that). We get to hold them without them being hooked up to monitors. Best of all, as of today, both girls were moved out of the "sick baby room" into the "intermediate room" in the NICU.

The intermediate room was referred to by the nurses as a "suite," and for good reason. We are now in a room with windows, rocking chairs and no beeping machines. Babies in this area are on their way home. One fella across from the twins is actually leaving to go home tomorrow or the next day, leaving Hope and Grace with even more room in their "suite." Check out Hope and Grace's new window view. Pretty snazzy.

Thinking about the girls moving into the intermediate room made me think about a classic TV show theme song that deals with "movin' on up"- the Jeffersons. Thank goodness for YouTube, you too can hear this jingle and have it stuck in your head for the next several hours.



While we are not out of the woods yet, this has been a momentously positive weekend in our long quest to bring our family home. Gracie is now 3 pounds 6 oz. and Hope is 3 pounds 13 ounces. Let's keep on growing and feeding girls, it's already June!

Enjoy some of the wonderful moments we shared with the girls.



Hope (aka "Big Beefy") takes a snooze in her isolette by the window.







Gracie Girl enjoys the bright new surroundings of the intermediate room (and her mom and dad looking at her)



Gracie has the hiccups and then sneezes. It is amazing to watch how quickly these girls are beginning to grow, even by comparing this video to the ones last week!