2 Months old- Look How We've Grown

Yesterday Hope and Grace turned two months old in the NICU. It is amazing how much these girls have grown in such a short amount of time. While the past 63 days have seemed like an eternity for Mom and Dad, when thinking globally, it is such a short amount of time.


Grace's first photo, being weighed at 2 pounds even moments after her birth on 4/11/08.






4 pound 1 ounce Grace on 6/11/08. She is looking mighty cute if I do say so myself, and her face is now way bigger than her "nook."








Two moths old and Gracie is still as feisty as can be!









Hope in her isolette hooked up to her ET tube at 2 pounds 5 ounces on 4/11/08






Hope rang in her two month birthday on 6/11/08 with literally nothing aside from her monitor attached to her. She is breathing wonderfully all by herself. She weighs in at 4 pounds 10 ounces and is now nippling 5 our of her 8 feedings.





Today I got to bottle feed both girls and they both did fabulously, nippling both of their feedings. This put a smile on Dad's face bigger than the Brewers taking 2/3 against the Astros. FYI, all of the nurses (and most doctors) know me in the NICU as the "Brewers Fan Dad." If you click on the pic, you can see Hope suckling her empty bottle. She really seems to enjoy her feedings.










For some reason, writing this post and thinking about the amazing progress our girls have made thus far got the Laverne and Shirley theme song stuck in my head (ok, Jeni and I are suckers for old '80's sitcoms). Enjoy- for some reason this opening makes me think of the countless blessings that are to come with twin daughters.

Delusions of Grandeur

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows how much I love baseball. Every now and again, a top prospect comes along who a fan gets really excited to see in the big leagues. For many of us in Brewer Nation, that prospect was Ryan Braun who debuted in May of 2007 and later went on to become the NL Rookie of the Year. I remember reading several articles last year about why Braun wasn't on the team earlier than he was. The reality to that statement was simple- it wasn't his time. Braun wasn't ready in April- he was ready in late May. I have been told by my wife (among others) not to ramble about baseball too much on this blog, but allow me to digress as it helps me put a situation into perspective.

This past weekend, amidst the flooded basement and the storms and the Shop Vacs and ripping out the spongey carpet was this little idea that Hope would be home in time for Father's Day. Laurie, our loyal reader from Cleveland, made that prediction recently as well, and to say that having Hope home wasn't in the forefront of Jeni and my mind would be a bold-faced lie. Worst of all, as I often times do, I concocted a delusion of grandeur in my mind of how wonderful her Father's Day homecoming would be. Here's how it would play out... Dad would dress Hope in her Brewers clothing (even though it would be way too big) and would sit on the couch wearing his retro jersey and amid the cluttered chaos of stuff that is now piled all over due to the flood, we'd snuggle together and watch the Brewers take on, who else but the Minnesota Twins. And the Brewers would have an awesome game that would include a Ryan Braun home run and Brian Shouse (my favorite player on the team) would come in and get a crucial out and Soloman Torres would pick up a save and the crowd would go wild and Hope would look at her daddy with her wide eyes and not get annoyed (like a certain someone who's name begins with a J and ends in an I sometimes does when Dad provides play-by-play commentary during the game) and throw in some brats with Secret Stadium Sauce and the day would be just perfect, right?

After hearing Nurse Rosie and later our doctor say that Hope was not ready to come home this weekend gave a sense of heartache, relief, and reality all at the same time. We all root for Hope (and Grace), and we all want them to come home and make our dreams of being a completed family come true. The truth of the matter is as simple as thinking about the debate about when Ryan Braun should have come up from the minor leagues last year- top prospects enter the big leagues when it's their time. Hope, and Grace, WILL come home- just not in time for Father's Day, and while that can be frustrating to us as parents, it is important for us to have perspective and realize that these girls are doing well and are in the right direction. As I have learned so well from this whole experience of having kids in the NICU, the best conceived plans don't always come to fruition at the time you wish that they would. The day will come soon enough when Hope and Grace and I will take in a Brewers game on our couch (and before we know it they will be with their dad cheering on the Brewers from loge level seats at Miller Park).

Watching Grace and Hope do wonderfully with their feedings this evening and noticing their chubbier cheeks, chins, fingers, and toes made me realize that their time to come home will be sooner rather than later. We just have to be patient in the process.

If I have learned anything from being an avid baseball fan for the vast majority of my life, it's this- top prospects need time to develop. Applying this same ideology to Hope and Grace helps put things in perspective. Mother's Day, like Father's Day, will need to be celebrated to it's full extent with our own holiday- "Family Day-" the day our whole family comes home.



What is Hope thinking? Get camera-happy Mom and Dad away from me or I love having my wide eyes captured to share with the world? Hmmm... for some reason I am thinking she enjoys the latter.






What is Gracie dreaming of? Brewers victories? Her "nook?" Coming home to see Mom and Dad? Ponies? Her wonderful NICU nurses? Her cares? The glory of not being hooked up to the ventilator, CPAP, or nasal cannula? Her next feeding? Having her dad change her stinky diaper next time he comes to visit? Who knows?

Winding Down the School Year

The end of the school year is a chaotic event, filled with a certain degree of pomp and bombast, and lots of bins overflowing with papers. As the days begin to wind down, a teacher can sense that kids are "checked out" and ready to begin their summer vacation. There is a certain excitement in the air- an enthusiasm to go and do something else, to have a different routine, to take a break, and most importantly to grow. The kids and teachers know that the end is in sight.

Likewise, we are now feeling that the end is in sight for Hope and Grace. On Thursday when we arrived at our "suite" in the intermediate area of the NICU, we noticed Hope and Grace's graduation diplomas tacked up to their bulletin boards. The end seems more in reach.

As of this morning, Gracie and Hope are both in open cribs. Gracie is 3 pounds 15 oz (so close to a 4 pounder). Hope is 4 pounds 4 ounces. Wow! Both girls are working on nipple feeds. Hope is really a champion when it comes to this. Gracie is learning at a little slower rate than her sister, but is getting the job done.

Life in the "intermediate care room" in the NICU is different. Both girls share a suite with windows. The nurses are available, but don't do as much as in the "sick baby room" across the hall. We are getting to know a new group of nurses, but missing the old familiar encouraging faces from Hope and Grace's previous residence. We are also doing some new stuff with the girls- Hope got her first bath on Thursday. Gracie is due for one on Sunday. We are now clothing the girls too.

Just like our students who must navigate through a sea of papers pouring out of their lockers as they wrap up the school year, we too have a mountain of forms that we are beginning to fill out in anticipation of the girls' discharge. We have a checklist at the girls' cribs of things to do before the babies go home and had a conversation with the nurse last evening about car seats. I've always said that things change in a hurry in the NICU! Enjoy some pics of the girls as they continue to grow into the intermediate stage of their NICU stay!





Hope is animated for Daddy to do her diaper cares. FYI, she left her dad a big surprise (no photo needed for that one).









Gracie naps peacefully by her window. This hopefully will be the last isolette photo of Gracie.









"Who is that guy with the big grin and the camera?" Hope wonders as she looks up at Daddy.


Hope's nurse gives her a bath!

A Preview of What's to Come?

Everyone says that a baby is a ton of work, much less two babies. I have to be quite honest, while in my head I know that this fact is true, I am not sure that I really believed it. After all, babies are cute, they sleep most of the time, and you get to do fun things like push them around in their stroller waiting for adoring strangers to come and gush over them.

Well, babies are cute, they seem to sleep a lot, and for now, the nurses at St. Joe's are gushing... but they are a lot of work. And, I don't even really know the reality of this yet. Tonight gave me just a small taste for what is coming down the road, much sooner than we think.

A timeline of tonight's events:
5:15 Arrive at the hospital. Adore the girls for a bit and admire Hope in her new open crib. After about 5 minutes, Grace is screaming about something. Where's the nurse? What does she want? Give Grace her pacifier only to find that the pacifier is not at all what she wants. Where's the nurse? I finally decided that she may need to be changed (or was hungry, but I can't really get that going without the nurse's ok). Her diaper contained what appeared to be her weight gain from the last two days full of pee. The doctors decided to give her a diuretic today and I can attest to it's success. No big deal here though. Hope was wide awake to greet me and show me her blue hands, sending me into a small panic. All was well, as the rest of her is the right temperature, thank goodness. The open crib presents Hope with the challenge of keeping herself warm enough to function and thus far, save her hands, she appears to be doing well.

5:35 The nurse arrives to check on me and the girls. She gives the go ahead to feed Gracie. It takes me about ten minutes to set up, remove Grace from her isolette, etc. Will arrives and greets us, changes Hope, and gets her out for a little Daddy time.

5:45 - 6:00 Feed Grace.

6:00 - 6:15 Burp and cuddle Grace before passing her off to Daddy.

6:15 - 6:45 Try to wake the previously chipper, hungry-looking Hope. I enticed her with food, patted her gently on the back, tickled her under the chin, but nothing. She had absolutely no interest in being alert enough to feed. But I wasn't about to give up that easily, nor was the nurse. After all, these girls have to learn that they have to do a little bit of work in order to get their tummies full. The nurse came over to help. Together we stripped Hope down, thinking that she was too cozy and warm in her sleeping bag. Nope. Nothing. I enticed her with food again. Nada. I convinced the nurse to let me try for five more minutes and I finally annoyed her to the point of awakening her.

6:45 - 7:15 Feed Hope. Now all of the books say that when you're breastfeeding, the child will eat what she wants and stop when finished. Ok, I believe these experts writing the books and let Hope go as long as she wants. Nurse Ashley comes in periodically to check, pleased as punch that Hope was still at it. After about 30 minutes, twice as long as Hope usually eats, she decided that she was finally full and quits. After I take her off, she acts like she's still starving, but I used my better judgment and tried to give her a burp rather than allow her any more food. Will had already left to make dinner and it was well past the time that I was supposed to leave for the nurses to make their report. As Will left, he muttered that I was going to be the one to have to change her nasty post-feeding diaper tonight.

7:15 - 7:45 Change Hope's diaper, clothes, bedding. As I held Hope for a few minutes she emitted some sounds that would make my fifth grade boys proud. Then I felt poop #1 make it's entrance into Hope's diaper. I found myself making a lucky move putting a cloth diaper under her tush just after that little present came. A few moments later, poop #2. I decided that it was time to put now-stinky Hope back into her bassinet and change her. By that time, Hope's poops had come out of the top of her diaper, which rides up almost to her neck, through her onesie, and onto the cloth diaper. Upon changing her diaper and outfit, the poop got everywhere else, including my hands, her cords, her feeding tube (eww!) and her hair. Then, while getting new clothes and diaper, Hope's feast of a dinner made a second appearance. Luckily this time, she was only wearing a diaper, but it did manage to get all over her teeny body, bedding, and of course, my hands. With Ashley's assistance, I got Hope all cleaned up, into a new outfit, back into her sleep sac, and bundled up. Meanwhile, Hope looked thoroughly entertained by the whole scene, while making some "I ate too much" groans. I checked on Grace, only to find that she too, had spit up all over herself and her blanket. Recognizing my bewildered look, Ashley offered to take care of Grace so that I could get home for my late dinner.

All together, feeding and changing both girls took the two of us two hours and fifteen minutes. Given that their feedings are just three hours apart, I realized that this does not leave much time for anything else. Oh boy, babies are a lot of work!

Gracie's First Bottle

Many people say that their children are the first thing they think about in the morning and the last thing they think about at night. For us, this is literally the case- as we always make a habit of calling St. Joe's to check on the girls right before we say our prayers and go to sleep and as soon as we get up in the morning.

Today we awoke to good news- Gracie drank her first full bottle at 6:00 a.m. this morning. With Hope's first bottle last Tuesday, both girls seem to be adjusting well to their status as "growers and feeders." Both girls are now taking two nipple feedings a day (either via bottle or breast feeding). One of the prerequisites of the girls coming home is for them to eat all of their food in this manner, so they are certainly well on their way.



Gracie and her mommy enjoy some quality snuggle time this afternoon.







Hope takes a snooze with her daddy after he burped her for the first time. You'd be surprised at the loud noises these little people make!

The Princesses of Power

I need to take a deep breath right now, as I cannot stop smiling for a number of reasons. First off, I just finished watching an incredibly fun Brewers victory over the tough Arizona Diamondbacks, and I didn't think anything could make me happier than the huge monster shot Prince Fielder hit to put the Brewers ahead for a 4-3 victory.

(photo taken by thewongsrx from the Flickr creative commons)


Then Jeni and I called the hospital.

Gracie's new pink Brewers blanket must have brought out the slugger in her (see the picture of her napping below!) Gracie Girl pulled out the come-from-behind victory today, gaining an unprecedented 100 grams in weight. To put this in perspective, she now weighs 3 pounds 10.7 ounces. This would mean that Maggie the dog would need to consume 20 Tasty T-Bone treats to illustrate that weight gain. Needless to say, feeding Mags that many treats would result in more than an upset tummy for her (so we're not even going to go there :) ).

Not to be outdone by her sister, Hope is on the verge of becoming our first 4 pounder at 3 pounds 15.2 ounces! Talk amongst the NICU doctors and nurses has shifted from the oxygen needs, PDAs, heart stuff, head ultrasounds, and digestive complications to "getting their room ready" and the girls being waved on home. Hope, too, is being indoctrinated into the world of her parents with a Brewers blanket on top and a Bucky Badger sticker on the window of her isolette. All she needs now is a Favre jersey and her Wisconsin sports experience will be complete.

While we know that there are likely to be set backs ahead, it feels good to be on a winning streak.

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!