The Joys of Motherhood!

I still can't believe that I am a mom!  So far, being a mom has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had.  It's absolutely amazing looking into your baby's eyes, rubbing their soft skin, touching their little hands and feet, and running your fingers gently through their hair!  It's hard to believe that somebody can make something so beautiful......in our case, TWO beautiful somethings! 

Being a mother is hard work though.  The major sleep deprivation does take a toll on you, but somehow you tend to manage and make it through every single minute.  You learn to take naps when the babies are sleeping and that the cleaning can wait just a little while longer.  You learn to tell the difference between their cries, and you also learn what their cry means when they are crying!  You learn to cover their "junk" with a baby wipe when you're changing them, and that when they are passing gas during a diaper change.....quickly put their legs down and cover them with a diaper, otherwise you'll get pooped on!  You learn about all their different facial expressions and hear all the different noises they make.  Often times, the noises that come out of them are comical!  You learn to tell the difference between the two without having to really think about it.  Whereas others may be confused with who is who.....mommy is not!  Mommy KNOWS who is who without having to think about it!

It's tough getting no sleep, having two babies screaming at the same time, having to do twice the work, but when they look back at you, and just gaze into YOUR eyes, it makes it all worth it!  You realize that they DEPEND on YOU and that they NEED you!  It's the most amazing feeling in the world!  It's something I wouldn't trade for anything!  :)

Just a few pics.....

Home and doing well!

Both boys are home!  Tristan came home first on January 8th.  We had to take him to the doctor on January 9th for a checkup.  The pediatrician examined him and said he looks great!  As we were leaving the doctor's office (in the elevator), the hospital called and said "Landon is ready to go home!!!!"  So as soon as we got back in the car, we went and picked up our little Landon!  Landon also needed a doctor's appointment the following day for a checkup, and he too looked fantastic!

It has been nice having both boys home!  Our family is finally complete!  We no longer have to go back and forth to the hospital.  It's way less stressful....both emotionally and physically!  The boys seem to be thriving at home.  It's like they know they are home and are in a more relaxed environment!  They are eating a lot, and are waking up every 2-3 hours for feedings!  You can't talk about a newborn without talking about their poop!  They are both pooping regularly as well.

They have grown so much!  Leaving the hospital Tristan was about 5lbs 6 ounces and Landon was about 5 pounds 3 ounces.  Well, now they are both right around 6 pounds!  We have definitely seen a huge difference in them!  It's amazing how quickly they grow.  We can feel them getting heavier, and Landon is starting to really fill out.  He no longer has the thin cheeks.  He has chubby cheeks just like Tristan!  Their cries are also very distinct!  Landon has a higher pitched cry than Tristan....and Landon also makes different noises.  Sometimes he sounds like a dinosaur, other times he sounds like he's trying to start a car, or is a little sheep.  It's so cute!

Of course we aren't getting any sleep.  Taking care of two babies IS as hard as they say it is!  It's constantly go, go, go!  I'm lucky if I get a nap in during the day.  Most of the time I don't get a nap!  Troy has also gone back to work, so I am at home with the boys by myself during the day!  I have it down pretty much to a science though!  I was even able to bathe them the other day!  I love being home with them and wouldn't change it for the world!  I am so fortunate that I am able to take off work so I can spend time with my babies and help them grow and learn!

I'll post pictures later....just wanted to post a quick update!  All are doing well.  (other than Tristan and I being sick right now...but saline nose drops and a warm humidifier seem to be helping him!).

They Ate WELL!!!!

Today was a big day for the boys.....one of many big days!  What may be something so simple to others is a HUGE deal to us!  Every time they make any type of progress is a GREAT day!  At the 11:00 a.m. feeding, Tristan ate ALL of his bottle!  Normally he will eat about 20mL's out of 45mL's.  But today, he ate all 45mL's for mommy!  I was feeding him and it felt so amazing to see him eat all of it!  He almost looked like he was pleased with himself too!  Landon did a GREAT job too!  Normally Landon will eat about 20mL's as well.  However, today with daddy he ate all but 9mL's!  The boys must really want to come home soon!  It was so nice to see them make this progress!  Now all they need to do is eat all 45mL's consistently then they can come home! 

I can't wait to be able to take MY babies home!!!!!!!

Update on the Boys

Wow!  A lot has happened since December 23rd when I gave birth to my precious little boys!  They have been in the NICU at Holy Cross Hospital since birth, and we are eager to get them to the point where we can take them home!

Let's start with today, since I don't have to use too much brain power to remember today's events.  I didn't go to the 8:00 a.m. feeding like I normally do.  I was exhausted so I slept in a little bit.  Troy didn't miss it though.  He took my breast milk to the hospital when he went at 8 a.m.  That extra sleep I got really helped.  Although now it probably doesn't make much of a difference because instead of sleeping, I'm up writing this post!  When I got to the hospital, I bottle fed Landon with Stephanie watching.  Stephanie is the feeding specialist.  She works with the babies on their technique.  Since they are only 34 1/2 weeks old, they don't have the suck/swallow reflex down yet.  They like to curl up their tongue instead of laying it down flat so the bottle nipple can sit on top.  You also have to help with the movement of their jaws.  It's rather interesting.  Eating is really hard work for preemies.  It can get to the point where they are using more calories to eat than what they are taking in.  Once that point is nearing, the remaining contents of the bottle are given to them through a tube.  Anyways, after I fed Landon, I nursed Tristan.  They both do super well on the breast, as it is a different reflex from that of a bottle.  I like having that "mommy" time with them as well.  After they ate, we snuggled for a bit then headed out.  As we were leaving, one of the Nurse Practitioners caught us, and asked us what we decided regarding circumcision.  Although I didn't want to do it because I felt the boys had been through enough, Troy wanted to have it done.  We signed the hospital consents and were told that it would be done a few days before discharge.  Well, when we left and came back, the circumcision had been done on both boys!  The nurse had to show us how to change the diaper.  When he did this, Troy started to cry.  He felt bad knowing that the boys were going through additional pain.  It's funny because he was the one who was so gung-ho about having it done, while I had reservations about it.  I only cried talking about it, but after it was done, I didn't cry.  So that was pretty much today.  Exciting, I know!

Over the past week, both boys were moved from their incubators to "cribs."  Basically, the crib is just an open bed, with no temperature control.  It makes it much easier to do everything!  Landon is doing well regulating his body temperature.  Tristan has been coming up a bit cold, so he may have to be moved back to an isolette for  a little while.  Although that would be digression, we want whatever will help him grow healthy!  Same thing for Landon.

Both boys had feeding tubes in.  Tristan had his removed, which I'm sure he was thrilled about.  Actually, Tristan pretty much pulled it out himself, and they decided to just leave it out because he was doing well with feedings at the time.  However, he too digressed, and the tube was placed back in his nose.  Again it goes back to the whole calorie thing and burning more calories trying to eat.  Apparently it is very normal for preemies to do this.  They start off super strong, but then they wind up slowing down as the food intake is increased.  They went from 5mL per feeding to 45 mL per feeding.  It's a lot!  So again, both boys have their feeding tubes again.

Tristan had one of his monitors removed.  The cable on his foot that measures oxygen saturation was removed the other day.  The one for Landon is still on his foot, however, there was talk about having it removed as well.  Of course both boys are hooked up to the heart monitor.

Troy and I took an infant CPR class tonight that is offered FREE to NICU parents!  That's one thing about the NICU.....there are many FREE resources out there for parents like us!  If we were to sign up for the infant CPR class through the hospital website, it would have cost us about $60!  We wind up getting diapers, bottles, etc. all the time!  The other day somebody came around and gave us books.  That was pretty cool.  One of the books was called "Am I a cow?"  I was wondering if they were referring to me??!!!  I sure do feel like one sometimes with all the pumping that I do!

Anyways, I know some of this was just me going off on a tangent......like usual!  To sum it all up, the boys seem to be doing well!  I just keep praying and praying for my little guys!  They are a huge blessing and a gift!  They are my little boys, and I love them more than anything!  They are such amazing and strong willed little guys!  Being a mommy is wonderful!  I can't wait to get them home where I can really go into mommy mode!