Emily is home!

Emily came home Saturday! We were thrilled to be able to bring her home after 9 1/2 LONG weeks. It was a bittersweet day though because we had to leave Michael at the hospital. He will probably be there another two weeks. He had another eye exam today and there is no change which is good. We are hoping his eyes correct on their own. He will have to have surgery on his hernia sometime soon but the doctors want him to get bigger first. Hopefully he will be healthy and home very soon. Emily is doing well adjusting to being at home. She has an appointment with the surgeon about her hernia on December 9th to find out when her surgery is going to be. She should only have to be in the NICU for 24 hours for the surgery. We know there will be a lot of doctors appointments over the next year, but we couldn't be happier with how well the babies are doing. Thank you for everyone's continued support!

8 weeks old!

Emily and Michael turned 8 weeks old today (36 weeks gestational age). They are both up to four bottles a day and continue to look bigger each time we see them. Tonight Emily weighed 5 pounds and 5 ounces. Michael hadn't been weighed yet for the evening, however last night he weighed 4 pounds and 9 ounces. Emily sucked her thumb for the first time today (see video). The ocupational therapist told us Michael has such a strong sucking reflex that he collapes the nipples on his bottles. We are relieved that Michael's problem may be that he is too strong for his own good rather than him being too weak. The doctors are very positive about their progress and think they may get to come home in a few weeks.

Eye Exam

Overall the twins had a good day today. They did have another eye exam this morning from which we received some unsettling news. Emily's eyes are normal premature eyes right now. Michael however, has stage 1 retinopathy (spelling?). The doctors say it could still correct itself so pray for that, otherwise, he will eventually have laser surgery to prevent blindness. Please say some prayers for us!

The Roller Coaster Continues

Yesterday was a great day: Michael was taken out of his incubator and put into a bassinet and the babies were moved to the special care nursery. Today we received some not so great news. Emily has a hernia and will have to have surgery. We don't know when it will take place, but it will be several weeks so she can get bigger first. We don't know how the surgery is going to be effected by the PDA in her heart or if it will impact when she has the PDA surgery. Michael seems to be doing well. They are watching his belly because he has had some redness and swelling, for now his x-rays look good though. We are hopeful that the babies will continue to improve and come home soon. Thank you for your continued prayers!

We've been upgraded!

The babies have graduated from the NICU and been moved to the special care nursery. We were just moved at 5:30 p.m. today so we are still learning the ropes. We have a huge private room all to ourselves. Our room is bigger than the nursery we shared with two other babies over in the NICU! We'll take pictures soon! Happy Halloween!

We have a 4 pounder!

Emily and Michael turned six weeks old yesterday (34 weeks gestational age). It was also a big day because Emily was moved from her incubator to a bassinet. So far she has been able to maintain her body temperature on her own. They are both continuing to work on bottle feeding and growing. Michael's latest weight is 3 pounds 11 ounces and Emily has grown to 4 pounds 3 ounces. The nurses are optimistic that the twins will be moved to a garden room or the special care nursery sometime in the next week. The garden rooms are still in the NICU but are away from the regular ICU nurseries. Both locations specialize in "feeders and growers";these are the babies that no longer have any major medical needs and just need to learn how to eat and get bigger. The doctors are still closely monitoring Emily's PDA (heart ductus) and Michael's brady episodes. They seem to get bigger and stronger everyday! Hopefully they will be home in 4 to 6 weeks in time for the holidays!

Emily on Bottle #3