5 months!!

I feel horrible that I haven’t been able to update my blog in sometime now!! It has been absolutely crazy with all the holidays and being crazy busy at work. The boys are doing great and growing so fast!! I can’t believe they are 5 months now (as of December 17^th). They are continuing to grow rapidly and are already eating us out of the house.

Thanksgiving was super exciting because the boys got to help spread the word that they are going to be BIG COUSINS!! We are so excited that Ronnie’s twin brother and wife (Russell and Morgan) are expecting their first child on July 3^rd. We are all anxious to hear if we are expecting a niece or nephew!

We started the boys on Rice Cereal and Oatmeal. Yes, I have to do both. Westyn loves the Oatmeal and Wesley likes (or is debating on it) the rice. They started drinking more and more at night and Dr. Meyer had told me to watch their tongue movements and if they pay attention to us eating and then we could try on cereal so once they started gulping down the formula at night and wanting 8-9 ounces I decided it was worth a shot to try out the cereal. So Westyn was first and he did really good and is continuing to eat eat eat. Wesley on the other hand, he is still not too sure about it all. He definitely does not like the oatmeal, but prefers the rice. So we shall see how it continues to go.  Daddy even helps feed and Westyn thoroughly enjoys it as you can tell in the pictures. J

The boys are continuing to receive their monthly synergies (shots) for the RSV preventatives. Wesley was not a happy camper at his last appt about 2 weeks ago. He was pretty upset with the nurse and mommy. Westyn took it pretty well. He just cried for a minute until he realized his paci was in his mouth and he got settled.  At that appt their weights were Westyn: 14lbs 4ozs and Wesley 13lbs 3ozs. Yes, we have two chunky monkeys!

Their personalities are starting to really blossom. Westyn smiles all the time and LOVES attention. He loves to play patty cake and be sung to. Wesley is more of our quiet baby. He does like the attention, but normally is more content just on his own. They both love their floor gym and are hitting at the objects that hang down and look at the lights that flash. Their mobiles in their cribs are also a huge favorite when we lay them down at night to go to bed. They have both found their hands and fingers. Wesley likes to suck on his outside of his hand and Westyn likes to stick his fingers in his mouth. They both are focusing really well and will follow you and notice when you leave the room.

Christmas kept us super busy. It felt like we were on the go all weekend long, but it’s always nice to be around family. We did have to take the boys in to the doctor on Monday, Christmas Eve, because they were both congested and like I told Dr. Meyer I am probably overreacting, but with them being preemies I wanted to be safe. She said they just had a cold and to keep doing what we were doing and it just has to run its course. So we are trying to keep them bundled up and inside as much as possible. So on Monday their weights were 14lbs 11oz and Wesley 13lbs 8ozs.

The boys will head back to the doctor in January for their 6-month check up, which I can’t believe 6-months already!! They aren’t going to be too excited because they will be receiving their monthly shots along with the RSV preventative. Daddy has been told that he is required to be at this appointment because I have a feeling we are going to have two upset little boys.

Four Months Old!!

Boy how time is flying by… I can’t believe the holidays are already here and the boys will be 4 Months old on Saturday!!

The boys are continually to grow at a rapid pace!! We went for their four month check up yesterday and they both check out good. Wesley does have a little flat spot on his left side, he seems to favor lying and looking towards the right side, so we are going to have to work on him laying/looking more towards his left side. If all fails he will have to wear a helmet that is designed to shape his head. I am hoping that if we just work with him we won’t have to go the route of the helmet. They both got their second round of the RSV preventative shot and then two additional vaccines. They were not happy at all about the shots, but they just cried for a few minutes and then they settled right down and took a nap.

Stats:
Westyn – 12lbs 14oz – 23 inches long
Wesley – 11lbs 12oz – 22 inches long
Both boys are in the 95^th percentile

We stopped by after the doctors visit yesterday to visit our 2 favorite NICU nurses yesterday, Suzanne and Cindi. It was nice to see them again and be able to have them interact with the boys and see how much they have grown and are continuing to grow. Like they said you would never be able to tell at this point that they are preemies.

I went back to work last Monday and the boys are now at the sitter’s. They seem to be adjusting just fine and already love their sitter. The first day wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I did miss them like crazy and I still do miss spending all day/night with them. I think that the first day wasn’t as bad for me since I had to already leave them when they were in the NICU.

I was also contacted by the hospital to see if we would be interested in being the Ambassador family for March of Dimes in 2013 and then also to give a phone interview to Insight Magazine about our NICU experience. I did the phone interview on Monday and that will be published in the January issue. So I am excited to see how it turns out. The March of Dimes takes place in April for March of Babies and we will be speaking at the event along with other events that may come up during the year next year. I am so excited about this and to be able to share our story. It will be a great memory to have and for the boys to look back on someday.

Westyn is starting to stay up more and loves attention from Mommy and Daddy. Whenever you talk to him or play patty cake he just smiles and tries to laugh. He is more alert and loves to just look around and see what is going on. At this point I think he will be our more active boy.  

Wesley is still a little more laid back. He still enjoys his sleep and loves to eat. If he isn’t doing either of those he sometimes has trouble figuring out what to do with himself. He does enjoy lying on his floor mat and looking at the toys and lights. I have also noticed him paying more attention to the fan and lights. He loves to be held and cuddled. Ronnie always says he is such a mommy’s boy, which is perfectly fine with me. J

Until next time.. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!! As always keep the prayers coming that the boys stay healthy during the upcoming cold months!!

Westyn wasn't too thrilled about taking a picture for daddy's birthday..

Three Months Old...

Well the time is most definitely flying by. The boys are growing so fast that it seems like I have just blinked my eyes and their three month birthday is here and now gone. My time is very consumed with the boys. Westyn is starting to want to stay up more during the day, but he is really good when he is up. Normally he just lays on his play mat or swings in his swing and looks around. Wesley on the other hand loves his sleep. He will normally take his bottle and then about 30 minutes after is fast asleep. They are both starting to squiggle around. We have wedges in their cribs to help keep them elevated, but they are starting to really move around in their cribs. Wesley will normally start up and down how I place him and then when I go to get him out he has managed to get out of his swaddle and sideways in the crib.

 

I am not sure if I had put on here the final results from ECI development, but they came out to evaluate the boys with the therapist this time and they said the boys look great and they don't see anything we should be concerned about. This means that the boys didn't qualify, which is a good thing!! They will keep up with us every couple of months to make sure we have no concerns. So we were blessed with these results.

The boys also had a very special day last Saturday. They were baptized at Grace and we are so thankful for the family and close friends that were there that day to help us celebrate this. The boys still can't take too much passing around from person to person so it's mostly just look and see. They were a little whinny that afternoon, but got back into their normal routine quickly.

 

I took the boys this week to spend some time with their babysitter, Mrs. Vierus, while I went to get my hair done for the wedding. The boys seemed to take to her very good from what she said. I trust her completely and so I have no problems leaving them with her (even though I do miss them while I am not around them). I really think we are so blessed to have her watching the boys because she has been around our family for a long time and I know she is awesome with kiddos and will spoil the boys tremendously!! I am so grateful that she is starting to keep the boys here and there for me so I can get some things done before I have to go back to work on November 5th (which I am dreading). I could really be a stay at home mom!! lol, but the bills come first.. and we our goal is to build our house next year so I am keeping that all in mind and will be heading back to work.

We finally got word from health insurance that they boys were approved for the RSV preventative vaccine. So we went this past Wednesday and got the first go round of it. They both did really good. Just a short cry/whimper and then once I gave them their pacifiers they were good to go. We had to stick around the doctor's office for 30 minutes so the nurses could make sure there wasn't any reactions, which there wasn't, so they sent us home. They will continue to get a shot a month until March possibly April. This just helps them fight off the cold/flu since their immune systems are still weak. So we are very thankful they were approved for this especially before Melvin's wedding tomorrow so we can take them with us.

At the doctors office they had to weigh the boys to see what amount of vaccination they needed. I was thinking oh they are probably around 9 pounds at this point, but boy was I WRONG!! lol - when they nurse said their weights I had to have her repeat it thinking I misheard her.
Westyn - a big 10lbs 8 oz
Wesley  a big 9lbs 12 oz
So we have some growing boys that is for sure. I had just opened two boxes of size newborn diapers that go up to 10lbs the other day to fill up my drawer with so I am hoping I can get use out of them before they get to small and have to move to size 1's.

The boys have also moved up in some of their clothes to 0-3 months. They were in newborns in everything, but now have started to outgrow certain things. I am so excited to get them all dressed up for my brothers wedding tomorrow, and are so happy to be able to share this special day with them. I will have to post some pics on the next post.

I believe that is mostly what has been going on. I am sure I will submit the post and think of other things, but those were the most recent updates.

As always, we want to continue to pray for the boys and hope they continue to grow as well as they have been and that we make it through the cold/flu season without any sickness.

My Due Date - We are now Term!

I can't believe that today is my actual due date and the boys are already 11 weeks old. Boy how things can definitely be out of ones control. I was so determined to make it as long as possibly with the plans, but God had other plans for us. The last couple of weeks have been great. The boys are doing wonderful and we are adjusting to their every need. I really am so blessed with the schedule they are on. I know I have said this before, but it really has been so nice. They are sleeping for about 3 1/2 hours after each feed and feeding normally every 4 hours.. give and take. They are doing really well at night. They surprised me Tuesday of this week and went from 7:30p-1:30a.. which was so nice. I was hoping that would stick, but last night they only went from 7:30p-12:30a.. which isn't bad, I am definitely not complaining.

Westyn is our active child I guess you would say. He likes to fight his sleep after his 7:30p feed so normally he wont go to sleep till around 9p or so and then I normally have to wake him up once Wesley wakes up for their feed at 12:30a.

I have gotten pretty good I would say at mastering the multi-tasking of feeding them together. The downside is that we are no longer trying to nurse. It just became impossible for me to do it since Westyn wasn't truly latching and Wesley showed no interest. I am still pumping so they are still receiving my milk. Which I figured is the most important thing. I am planning on continuing to do it this way until they are atleast 4 months, but hoping I can make it till they are 6 months and then we will switch them over to strictly formula.
 
 

 

Wesley and his first shots bandaid

 

 Westyn and his first shots bandaid

 

 

Holding hands

 

We had two ladies come out from ECI that is a group that looks at the development of children from birth to age 3. They were really positive about how the boys look and don't think that they will be a candidate in needing to receive any therapy or developmental assistance. The main reason for their visit last week was to inform us of the program and then they are coming back out next week to actually evaluate the boys. If they don't qualify at this point then they will come back out in a couple of months once the boys are developing more and check to see if they are on track.

Shannon came out to do their newborn pictures which was quite the adventure. Let's just say the boys didn't want to corperate. So she had to come out a second time and luckily she was able to snap a couple of pictures so I am excited to see how they turn out! I am hoping as they get older it will be a little easier. Right now you just want them to sleep for the pictures, but they must know what is going on and they decide they just wanted to stay awake.

My sister in law came over to visit last week and brought Jack with her.. It was so crazy to see how much bigger he is then the boys. He is weighing about 14lbs which is about twice the size of the boys and he is just a month older. I was so excited to finally get them together and take their picture. Grandpa came over and couldn't resist getting a picture together with all 3 of them.

I am unsure of their weights at this point, I will try to jump on a scale (which I dread) and see if I can manage to get a rough estimate. I have a feeling they have to be reaching 8lbs, but we wont have a for sure measurement again until we go for their 4 month check up in November.

We have a busy couple of weeks coming up. They boys are getting Baptized and then my little brother Melvin is getting married. I am so excited for all the upcoming events. It will be such a blessing to have them finally baptized and share that with close family and friends.. and then the next week my little brother is getting married, which we are all so happy for him and
can't wait to help him celebrate his special day.

The boys with their future running buddy - Bradley

Until next time - keep the prayers coming!!

Two Months Already!

Well I have fallen behind on my blog.. Now that the boys are home my time is definitely more limited. They do keep me busy even though they are still sleeping a majority of the time. We are trying to stick to a routine that the NICU had them on which I really think has been the best thing that could have happened for us. They are eating every 4 hours and I am still feeding them at the same time, so that has really helped with me not having to take a full hour for feedings and then having to pump afterwards. The breastfeeding still isn't going as well as I had planned, but I am still pumping so they are still continuing to get my milk. I have had to add another formula to their feedings because I am unable to keep up with how much they are eating. They are not eating 100 ml at each feed. Which is roughly 3ozs and 10 ml (30ml is an ounce - for those who don't know). I am only getting roughly 4 ounces each time I pump so they have surpassed me. My thoughts are as long as I can keep up and just add an additional formula then we are good. They are still getting the nutrients from my milk and the nutrients form the Neosure (Formula) they are on.

I can't believe the boys are already 2 months old now.. Where has the time gone? Well if you count me writing the blog today they are 10 weeks and growing. It is simply amazing to look at them now and see how much they have already changed. We are having a lady from I believe it's called ESI come out this Friday to see how they are developing since they are premature. They will more then likely be 12 weeks behind since I had them 12 weeks early. So I am curious to see how that goes on Friday and what their thoughts are.

Last Friday we went to their 2 month check-up with the pediatrician. This was also the check-up they would be receiving their vaccines. So thankfully Ronnie was off work and he was able to go with me. They ended up getting 2 shots, and the nurses that gave the shots were awesome. Very fast!! They even held them down so I didn't have to do that which I am terrified of having to watch. We just stood ready to rescue and have their pacifiers ready once they were done. The boys did a great job, just a little whin and then once they got their pacifiers they were good to go.  Other then the shots that day the pediatrician was very happy with their progress and she said she doesn't need to see them back till 4 months because they are doing so well. So that is a PLUS! We are waiting to hear from them to see if the boys were approved for a RSV Preventative shot that they can get from October - March to help fight off cold/flu since they don't have those antibodies in their system. I also asked her about their spitting up. She said it's normal and that she wanted me to add a teaspoon of cereal to their milk to make it a little thicker to see if that helps. We have been doing that and it has helped so we are thankful for that. We are just hoping now that it doesn't mess up their digestive system and cause them to get constipated.. so we are watching that.

Today we are having Shannon Buck come out to take their newborn pictures.. So I am super excited to see what ideas she has and how the pictures will turn out. I will have to post later and let you know how that goes.

Stats:
Westyn - 7lbs 8 ozs
               19 3/4 inches long
Wesley - 7lbs 3ozs
               20 1/2 inches long
              
 

 Westyn and his Wubbanub

 
 
 

 Wesley relaxing

 

Till next time - keep the boys in your prayers that everything continues to go as well as it has been!

The first week together...

Well the journey has definitely began at the Shay household. We are actually doing really good. I am trying to manage my time and get things done while the boys sleep and also try to squeeze in a nap for myself in the afternoon. This week my mom has been staying with me and helping get things under control with both boys. It has been really nice especially since Ronnie has been out of town working all week.

Monday we ventured to College Station with both boys for Westyn's first check up with his pediatrician. He weighs 6lbs 11oz and is 19 1/2 inches long. So I would say I am definitely doing something right with him gaining weight like he is!! She said he looks great and was happy with his progress. I had written down some questions that I wanted to ask her while I was there that had came up being at home. I asked her about the RSV preventative for them and she said they are definitely a candidate for it so they would send in the necessary paperwork to insurance to see if approved and then would order the vaccine. If approved this would be a monthly shot for the boys beginning in October and going to March of 2013. This helps put antibodies in their system to fight off the cold and flu since they are unable to do that at their young age and maturity level of being a preemie. She said that with the boys their will be about a 2-3 month delay in maturity so that if a normal 4 month old if cooing and smiling it might take the boys an extra 2-3 months to do that. Even though we are already experiencing the smiles from each so hopefully they will be ahead of the game. I also asked her about how long I would have to continue the 3 hour feedings. She said that with their weight gains we could bump them up to 4 hours and see how they do. If they are up and fussy before to go ahead and feed them. We have started doing that and they are lasting around 3 1/2 to 4 hours which makes a huge difference for me and it doesn't feel like I am just constantly feeding and that is all I am doing. So we are grateful for that and we hope it continues.
 
I am also attempting to multitask and feed the boys at the same time. I am continuing to pump, but the breastfeeding isn't going as good as I had planned. With preemies it takes a lot more work trying to get them to latch. I haven't given up and I continue to try to nurse twice a day, but it is definitely much easier to bottle feed them the breastmilk and just pump to get my supply for them.

We have been letting the boys sleep in their own room in their cribs at night this week and they have been doing great. The reason I decided to do this was because my sister in law text me this past week and told me how they thought it was going to be a challenge to have Jack convert to his crib since he was used to being in their room and she suggested that since the boys were used to being in cribs to take advantage of it. So I took her word and I have been putting them in their cribs at night and they have been doing great. I have noticed that after Westyn's 2-3am feed he doesn't always go back to sleep as well in his room so I do bring him into our room and put him in the bassinet so I can rock him to sleep that way and he normally goes right to sleep.

One of my new projects that I have started this week is trying to figure out how to make the cute burp cloths you see people selling. Well I believe me and my mom have figured it out and I am on my way to start selling them to make a little extra profit for the boys and their extra expenses we are incurring. So if you are interested in burp cloths let me know!! I will be posting more information about them once I get it mastered and figure out some prices. I figured it gives me something to do while the boys are sleeping so that I wont have to encounter getting the 'baby blues' sitting in the house all day. Especially since we aren't having visitors right now until the boys get a little stronger.

Also, we have grown out of preemie clothes!! I have emptied that closet of all the preemie outfits.. and we are now in newborns. They are a little big, but it gives them so room to stretch so they can continue to grow!!

 

I believe that is all that we have for right now. I am predicting for Wesley's stats that he is well over 6lbs now since his last visit on Wednesday 9-5-12 he was 5lbs 14oz. We go for their first sets of vaccines on the 27th so I am curious to see how chunky the boys will be at that point.

As always, we still ask for prayers so that God will continue to watch over us.

We are finally all home together!!

Well this week has definitely been a great week altogether!! We are so excited to finally have both boys are home. Westyn got to come home yesterday (9-6-12) and Wesley of course was already at home and has been since Monday. They are both doing great. It was bittersweet leaving the NICU yesterday. All the staff in the NICU are definitely family and will always have a special place in our hearts. We met some awesome nurses and I loved getting to know each and everyone of them. They were all full of excellent information and made our process in the NICU a memorable one that we will treasure forever. I never thought I would have an experience like this in my life, but I am glad that the staff at the Med Center are so amazing and make the experience a good one even though it was difficult seeing the boys hooked up to everything all the time. I shared some good laughs with the nurses and they know how to make you feel comfortable. We will definitely miss them and plan to stay in touch just as much as we can. We are looking forward to the NICU reunions that they hospital holds yearly.

Wesley had his first check up on Wednesday with his Pediatrician, Dr. Meyer, she said everything looked good. He gained weight which is awesome. He is now 5lbs 14 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. His weight has probably increased since then, but that was as of Monday. We went ahead and scheduled Westyn's first appt for Monday and then their first set of Vaccines in 2 weeks (mommy is not looking forward to that one).

Westyn left the hospital weighing a big 6lbs 3oz so he is growing like crazy and getting so chunky... I could just kiss on them two all day long.

We are starting to have visitor's, which I love, because I am so excited for the boys to meet everyone. I do have a big bottle of sanitizer and I do ask that everyone either wash or sanitize before they touch. The nurses went over with us that since they are preemie's they are more susceptible to getting sick so it's good to take all the preventative measures in trying to avoid that. So when you come to visit don't be surprise if that is something I ask of you! ;)

 

All in all this week has been amazing. I am still trying to keep up on my rest so I don't get run down. Ronnie's mom is staying with us for a couple of days and then my mom will be here next week. We are grateful for all the help. Please continue to keep the boys in your prayers so that they continue to grow and stay strong.

Change in Plans.... But for the best!

Well it was definitely a momentous night! We got to the hospital last night at about 5 and I went ahead and fed the boys. After we finished that up Suzanne rolled the boys into the parents room to begin our Rooming in adventure in the NICU. Westyn was in his crib and then Wesley was in a smaller crib because we didn't have enough room to bring both of the larger cribs in the room. Suzanne went over some things that we needed to know for the night and then asked if we had any questions and wished us good luck. After we got settled in - Ronnie ran to McDonald's to get us some dinner and I stayed with the boys. Westyn is definitely the noise maker. He grunts and makes all kinds of noises. Wesley on the other hand is more content and quiet.

When we got to the NICU yesterday Suzanne had told us that Westyn had one of his small episodes, but he came back on his own, but she still had to tell the nurse practitioner about it. So they decided to keep him hooked up to his monitor, but Wesley was monitor free.

We fed the boys every 3 hours.. which by the time you get done feeding both you only have about a 2 hour break and then it's time to feed again. The boys were circumcised so they explained to us how to care for that when we changed their diapers. Westyn didn't have such a good night.. he was full of grunts and noises and was whining pretty much all night off and on until his 3am feeding. I couldn't tell what was exactly wrong besides that he might just be sore from his circumcision. Right before the 3am feeding the night nurse, Tiffany, came in to check their vitals and weigh them. They both had gained!! At Westyn's 3am feeding he finally ate his whole bottle 58ml, plus another 20ml and he feel fast asleep. So me and Ronnie finally got some shut eye. Wesley was very easy going he would eat and fall back asleep. At the 5am feed I didn't wake Ronnie up so he could get some rest and I fed both boys on my own. It was quite the adventure, but I enjoyed every moment of it.

When Suzanne came to check on us this morning.. She informed us right away that they had decided to not release Westyn, per Dr. Steiner's orders, and wanted to keep him and monitor him for the next couple of days (possibly 3). I told her that we felt very comfortable with that because we want to make sure he is good to go when he comes home or else we would be nervous wrecks watching him all night to make sure he was breathing and not having an episode. They are thinking the episodes might be acid reflux related, but want to just keep him to see what is going on. So we only would be taking Wesley home. She said they would be working on gathering up and doing the discharge papers for Wesley and we would be good to go in a couple of hours. So we continued to take care of the boys and around 11:30 or so the nurse practitioner came in to talk to us and then Suzanne came in to explain Wesley's discharge orders and his follow up appt's that need to be done. We discussed me coming back twice a day to feed Westyn and so that will continue until he is released home. We gathered up all of our belongings and Ronnie made a trip to the truck. We changed Wesley into his going home outfit from his Uncle Dwayne and Auntie Jill and then took some see you later pictures with his brother before heading out.

We went to the clerk to be discharged and Ronnie drove the truck around to pick us up. I went and got Wesley and told Cindi bye - one of our most favorite nurses and the boys just love her. I told her it wasn't goodbye because we would be back with Westyn. Then Suzanne walked us down to the truck and helped us load Wesley and we told her bye - another one of or most favorite nurses - and hopes that we would see her again this week when visitin with Westyn until he is released.

We got home about 12:30 or so and unloaded Wesley and welcomed him home for the first time. Ronnie set his carseat on the couch and as he was going to shut the door Wesley just smiled.. It melted my heart like he knew this was his home. Ugh.. it just brings tears to my eyes that he is finally home and I can't wait to bring his brother home as well. It has been a long 7 weeks and I can't believe how much they have grown and will continue to grow. We miss Westyn very much and can't wait to see him in the morning.

Nanny and Popo came by for a short visit so that they could finally hold Wesley. The only people that were allowed to hold the boys in the hospital were me and Ronnie... so everyone has been anxious for them to come home to hold them. We can't wait for everyone to meet them and get to love on them!!

Once again, please keep the boys - especially Westyn - in your prayers as they continue to grow and become stronger.