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.

The BIG DAY has arrived!!!

We are excited to finally say the BOYS ARE COMING HOME!!! We got the news Saturday afternoon that if the boys did good the rest of the day and last night (ate and gained weight) then we would be looking at them coming home Monday. Well they did eat well and gained weight so when I went to do my feeding this morning I got the news that we will be rooming in tonight at the hospital and bringing our boys home with us tomorrow. We are so excited and nervous all at the same time. I have been frantically cleaning and preparing everything at the house yesterday and today so that I can have it all ready for them to come home tomorrow.

We will be rooming in at the hospital tonight. The boys will be a room with us and we will be on our own. The boys will be monitor free and it will all be motherly/fatherly instincts!! If we have any questions the nurses are just right outside, but this gives us a chance to take care of them and then have support if we need it.

On Saturday at our morning visit/feed. Suzanne was going over with us any questions that we had and trying to fill us in on last minute information. Ronnie experienced his first feeding with Westyn... and it was a slow one. We figured he was trying to poop because he kept turning red.. and sure enough when Suzanne took over he showed us we were right. He did need to go to the bathroom. It is definitely different feeding a preemie compared to feeding a term baby. I am getting used to it and hopefully Ronnie will pick up the on the swing of things soon.

 
 

 
 
 
We got our carseats installed last night thanks to one of my good friends Nora and her husband. It was one of those things I had been pushing off.. so I was frantic when I didn't have it done yet and they were gracious enough to have us come over last night and help us get them installed.

Before I was leaving from my feed this morning, Suzanne was beginning to test the boys out in their carseats. She said they leave them in the carseats with the monitors on to see how they do. Westyn was the first to be tested so I got a picture of him in his seat.. and of course he looks itty bitty. I will have to get a picture of Wesley once we get him loaded and ready tomorrow.

I keep trying to think of how this is all going to go. The doctors/nurses told me the time would fly by... but you really don't think about it till they are telling you it's time to room in and they are going to be going home. It has definitely been a long 7 months, but we have met a TONS of great people. We consider the NICU ladies/men our second family and they will always hold a special place in our hearts because they helped support and raise our boys to make them grow and become strong enough to be sent home. I can't wait to start taking care of them and be able to do all the things that a mother does.

Stats:
Westyn - 5lbs 15oz
Wesley - 5lbs 9.9oz

As always keep the prayers coming!!