Long Nights, Laxatives, and Lafayette

Again I apologize for the gap between posts.  As you can imagine, sitting down and blogging is not on the top of my list right now. When these rare moments occur when both boys are asleep, I try to rest as well.  We are entering our 3rd week at my parent’s house with the boys.  It was been 11 days since Grady has seen the boys and he will be arriving in 2 days to see us- just in time for Father’s day.  I can’t wait to see what he thinks about how much the boys have changed.  I send him pictures everyday but they just don’t do the boys justice.  They get a bath every other night and then its weigh in time.  My dad, who has quite the collection of random items that he has accumulated  over the years, happened to have a baby scale in our attic that he had gotten from an old pediatrician in Alexandria so after bath time each of the boys gets weighed . 

Griff is weighing in at 11 lbs. 4 oz and Jack is 10 lbs. 5 oz!! Can you believe how much they have grown?

The nights are getting better but are still long- mom gives me a break a lot and she will sleep in the room with the boys and then we both get up during feeding time.  As of now, we only get up once to feed them and thankfully – they both get up at the same time.  It’s quite amazing how they both start stirring at the same time- even if they are in separate rooms.  We finally had to put them in separate beds since Jack flaps his arms a lot during the night and hits Griff in the face.  Griff is like a sleeping bear so we dare not risk him being awakened.

We did have to bring Jack to the dr. for a problem that he was having with reflux.  The dr. recommends that we put cereal in Jack’s milk to prevent food from coming back up- he has been doing great since we have starting this but cereal in milk can cause other issues.. . . like constipation.   They say twins do everything together and this includes getting "stopped up" together.  After talking to drs, nurses, and friends, I decided that more needed to be done.  Prune juice only seemed to make their tummies hurt worse and with each passing day, the boys seemed more uncomfortable . . .so our last resort was baby suppositories. UGH! It worked great and the boys felt much better but that is something that I hope I never have to do again. . ever! We have taken lots of precautions to keep this from happening again- I eat lots of prunes in an effort to get that in their system.  It makes for long days and nights when tummies are hurting.

Last weekend, I needed to go to Lafayette to get some more continuing education hours for my optometry license.  They are offered all over the country and at various times but when would I have more help than I do right now? So, I called on my cousin, Sandra, who agreed to make the journey with me to watch the boys while I sit in class for two days.  Sandra was a huge help and considering her daughter is 17- her baby instincts kicked back in and the weekend was a success.  Staying in a hotel with twins is a challenge.  We had the minivan completely full of their stuff.  Grady has always given me a hard time when it comes to packing- he says I bring too much stuff! Now I realize that my baggage just got downsized to fit all their accoutrements, as Grady likes to call it.  We had bouncies and diaper bags and basins for washing bottle and nap nannies and the list goes on.  Not only do you have more stuff to pack but going places just takes so much longer, partly because getting the 2 ton double stroller in and out of the minivan takes me FOREVER but these two little guys can draw a crowd too.  Going through the hotel lobby took a lot longer than I expected with all the people wanting to stop and see the babies.  Of course, that part I don’t mind. We love to show them off but when strangers stop me – I can almost see the germs jumping off them onto our boys.  During our first night at the hotel, Jack had a really dirty diaper if you know what I mean- hotel rooms are pretty confining so we knew we didn’t want to be cooped up with that diaper until the maids came around the next day. Luckily I had a ziplock bag and what’s the commercials say- “Locks freshness in and odors out” well we wanted to do the opposite of that (keep the odors in) but I thought it would work until the next morning.  As I was getting ready to go down to the convention the next morning, I grabbed the odorous ziplock and heading for the elevators- thinking there would be a trashcan along the way- NOPE, so onto the elevated- quick – put the bag in your purse before someone sees you. Doors open- lots of fellow colleagues heading down for the convention too, hadn’t seen me in a long time- wants to see pictures of the boys, so the rest of the elevator ride is spent oogling over the boys' pictures and when we get to our floor, I see more people I know and just completely forget about the soiled diaper in my purse . . .until about 20 minutes into class when I start digging for a pen. WOW! Dollar General storage bags don’t work as well as Ziplock.  Thankfully I was sitting around friends that have kids and everyone completely understood- what a mess!  One night while we were in Lafayette we took the boys to Chili’s – very close to our hotel, not very expensive since I probably wouldn’t get to eat anyway, and a little on the loud side so our boys wouldn’t disturb anyone if they were to start crying- the perfect trifecta  for infants in restaurants. 

Jack at Chili's

Napping in the hotel room. If you notice both boys are only in their diapers- Sandra was getting ready to change their clothes but they are such messy eaters- it was just easier to let them eat sans clothes.  I'm sure this won't be the last time I let them eat shirtless!

Alisa is a sweet friend of mine from Shreveport who was also getting her hours in Lafayette- she came up to our room to get some loving from the boys.  She has Eli, who is not yet a year and one on the way.  She is such a great mom and some how balances it all. She brought us supper at the NICU on our anniversary and that was such a special night for Grady and I.

Granny Benoit comes to the house every other day to offer a helping hand.  It is such a great time for her since this is her 11th and 12th great grandchildren and she loves holding them. 

 

My friend Allison came over to visit with her little girl Avery.  Avery is 10 months old and into EVERYTHING! I will definitley have my hands full when the boys are that age.  She brought the boys these precious boxer shorts.  I can't wait to put them on the boys.

Hanging with dad before he leaves for training.  I think he's teaching Griff how to e-trade.

Seriously mom? Another picture.

Pawpaw Lloyd on his 68 birthday with all his grandchildren (except the one that Tessia is carrying- making his debut in September)

Aunt Cel and Uncle Richard live right through the woods, so they come visit a lot.

No telling what Griff is thinking here!

My cousin, Russell, and his wife, Melissa, and their little girl, Cassie.  They also brought Tucker, who is 10 months, but he was too busy to take a picture.

Griff and Mawmaw

Jack's hair has all fallen out on top- he looks like a little old man. He reminds me of my high school algebra teacher! His complection is beautiful- I hope that he stays this olive color.

We brought the boys to our Family Church Camp.  Growing up, I went every summer and had such a blast.  Andy and Tessia have brought their kids for the past few years.  They did great during the service - Uncle Andy and Aunt Tessia sure do love to hold the boys.

Reece, Griff, and Uncle Andy at camp.

Jack is learning from the Professional Napper, my dad.  They take lots of naps like this. Jack loves to sleep on his tummy and dad just loves to sleep- so this works out well. This pic was taken on June 14 and now check out the next one.

This pic was taken on June 8!! Look at how much Jack has grown!

This is Griff looking at Grady the day he got back from training- they were both checking each other out.

We also celebrated Grady's first Father's Day while he was here and had the boys Christened at our church.  Brother Emitte Belgard conducted the service, he has Christened my brother and I as well as my brother's two kids.

Overall the boys are doing great; they are eating more than I ever thought they would since our days in the NICU. We are constantly reminded of how fortunate we are to have two strong, healthy, although gassy, growing boys.  We do miss Shreveport but are so grateful to be able to spend some quality time with my parents and in Deville.  Being away from your home town and then coming back can sometimes be hard but I have loved it.  So many people are interested in the boys and there is never a shortage of baby rockers that volunteer to come and help out.  Its been great!! 

It will probably be a while before I post again. Our move to Florida is coming up and once I get settled, we will update you on the boys and our new home.  We are very excited to start living in our permanent, well, the most permanent home our boys have ever know, house.

Here we go again

After being at home for 12 nights, it is time for the boys and I to pack up and move again.  Now that we are in a pretty good routine, we are going to change it up by moving onto the the boys' third home in their short lives.  We have loved every minute of having our boys home.  Although we don't let a lot of people come visit, it has been a pleasure to welcome some of our closest friends over to meet our precious boys.  As their mom, its not unusual that I think that they are beautiful and can stare at them for hours, but its such a delight to see the look in others eyes when they meet our boys- especially those who have prayed for them well before they even arrived. 

Jack and Carolle have been such a delight to have in our lives.  We are so sad to have to leave this wonderful couple behind. 

Connie works with Grady and she definitely makes his life a lot easier.  Having several grandchildren of her own, she looked at Jack with such delight- you would think she was one of her own.

I enjoyed the company of my wonderful friend Doneen, who also has twin boys (turning three soon) and she is such a inspiration to the kind of mom I want to be to my boys.  She is currently potty training her boys so I will be calling her for advice on that and plenty of other areas too. I don't have a picture of Doneen with the boys. . . Sorry.

Aunt Cel and Uncle Richard came to visit the boys several times in Shreveport.  The boys have enjoyed having their great aunt and uncle visit!

Moving out

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A Homecoming

Tuesday, May 8th is a day that we will never forget and second greatest day in the lives of our boys.  We were discharged from Christus Schumpert NICU around 3:00 pm and couldn't be happier to have our boys home.

The boys are all ready in their carseats to hit the road.  They are wearing some precious monogrammed day gowns (Grady hates that they are wearing "gowns") and crocheted booties made by a sweet patient of mine.

Outside the hospital, waiting to get in the car. Thank you Mawmaw Katy for the sunglasses! Got to protect those blue peepers.

Rocking in our catnapper, watching basketball.  Grady is so happy to have the boys home just in time for the NBA playoffs.  Perfect timing boys!

Lots of naps with MawMaw Katy

Nighty Night

 

Grady and I took a break from the NICU the Saturday before the boys were discharged to go out to dinner to celebrate their homecoming.  Since we are leaving Shreveport, we went to one of our favorite restaraunts, Superior Steakhouse, and our wonderful waitor gave us this dessert. Delicious!

Our first few nights at home were challenging to say the least.  Thankfully my mom is staying with us and has been a huge help to Grady and I.  There is so much to be done.  It's amazing how something so tiny can make such a huge impact on your life.  We went to the pediatrician a few days after discharge and everything checked out just fine.  Next we see the orthopedic surgeon to look at Griff's foot.  It really does look a lot better and I am thinking that all will check out fine with this appointment.  The Dr. is going to look at Jack too since he was transverse the entire pregnancy. 

Praises:

1. Being able to bring the boys home!!!

2. Having my mom here to not only help us take care of the boys but to guide us in exactly what to do.

Prayers:

1. Good orthopedic appointment for both boys.

2.  We are packing up in a few days to leave Shreveport.  Pray for calmness in this transition and the seperation that the boys and I will have from Grady.  They change so much everyday - I hate that daddy will go weeks between seeing them. 

Better Every Day!

I hate that the time between my posts gets longer and longer but I spend so much of my time at the hospital with the boys (have you seen them? and can you blame me?).  They get cuter everyday!

Griffin and Jack are doing amazing.  Each day is so encouraging with the constant weight gain and the new achievements that they accomplish everyday.  Grady and I realize that preemies take longer to develop and we celebrate the small things everyday- like two bottles in a row, no spells on the monitors, passing the Car Seat Challenge, and really loud burps.  Since preemies are so small and not really ready to fit into standard car seats- each baby has to pass the Car Seat Challenge before they can be discharged. Basically - they strap them into the car seat for 2 hours and closely monitor their breathing and heart rates to make sure both stay within the normal range while in the car seat.  Preemies tend to hunch over in car seats, making them stop breathing while in the car- we definitely don't want this to happen since we know our little guys will be in a car seat quite a bit.  This is where things get interesting.  This whole military thing is really cramping my style!! I have always been a planner, very type A personality, and prepared.  Just ask my mom when we were planning our wedding!  Well, on May 22nd our house will be packed up and the twins and I are moving back to Deville to live with my parents.  I read an article on Huffington Post about Boomerang Kids- adult children moving back in with their parents- well that's us! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/01/boomerang-kids-multigenerational-households-living-with-adult-children_n_1434966.html
But not only am I moving back in but I'm bringing along my two infant children, a dog, and a lot of sleepless nights.  But since my parents are pretty much the most awesome parents ever - we are welcomed with open arms. Grady will join us on the weekends, as he will be doing some training in Alabama for his super cool new job as the JAG for the Special Ops, that will be moving us to Navarre, Florida at the beginning of July.  We are excited about moving back to Florida- since this is where Grady and I met, fell in love, and have lots of fun memories. .  . but the idea of being  hours away from my mom with two new babies scares me to death. It will be an adventure to say the least.  When we were house hunting in Florida, Grady kept saying to me- "we need plenty of room for your mom, so she will be comfortable and want to stay as long as she wants."  I thought this was too funny, so glad that he loves his mother-in-law.

Back to the boys. . . Griffin is taking all of his feeding himself now- either breast or bottle- the tube is out of his nose which makes things so much more enjoyable.  It is so fun to see him smile. . and yes, we know that they aren't real smiles and are directly related to what is happening in his diaper, but a momma can dream, right?  He looks a lot like Grady- especially Grady's baby pictures.  Griff is our loud baby- he loves to grunt and I am slowly learning that this is just his personality- grunts don't mean "pick me up." If I did pick him up everytime he grunted- I would never get a chance to hold Jack.  He is quite the eater and an even better burper.  I can see a lot of burping contests in my future not to mention other bodily functions- I'm sure. BOYS!!!  When we feed Griff a bottle, he is so aggressive with it that a lot of times his breathing becomes impaired- which is keeping him from going home.  We are really working on pacing him a little better and the Drs have decided to let him put himself on a On Demand schedule- he is doing well with this since he calls the shots.

Griff, deep in thought!!

Jack is doing better this week than he ever has. . like the nurses say. . "the light bulb has come on."  He has become a excellent breast feeding baby and becoming much more alert and staying awake for longer periods of time.  He seems to resemble the Price side of the family- he looks a lot like I did when I was a baby and even more so like my brother.  It will be so exciting to watch them grow and change over the years.  Jack's personality is much more laid back (like his daddy).  He only cries when he is really upset about something and his main cry is over gas! He is our long and lean baby- he is longer than Griffin but weighs about the same.  He has a little trouble with bottle feeding but is improving everyday- breastfeeding is more his thing- which I love because we really get some nice bonding time. . . until somebody else starts grunting!

Napping with mommy one afternoon, he still has the tube in his nose. . . but we don't use it!!

Both boys weigh right at 6 lbs, 8 oz.  We have come a long way from 4lbs, 3 oz. 

Since we are still in the hospital, the days get long and tiresome but my mom comes up quite often to sit with me and the boys and its provides a quiet place for us to visit which I enjoy.  Grady went ahead and took his paternity leave this week and I enjoy when he is there with me too.  Not very often, pre or post twins, do we get the opportunity to just visit for hours at a time so this has been a welcomed time for us.  And no better feeling than when we each are rocking our boys- sometimes we'll sing the Ricky Van Shelton/Dolly Parton song "Through these Rocking Years."  Its funny- I'm sure the nurses at the NICU think we are crazy!

Overall, the boys are doing great- we had a minor set back last week when both boys had to have blood transfusions.  I know, it sounds scary and horrible, but it did both boys a world of good. Since they are growing so fast, their bone marrow can't keep up with the production of red blood cells- so basically they were anemic.

Last night, I was given a room at the hospital and would wander to the NICU every three hours to nurse the boys- both boys did great and for the first time in 46 days- I truely feel like the end is near!!  I can't wait to get the boys home.

Praises:
1. Good feedings for both boys
2. Good labs came back normal for no more problems with jaundice or anemia.
3. A great husband who goes to work everyday and then comes to the hospital every night to help feed our boys while I take a break- he is exhausted but you can't keep him away from the boys.  He call it "boys night out."
4. A wonderful mother, who loves the boys just as much as we do, she is so willing to spend all day with me at the hospital and makes the long days seem shorter.
5. I can button my old jeans again!

Prayers:
1. A continued improvement in all areas of the boys health.
2. Calmness during this chaotic time for our family in the next 3 months.
3. All the other babies in the NICU

Grady is feeding Jack and mom is feeding Griffin

We HATE bath time but don't all boys?!?!

1 Month

This week we celebrate the boys' one month birthday!! My how our lives have changed!  The boys are still in the NICU at Schumpert but are doing amazing.  They both are very resilient and continue to amaze us everyday.  After their first week in the NICU, Griff and Jack graduated to the "Growers" side - this is the place where babies are sent to, well, grow.  Our boys are small compared to a lot of the other babies on this side but most of the babies around us have been in the NICU for several months and have had much more serious problems than our boys.  They run test after test on our little guys but so far they have passed with flying colors.  They have tested their hearing, their blood composition, ran scans of their brains and hips.  Since the boys were packed so tightly into my tummy and breached, there is a risk of Hip Dyplasia- one of Griffin's feet is slightly turned out and this is sometimes associated with Hip Dysplasia. Thankfully his hips are fine and the drs feel that the foot is merely a positional abnormality and will continue to straighten on its own now that he has room to move freely.  The Occupational Therapist showed me some excercises to do on Griff's feet after we change his diaper and he is alert- this is a disaster because Griff HATES to have his diaper changed and then rotating his feet in places that they don't like to just adds to the chaos.  He is doing much better though and everyday his foot looks even better.  Jack definitely has Grady's personality- he is very laid back, really doesn't fuss about anything and basically stares at Griffin when he goes into one of his crying fits.  It is so funny how their personalities are already so different.  We love it!!  Everyone keeps asking us when will the boys get to come home and it really is hard to say since they both are growing at different paces and accomplish their requirements to come home at different times.  Both boys are holding their temperatures without any help, they are gaining weight appropriately, having wet and dirty diapers to everyones satisfaction, the two things that are holding us back are their "spells" and feeding.  Spells are when their heartrates drop and then make the Oxygen Saturation in their blood drop.  Most of the time, they come out of this on their own but occasionally it requires just a pat on the butt.  Jack has more spells than Griff and the nurses tell us this is more associated with Jack's reflux.  Ahhh reflux- I've heard about reflux in babies from my friends but its a whole new ballgame when its your own.  Sunday, we went to feed the boys before church (in our church clothes) and I was breastfeeding Griff while Grady was bottle feeding breastmilk to Jack.  We were having a great time- all four of us together just hanging out when without warning Jack projectiled a huge amount of milk onto Grady's shirt.  Twice.  It really was scary at first because even though we both had experienced Jack spitting up before - this was different.  The nurse assured us this was nothing to worry about but easier said than done.  I feel so bad for Jack because I can only imagine how this must feel on his little tummy, but we have to quit feeding him when this happens- so I hate that he has to wait 3 more hours before he can eat again, and on top of all that- if you knew how hard I have to work to keep enough breastmilk for two babies- seeing a large portion of it fly through the air makes me want to cry.  Grady was a trooper and we went on to church, milk stained shirt and all.  I think he was kinda proud of it actually!!  The next challenge for both boys is to eat every feeding (eight times a day) through a bottle or breast.  Currently they are sending the milk into their tummy through a tube- which really helps their weight gain since they have to do no work and still get lots of calories.  Now that we have started to breast and bottle feed, they burn more calories sucking, swallowing, and breathing than they did before so their weight gain, although still increasing has slowed somewhat.  We are quickly approaching a discharge date and are praying that all goes smoothly so that we can all go home and start living a normal life.

Praises:
1. Griff is getting the hang of breastfeeding better this week than last
2. Both boys are gaining an amazing amount of weight

Prayers:
1. Jack's reflux continues to improve.
2. Both boys continue to breastfeed well and my supply is adequate to keep the boys satisfied.
3. Griff's foot continues to correct itself.
4. All the other precious babies and parents that surround us in the NICU.  We are so blessed to have two healthy babies that were simply born a little early- so many of the infants have life-long problems that unfortunately won't go away upon discharge. 

Thanks for checking in again at our blog!!  Up next time. . . as if things couldn't be any crazier in our lives!!

Grady's first diaper change- not too bad!!  The big sticker on Jack's forehead is place where they can check his bilirubin levels for jaundice without having to draw blood everyday.  All the wires do look kinda scary but they monitor their heart rate, respiratory rate, and the amount of oxygen in their blood.  You can hear the super annoying buzzing of the monitors in the background.  That is probably the most bothersome aspect of the NICU - and trying to change a diaper around all those wires. 

MawMaw Katy's first time holding Griffin.  He is wearing his Biliblanket to help with his jaundice- that's why he looks like a glow worm.

Proud PawPaw

Griff's first time getting his hair brushed.

I just had to take a picture of this- it's Jack's blood pressure cuff- so tiny!!

Future Tech Dawgs!!

Our sweet babies all ready for bed.

Let's Back Up A Bit

Due to the unexpected arrival of our boys, our posts have gotten a little out of order.  Here is the post that was previously promised. . .

Grady and I started the search for a church soon upon our arrival in Shreveport and Grady was volunteering with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) when he met Carolle Green.  Carolle has some connections to Alexandria and even Deville (the town I grew up in) and she invited us to their church.  We started attending First Baptist of Shreveport and loved it from the beginning.  There is a wonderful group of girls that I have have grown to love and treasure their friendships. . . here are some pics from the shower they had for me. . . Mom, Tessia, and Madison came up for the weekend to attend the shower and just give me some company.  Being on bedrest was really starting to take its toll on me- both physically and emotionally- and I never realized how much sweet Madison would brighten my day.

Mom, Me, Tessia (who is expecting baby #3 in September), and Madison

Although he is smiling here- Grady was very nervous about us leaving the house to go to the shower- realizing this is the first time I had left the house in 7 weeks. . . without him.

Doing what I do best. . . eating!! Man, do I look swollen!!

The Hostesses

Nicky brought these delicious and oh so cute favors,  they are cake balls with "two peas in a pod" on top.  Thanks Nicky!!

This is my favorite card- hand-made from Madison.  Look carefully- two babies- two bumps.  The mind of a six year old! So cute!!

The shower was on Sunday afternoon, this was a lot of activity for one day so I went home and was totally exhausted.  I had an appointment with Dr. Tynes the next day and upon our arrival- I just didn't feel good.  Once we got into the exam room, she and Dr. Jones decided that it would be in the babies best interest for me to be admitted to the hospital for two steroid shots given 24 hours apart.  The doctors did this as a precaution, thinking we should be prepared if the boys decided to come early it was best to prepare their lungs for the early entry into the world.  This was my first overnight stay in the hospital and I was a little scared but things worked out just fine.  I got this great video of Jack with the hiccups.  It was so adorable at the time but I would much rather see him have the hiccups in person.

On Wednesday, I was discharged from the hospital with the instructions of "go home - don't get up- unless you are having babies."  And that's what I did.  Mom came into town to help out while Grady went back to work- even though I am 30 years old- mom comes running when things get tough.  I get that now that I am a mom!!  I was a little aggravated with Grady since I was ready to leave the hospital and he was nowhere to be found.  Ummm? When he finally showed up at the hospital, he wheeled me out to our new. . . minivan.  I know, I said I would never drive a minivan but we (mostly Grady) :) decided that it would be a good idea to have something that is super easy to get the boys in and out of.  All the way home, we practiced our parenting sayings in the minivan, like "Don't make me pull this minivan over" and the like.  We had a good laugh about that!!

The post is full of randomness but we needed to wrap up everything pre-babies.  Since we didn't find out the gender of our boys before they were born- we decided to do the nursery in Noah's Ark, since they come two by two.  Grady bought the twins some animals for the nursery and it was oh so entertaining while I was on bedrest and the doorbell would ring- another package from the FedEx guy- with another stuffed animal in it.  Thankfully he didn't buy two of every kind.

Needless to say- the ark is full!

The post that Grady previously wrote about the day the boys were born was titled "It all started with a Stuffed Porkchop."  The story behind the title is that Grady and I met on a blind date and we went to a little restaurant where I ordered the Stuffed Porkchop.  We laugh now about how far that porkchop has gotten us - driving around a minivan with twin boys and loving the new life we are about to start as parents---my how things have changed!