Sunday, November 30, 2008

7 Weeks

Hello all! It has been a very busy week to say the least. Lily did not come home on Monday. She had lost a few grams, so they wanted to keep her one more night for observation. It turned out to be a good deal though because we ended up with a two for one special on Tuesday! Lily and Sarah both came home. It was very exciting for us. My Aunt Jeri and Uncle Hank made us a beautiful stork sign with all four babies on it. You'll see it in the pictures. It is really neat!

It was a rough night for me to say the least. I did not sleep at all! Not because the girls kept me up (they slept great), but because I was worried about them. I kept checking them to make sure they were still breathing. I guess I'm a worry wart. On Wednesday, I had to take them both to the pediatrician to get a check-up. They were both fine. Sarah did lose a little weight overnight because she was not eating enough. She is stubborn when it comes to eating. Her sister Lily LOVES to eat. Lily gets extremely fussy when we are even a minute late with her feedings! Sarah is 4lbs. 2oz. and Lily is 5lbs.

As for Luke.....he now weighs 5lbs. It looks like he maybe coming home Tuesday???? We'll see. Let's pray for no bradycardias or he'll have to stay another 5 days. He looks great!

Ava is still pretty much the same. She is still on oxygen through a nasal canula... 4 liters at 33%. The doctor said her lungs sound great but they are tight (she has shallow breaths). She just needs to learn to take those deep breaths, but she's been on oxygen for so long that I personally think she's getting lazy! She is gaining weight (4lbs. 10oz.) and she is in a crib maintaining her own body temperature. The doctor said to grasp on to the little things. As long is she is not backsliding...that's what's important.
O.k. so there you have it! Two home and two more to go. Well, gotta run! I have diapers to change and bottles to feed......................By the way, I love every minute of it!!!!
Kelly
http://kellylee77.jalbum.net/7%20week%20old%20babies/

Make sure you pause the music in the green box before playing the video.



Sunday, November 23, 2008

6 Weeks

Hello again!

We have some great news! Lily Grace (Baby Girl D) will be coming home tomorrow (Monday, November 24th). We are so excited. She will miss her brother and sisters terribly and they will miss her, but they will hopefully be coming to join her soon. Lily now weighs 4lbs. 13oz. and is 18 inches long. She is eating at least 2 ounces every 4 hours. She has come a long way!

Sarah Lynn (Baby Girl A) is doing fabulous! She weighs 4lbs. 1oz. 17 inches long and is now on full feeds. She does not require a feeding tube anymore. We can finally see her whole face. Boy is it round and chunky, like her Mommy's face. Sarah is eating a little over an ounce every 3 hours. We need to try to get her to closer to two ounces every 4 hours and then she may be able to come home. Let's go Sarah!

Luke Nicholas (Baby Boy B) is also doing great. He now weighs a chunky 4lbs. 11oz. and is 17 1/2 inches long. Nick and I have noticed that his hair is more on the blond side with some strawberry tint in it. We're not sure where that comes from! I did have blond hair when I was little, but the red???? who knows. He is still on a feed tube, but is working hard to get it out. He has been feeding from a bottle about 1 1/4 ounces every other feed.

Ava Elizabeth (Baby Girl C) is doing good. She weighs 4lbs. 6oz. and is the tallest of the bunch. She is 19 3/4 inches long. She is still working hard at getting rid of that annoying nasal canula (oxygen). She is up to 4 liters at 31% oxygen, but is trying to working it down slowly. The doctors are not quite sure why she is requiring so much oxygen when she is doing wonderful with everything else. They are trying a different medication on her to see if it will help. She wants to be with her brother and sisters upstairs so bad! She obviously still has her feeding tube in. She can not feed from a bottle until she can breathe on her own. She is eating 11ml every hour. Please keep her in your prayers that she will continue to improve......maybe at a little faster rate than she is now.

Enjoy the pictures and the video! Don't forget to turn off the music on the side of the page to hear the video! Talk to you next week:)

http://kellylee77.jalbum.net/6%20week%20old%20babies/



Sunday, November 16, 2008

5 Weeks

Hello everyone!

This week has been a pretty exciting week. A lot of things have changed, for the better. Some of squad may be preparing to come home soon......pending any setbacks. I don't want to jinx it so I won't talk about it too much.

Sarah is doing great. She is gaining weight and now weighs 3lbs. 10oz. She has started breastfeeding and feeding from a bottle every other feed. The rest of the feeds she gets through a feeding tube. I'll be so happy when they all have the feeding tubes out and off of their faces (Lily looks great without hers doesn't she?). They are working her up to full feeds. She is also in a bassinett and maintaining her body temperature well. Her heart was checked again this week while wearing a holter monitor and the doctors say she is fine and has no serious heart issues. She is extremely alert and aware of her surroundings. We may possibly have her home in two weeks, maybe sooner.

Luke is also doing fabulous. He is gaining weight and now weighs 4lbs. 3oz. He has started breastfeeding once a day when I am there, but has not started on a bottle yet. Hopefully soon. He is definitelty ready! He is still receiving his feeds through a feeding tube. He has no infections....lets hope it stays that way...and looks very healthy. He is also now in a bassinett and is maintaining his body temperature. He already has two typical favorite hobbies for a male...eating and sleeping. Sounds a lot like his daddy, huh?

Ava is still steady and working hard to breath on her own. She is gaining weight and now weighs 4lbs. She is still requiring oxygen (3liters @30-40%) from a nasal canula and is still in a isolette, but everything else looks great. She is still separated from her brother and sisters and is very agitated about it! She has a very strong grip and seems to love grabbing and sleeping with her her stuffed cheetah.

Lily is leading the pack right now. She weighs 4lbs 5 1/2oz. and is gaining weight. She is now on full breast/formula feeds. She does not require a feeding tube anymore. She is in a bassinett and is also maintaining her body temperature. She has finally started to realize that if she makes noise, she gets attention....specifically if she cries, she'll get food. She is also very alert and has the cutest cheeks! She is almost ready to go home. Pray for no apnea atacks or bradycardias for a week!

Enjoy the pictures and the short video of the kids. I deleted Sarah's video by accident. I'll get another one next week. When you watch the videos.....make sure you click the pause/stop button on the music (green box) to the left before you play the video so that you can hear the babies.
Talk to you next week!
Kelly
http://kellylee77.jalbum.net/5%20week%20old%20babies/


Sunday, November 9, 2008

One Month

Hello Again!
This week has been a pretty good week. All the babies are progressing nicely and are gaining weight, finally! We even have a few feeding from a bottle.

Sarah, the smallest peanut, now weighs 3lbs. 3oz. She is eating one ounce every three hours. She has started feeding from a bottle this week. She gets pretty sleepy half way through her feedings, though. She needs to finish her feedings a little bit faster. She is now being dressed and her isolette is open. Sarah has been maintaining her body temperature pretty well for such a little girl! She also got her footprints and handprints done this week.

Luke, our big boy, now weighs 4lbs. 1/2oz. He is eating 11ml an hour. He is doing pretty well. He was moved upstairs this week with his sisters Lily & Sarah. He is back on antibiotics as of today because it seems he might have another infection. We'll have to wait and see for sure when his cultures come back. He seems to be dealing with it very well. He is not feeding from a bottle just yet, but he is sucking furiously on his binky! Any day now! Luke is also being dressed, but his isolette is not opened yet. He's catching up to his sisters quickly.

Ava, our chunky monkey, now weighs 3lbs. 12oz. SHe is eating 11ml an hour. She is still downstairs. She is not breathing on her own yet, but is trying real hard. Everything else with her is wonderful, but she just needs to work a little harder on her breathing. She'll get there, soon I hope. I know she is lonely without her brother and sisters next to her.

Lily, our long legged girl, now weighs 3lbs. 9oz. and is doing fabulous. She is eating one ounce every three hours. She was the first to feed from a bottle. She is a little piggy. She loves to eat from a bottle and finishes it like a champ. and is also dressed. Her isolette is also open and she is practicing maintaining her body temperature.Lily also got her footprints and handprints done this week.

Click on the website below to see the lastest pictures:
http://kellylee77.jalbum.net/4%20week%20old%20babies/index.html
Kelly & Nick

Sunday, November 2, 2008

3 Weeks Old

Hi everyone!

Things are going well. The babies have had their ups and downs, but I'm told it is normal and these things will happen. Sarah and Lily are both upstairs now. Upstairs is a small step up. They are still in NICU, but are doing better.

As of today, Sarah is eating 15ml every three hours, which is about a half an oz. and she is pooping again. She has had no A's & B's (apnea or bradycardia attacks). She had a few problems earlier in the week. She had a distended belly and they stopped her feeds, put her on an IV while they did a blood culture to find out what the problem was. They thought she might have an infection, but she did not.....just gas. Yesterday, they noticed that she has an irregular hearbeat, so they put her on a holter monitor and the cardiologist will have the results for me tomorrow. She now weighs 3lbs. 1oz.

Lily is having a great week. She is eating 28ml every three hours, which is about one oz. She has had a couple of bradycardias, but overall is doing well. She now weighs 3lbs. 3oz.

Luke is doing wonderful this week and looks great. No signs of infection...it seems to be gone. He is eating 8ml every hour. As of today, the nurse dressed him and his isolete is opened. He seems to be maintaining his body temperature well, they said iff he does well the rest of the day...he may be ready for a regular crib. I guess all his body fat helps. He now weighs 3lbs. 15oz. He had no A's & B's.

Ava started out having a great week, but has been having a rough couple of days. Earlier in the week, she was down to 2 liters of oxygen (25-35%) and was lying on her back and doing well. Nick and I finally got to hold her for the first time. Then yesterday, when I was there to visit, the nurse told me that they had to raise her oxygen to 6 liters and put her back on her stomach. She seemed to be working too hard and got tuckered out. Today they took her down to 5 liters and she is doing o.k. She has had no A's & B's and is eating 6ml every hour. She now weighs 3lbs 5oz.
Click on the link below:
http://kellylee77.jalbum.net/3%20week%20old%20babies/
Check back next week for an update!!!
Kelly & Nick