Hail, Hail the Gang's all Here!!!

Finally, finally, after months and months, our two beautiful girls are both home and our family is complete! Poppy and Nanny arrived Thursday and were amazing helping out this weekend. One would think that more people would allow time for more blogging - not so much. I'm very behind, so sit back for an update!

Abby's Homecoming!

After 137 days, Abby came home Friday afternoon about 3:00pm weighing a 8 lbs 2 oz! Checking her out was very fast. Since we had already done all our training at DRH, there was little to do but take her home. We finally met Dr. Malcolm, who is just wonderful. I'm excited about seeing him again in Clinic with the girls.

Our homecoming was smaller for Abby than Natalie. Poor Abby - already victim to second child syndrome. Poppy and Nanny were here and I did make an effort to take lots of pictures. Our first victory once home was Nanny feeding Abby a bottle and having her take 67ml of 75ml!!!! That's more than she's EVER taken at one time. Ben laughingly suggested we should call Dr. Malcolm and tell him. A little later, the more I thought about it, the better I like the idea. So, in a silly mommy moment, I did:-) She did really well for the first day or so, but the last few feeds has only taken 30ish. But, that's better than at the hospital so at least we are making progress. She's up to 75mls a day!

The girls were absolutely precious together. It's so wonderful having them together. They are so beautiful lying next to each other in their crib. So far, they seem to rest well together. We have had a great time playing on the floor with them, snuggling, and being a family.

The girls seem to be enjoying life as well. Of course, Poppy and Nanny were here through Sunday. Grandpa and Ya-Yai came over Saturday afternoon as well. Needless to say, they have been well pampered, held and loved.

As of Friday afternoon, Natalie weighed in at 6 lbs 10oz. She hasn't gained as quickly as in the hospital, but then again, she's doing more now. It doesn't take much energy to stare at the ceiling and sleep. Last week the doctor had us add Elecare to Natalie's milk for extra calories. Hopefully she will put on weight faster. She also seems to have gotten the hang of the bottle! She has been tube free for about 2 days and taking all her feeds by mouth! Occasionally, she doesn't take a full feed, but we are trying to give her 60mls each time to make up for what she missed.

So - the short of it is - everything is going quite well. Ben will be home Monday and drop us off at the doctors at Duke Tuesday morning. He'll work half a day (since that's how long we'll be at the doctor!), and pick us up when we are done. He'll work from home the rest of the day. I'm not sure about the rest of the week. I might be on my own!! I'm kind-of looking forward to it though. Me and my girls:-)

I'll try to do better posting. I also have tons of pictures that need to go up. I know I said I would do it a few says ago, but hey, I have two babies! Gimmie a break:-)

pictures soon

I know we are behind on pictures. I've been labeling the 300 pictures it seems we took between rooming in and Natalie coming home and that takes a while.

I can't wait to post Nat's coming home pics, so look for them soon!

I posted one here just as a taste:-)

5 days out and doing great...

Natalie has now been home 5 days and everything is going quite well. It is so wonderful having her home. She really is a very good baby. She sleeps well and is only rarely fussy. We have established a good schedule that seems to work for us. I stay up and do the 11pm and 2am feed. I'm a night owl so I'm up anyway. Ben goes to bed between 9 and 10pm and sleeps until 4:30ish. He then does the 5am and 8am feeding. When he goes back to work, he will feed her, put her back to sleep and go to work. If she stays asleep for a while, I can potentially sleep from 2:45ish to 10ish.

Speaking of eating - since I know everyone is dying to know...

It's so hard being right all the time:-) Natalie has done amazingly well - just like I knew she would. She has taken several full bottles and lots of 40ml bottles. She is taking anywhere from half to two-third of her total feeds through her bottle. I am also starting to give her meds orally and avoid the tube as much as possible. For some reason, I have better luck with her than Ben. He seems to be doing the same thing so I'm not sure why. She is doing so well and we are so proud of her.

Now - on the Abby. I was very distressed Sunday when I talked to the nurse practitioner covering Abby on the weekend. I could tell she was another of those not thrilled with the girls going home on gavage. She also made it sound like Abby would be there until she learned to feed. I was pretty adamant that we were not interested in having that happen. I told her I wanted to meet with the doctors the next day for a pow-wow.

On the bright side, she revealed that all the tests so far have been fine. The ENT saw her Friday and everything looked fine with her throat and vocal cords. The gastro emptying test looked good too. In order words, her stomach is emptying well. The swallow test from last week did show some aspiration into her esophagus as she swallows, but there is nothing they can do for it. She just has to outgrow it. The only thing left is a MRI to reveal any possible neurological damage - which is rather unlikely.

So, one may ask - what's next. If it's not broken and they can't fix it, what's the problem? Personally, I think being in the hospital too long is the problem. I spoke with Dr. Malcolm today by phone and was quite pleased. He is the reflux specialist doctor that Dr. Izatt at DRH kept consulting. We will see him in two weeks with Natalie (and with Abby) so it was good to finally speak with him. I thought I was going to have to get tough like I finally had to do with the girls coming home in the first place, but Dr. Malcolm was wonderful. He had actually been one in favor of them going home with ng tubes and follow-up. He more or less said that if the MRI looked good, she should be able to come home. Although it didn't seem necessary, it was great to report how well Natalie to show that the home system is working.

Bottom line: Natalie is doing great and I really think Abby will be home by the weekend. We just have to hold on a few more days for Abby.

Abby News

Yesterday we received the news that we wouldn't be able to bring Abby home with us today. We weren't too upset since the doctor said it would be Friday or Saturday. Today, as we met with the doctor (a different one on call today), she indicated it could be another week for Abby.

They want to send Abby back to Duke (which is perfectly fine with us). They want to do a few more tests:
* MRI to look for any neurological issues that would cause her not to be able to feed - this is really pretty unlikely. It seems to me that if it were neurological, then she would be consistently unable to eat instead of sometimes do really well and sometimes not. But, there's no harm in looking.

*Stomach emptying test - watching to see how the stomach empties when she eats. The theory is that it empties slowly thus making her feel full and deciding to stop eating. I personally think this is the most likely problem.

* ENT assessment to check her vocal cords. Apparently, if they aren't moving correctly it can cause problems. This could be a possibility.

Additionally, at Duke, they will have one speech therapist to work with her several times a day. It would be more intensive and probably help her to have a consistent person doing the feeds.

It was just awful leaving Abby there today. Especially now since we don't know when she will be home. It was easy to tell that today's doctor really didn't think much of us taking Natalie home either. She seemed really convinced that we couldn't handle it. Frankly, one baby is no big deal. I think she thinks the pump thing is really complicated and hard, but it's not. It's really not much harder than having to prepare a bottle to feed her every 3 hours. I made out charts and colored coded all her meds so now it's about just following the schedule and doing a little prep work every morning for the whole day.

I guess we'll see the doctors again tomorrow when we visit Abby. Maybe then we will know more about when she might move (as always it's about finding a bed) and what the time table is. Till then, we'll just enjoy Natalie and look forward to Abby's homecoming as well.

And Baby Makes Three...

We have a baby. After 128 days, we arrived with little Natalie this afternoon about 5pm. Grandpa and Ya-Yai were waiting for us. Poppy and Nanny had been at the hospital with us all day and were following behind. Nana arrived about an hour later. Jeff and Reagan also arrived later in the evening. It was wonderful having everyone there. We had all the grandparents, except my mema, who is still at home recovering from her fall and broken tail bone.

Everything went really well this evening. We both have so much confidence taking care of her - especially after rooming-in at the hospital. We had to feed her at 6, soon after we were home. After that, Natalie was able to entertain everyone in the living room being held and hanging out in her bouncy chair. Mommy was actually in the office most of the evening making charts and fixing tags for medicine. Mommy is in prime chart making mode. Sometimes a little OCD comes in handy!!!

Everyone but my mom left about 8:30. Poor Ben went to bed - he was exhausted. I have the first night shift. It works for me since I'm a night owl any way, and frankly, too excited to sleep. My mom held Natalie while her milk went in and I pumped. She left for a nearby hotel shortly thereafter. I settled in to the rocker to hold and rock my little girl. I am a Mommy. I am a Mommy. No matter how much I say it - it seems unreal. Sometimes I think I'm just babysitting. I've decided my mantra as a parents (at least one of them), is to live in and enjoy the moment. A cross stitch mural hung on the wall in the kitchen of our many homes when I was a child. I memorized it long ago (and thought I was quite clever, by the way:-)) It read:
"Cleaning and Scrubbing can wait til tomorrow
for babies grow up
we've learned to our sorrow
So quiet down cobwebs
Dust go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby
and babies don't keep"

Even as they have been in the hospital, I've reminded myself of this little poem. Sometimes, I'd look around and think of all the things I needed to do and thought I should do them instead of go to the hospital to see the girls. Then I'd remember - "cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow - for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow". Off to the hospital I would go.

Tonight, I thought of all things I needed to do: all the stuff from the hospital to put away; bottles to prepare; medicines to prepare. Then I remembered - "babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow." So, I settled into the rocking chair, turned on the lullaby CD, and rocked my baby - 'cause babies don't keep.

Tuesday - Rooming In - 10pm

So - 48 hours and counting. Mommy has been here forever. I has a little break this evening for about 3 hours. I went with my mom to dinner, to Walmart quickly and home to grab a few things. So that means Daddy took care of the girls all by himself from about 6:30-9:30PM. HE DID GREAT!!! Now he's superdaddy!

We added Abby to the room last night. The monitor people FINALLY showed up about 9:30 to show us how to use them. We also received our milk pumping system yesterday afternoon. It's pretty easy to use. We'll have our own hospital at home!

The girls are so good. They aren't crying babies at all. They get a little fussy and uncomfortable at times, but sleep quite well. We have to wake them up every 3 hours to eat. They didn't wake me up at all last night, so I actually got some sleep. By some, I mean between 12 and 12pm, I had about 6 hours of sleep. Not too bad. Ben will be here tonight so maybe by splitting the work we will get more sleep. Or maybe since someone has to sleep in the recliner chair - no one will get any sleep!

We had a little bad news today. Because of a brady and a lips-turning-blue episode, they have decided to keep Abby a few more days. We will still get take Natalie home tomorrow (Wednesday). We are a little sad to leave Abby at the hospital. We had picked out the cutest coordinating outfits for them to wear home. *sigh* But, it will only be a few more days. She'll probably come home Friday or Saturday. It will also give us a chance to settle into a routine with Natalie and then plug Abby into it when she comes home.

We've had moderate success giving bottles today. I just don't understand why they won't eat. Honestly, neither do the doctors. I really hope they will get it once they come home.

When I dropped by the house this evening, I went into their room. I can really imagine our little girls lying in their crib. Everything is ready for them. We are so excited to have finally arrived at this moment.

Tomorrow will likely be an impatient waiting game. It will be at least 2ish before we leave. Of course, it may take that long to pack up all the stuff in our room!!

Now for the night shift...nite-nite

Start at the bottom and read up...

The problem with the way these post is that they appear last one first. So, if you are reading this before the last post - you are out of order. I'll be posting updates from the hospital so to follow along scroll down and start at Rooming In - Day one.


Okay - now - Rooming In - Monday - 2:30pm

Well, I finally got a baby! Natalie arrived in the room about 1:15am. We had a very good night and mommy even got some sleep. I actually feel pretty good. It's been rather uneventful - a few feeds - a few poppy diapers. Both girls went down for a Swallow test to see where and how the milk is going when they suck it in. Both have what they call "aspiration". Basically, the bronchial tube (leads to lungs) and the esophagus (leads to stomach) run side by side. We know this when our food "goes down the wrong way". We choke and sputter. The bronchial tube has some kind of little valve that stops the milk from going through to the lungs. Sometimes the milk/food can get through. Abby is having that happen a little. Both are showing that the milk is starting down the wrong tube, then jumping back up and down the right tube. To prevent this, we are thickening the milk a little more.

They tired for a third time cath Natalie to do the VCUG. Tried and failed - again. So amoxicilian for Natalie for a while.

We have a little bad news. It turns out we can't go home until Wednesday. We'd had a significant monitor issue. I don't know who to be madder at - the moronic company that can't do anything right, or our insurance company who requires we use them. Both, I guess. So, because the supply guy simply dropped off the monitors with no instruction, we can't hook the girls up to them. Until they come to teach us, which they were supposed to do almost 3 hours ago, we can't have both girls in the room. The doctor wants us to have both girls for two full nights. Alas, we go home Wednesday. I'm actually okay with it really. At least I'm here with them and taking care of them. It's actually rather cozy. I have a bed, comfy chair, and a rocking chair. There's a half bath with a sink that is finally fixed - after we had to leave the room because of the strong smells of the stuff they were using to clean it. It finally took a machine snakey thing. There's a shower down the hall. I also have a tv, internet, and now a cooler of ice with water. They bring me food and take the dishes away too. I could live here forever!!

Night One Rooming-In - 11pm

So - here I am...in a comfy hospital room with a bed that inflates and deflates of it's own accord and a sink that is stopped up. The bed has something to do with adjusting to pressure points and preventing bed sores. The only way to prevent it to unplug the bed. The engineer man is currently in my little bathroom trying to unclog a very stubborn sink.

Ben and I arrived around 5:30pm. We were very excited to take possession (at least partially) of our girls and start being parents. That was 5 hours ago. So far - no babies. I'm not quite sure why. They had to eat at 6pm so we feed them their bottles. Natalie did quite well taking all but 2ml. Abby took 29ml. So after the feeds was the change of shift. The nurse who took over wanted to asses them first of course. But before that could happen, she was changing another baby who projectile pooped on EVERYTHING - blankets, bed and wall. Yes, wall. So, she spent a while cleaning that up. By that time it was nearly time to eat again. I'm not sure to where the 3 hours disappeared, but away they went. The girls had some residuals (leftover milk in tummy) so they had to wait a little longer to eat. Nat was still being feed at 10:15. So, the nurse decided she would check their vitals a little earlier than the 12am normal time and whisk her down then. So, maybe by 12am, I might have a baby - who is supposed to eat again then.

(The plumber guy just left - even after two bottle of extra- strength something that turns the whole pipe hot to the touch with its acid AND actual plunging - he can't fix the sink. So - sink full of horrible acid stuff and I guess I'll have to brush my teeth in the toilet.)

Speaking of babies - I'll actually only have Natalie tonight. There's only one monitor set up in this room. This actually confuses me a great deal. I mean, don't they ever have other twins?? It seems like it's taken a great deal of discussion to figure out how to have two babies in this room. It just seems strange to me that we are the first people ever to do this. Anyway - one monitor - one baby. Tomorrow they are hoping to get a portable monitor for Abby. The home health agency did deliver our monitors and I brought them. Unfortunately, the guy didn't show us how to use them and no one here knows. They are also supposed to arrive tomorrow to show us how they work.

All in all the evening is off to a slow start. Poor Ben actually finally went home. He has to work tomorrow and there's only one bed anyway. And since we didn't have a baby to practice anything on... He'll be by tomorrow and maybe stay tomorrow night with me. Or maybe he will sleep at home to be well rested to pull the first overnight shift at home.

It's nearly 11:30pm - the appointed time for me to return to the nursery and hopefully pick up my child. I'll keep you posted...

4 months old!

Wow - can you believe it? The girls were four months old yesterday (Saturday). They've been in the NICU or Special Care for 123 days. They weight 6lb 3.8oz and 7lb 6.1oz. They've really come a long way.

Also yesterday, during a visit with Grandpa and Ya-Yai, they both showed off by doing VERY well with their bottles. Natalie took all but 6ml of her feed. Abby took a while to get going, but finally took 51ml of her 65ml. They had actually stalled out again, so this was a nice surprise.

We've been taking care of all sorts of little details before rooming-in begins and the girls come home. Cleaning, sorting, final nursery prep, washing clothes, bottles, and everything else. My mom arrived today and is helping us - thanks mom! She's so awesome at motivating and cleaning. I've also been cleaning up the office (well, I'm IN the office so that sort-of counts:-) and checking on the bills for the next few weeks since I figure I'll be otherwise occupied. I figure any kind of cleaning/organizing/projects that aren't done by this afternoon aren't likely to happen.

About 5ish this afternoon (after the Panthers game) we will head to the hospital to begin the rooming-in process. I am so excited. I have already been shown how to place the ng tube (although I haven't actually done it yet), check for placement, and push their meds. We'll probably switch to oral meds when we go home. We have our own stethoscopes which is very cool. I've always wanted one. The monitors have arrived and we will take them to the hospital with us. The milk pumps, which we hopefully will not need much, will arrive tomorrow.

It's such a strange feeing to think that we will finally have babies in two more days. It seems very unreal. We are excited and nervous at the same time. We are also a little sad in some ways. It's been Johelen and Ben for 8 years, and now that era is over. We were very aware of our last Friday night alone together and our last dinner out alone for a while on Saturday. We have loved so much being together and being wifee and husbandy. It's a little sad for us that it's coming to and end in a way. We know it's not completely over, but it will be different. It's not to say we aren't thrilled about our new roles of Mommy and Daddy, but we never want to forget who we were and what it means for us to be together and happy. We have had an amazing marriage so far and been able to focus only on each other. Our Promise to each other is not to forget the other as we shift our focus to Natalie and Abigail.

I may have a computer in the hospital so I can update. Otherwise, I will check in Tuesday evening with our first report post-hospital.

Showers of Blessing

I wanted to take a moment to thank all the people who have been so generous in showering the girls with so many beautiful gifts. We have actually been blessed to have 3 showers.

The first shower, back in June, was at the beach with my family was not only a surprise but great fun. If you need any ideas for shower games in the future (that are cool and not stupid), give me a call. My cousin, Amye, had the best ideas. Amye also brought the most beautiful cake I'd ever seen. I've save the top for the girls first birthday cake. It was so much fun to celebrate with family, and we were very touched.

The second party was hosted a few weeks ago by the Ladies Tuesday morning Bible Study at our church, HillSong. I had been babysitting for the kids of the group each Tuesday morning since the fall. These godly women were instrumental in Ben and I deciding to return to HillSong, the church I found when I first moved to Chapel Hill and the church in which we were married. After seeing these women every week and experiencing their love and friendship, we were reminded of the incredible people we loved at HillSong and decided to return. These ladies have been praying for the girls since the beginning. Several of them visited me while in the hospital after their birth and have been to visit the girls. Their kindness has been inspirational, and we are so grateful.

Finally, this past Sunday, my father's church, Leaksville UCC, hosted a beautiful gathering in honor of the girls and Grandparents Day. Everyone contributed to the delicious potluck lunch and it seemed, to the piles and piles of gifts. It was amazing. In a way, I'm so glad the girls weren't home yet so I could go and experience the kindness and thoughtfulness of so many. It was humbling. From the banners and balloons to the adorable "cake" made of diapers, receiving blankets and topped with a stuffed lamb, the afternoon was wonderful. It was a joy to be around people who have treated my dad and Peggy so well and who have welcomed me into their church as if I were one of their own. Thank you so much for opening your hearts to us.

In addition to the shower gifts, we have received presents from friends and family and even people we've never met. One of Grandpa's colleagues made beautiful blankets for the girls. Poppy's colleagues also sent a gift of money. People have been so kind and generous, and it has all been so appreciated. As the girls grow, we will tell them of all the people who prayed for them and treated them with such kindness and thoughtfulness. With grateful hearts, we thank you all.

The Final Countdown

The news continues to be that the girls are homeward bound. The latest word is Tuesday. We would start the rooming-in Sunday evening and go home sometime Tuesday - hopefully in the morning.

Just a quick Mommy and Daddy update:
Ben's 33rd birthday was Saturday and to celebrate and in honor of the girls, we attended a March of Dimes walk/run. We found out about it through Aunt Reagan, athlete extrordinarie and runner of marathons and triathlons, who had signed up to run the 5K in honor of the girls. After her main event (where she placed 2nd in her age group), Reagan, Uncle Jeff, Ben and I walked the 1 mile. In case you didn't know, the March of Dimes is responsible for a great deal of funding and research for preemies. It seemed like the right thing to do.

Saturday evening, Mommy left for Luray, VA to my dad's place. His church (he's a minister, FYI) was having a shower for the girls on Sunday, which happened to coincide with Grandparents Day. A tangent here, if you please: as much as Hallmark, etc. completely commercializes every holiday, somehow Grandparents Day has been completely overlooked. If the shower hadn't been on that day, I would have completely missed it. I actually feel quite bad about it since it was everyone's first one. I promise to be more on the ball from now on. Grandparents: you can look forward to cheesy art work stamped with little hands and feet, Popsicle stick napkin holders and an array of mugs, calendars, mouse pads, and t-shirts all plastered with grinning baby faces. End of Tangent...

After the shower Sunday, I headed to my mom's to visit my grandmother in the hospital. She fell about two weeks ago and broke her tailbone, which if you've ever injured it, you know it is extremely painful. I figured it would be my last chance for a while. It was a great visit and Mema will be home this week.

The days since have been spent preparing for the girls. Realizing that we STILL lacked enough storage in their room, an additional shelving unit was purchased. I'm currently in the middle of putting up all the great gifts from my recent two showers and weeding out the preemie clothes my giant children can no longer wear. There's still a long list of to-do stuff and the countdown as begun.

Just a note: I've been asked so I thought I'd mention that I intend to continue this blog and the picture site (which I know is delinquent) even after the girls come home. I enjoy it and I know now so many of you are addicted to it like your morning cup of coffee, therefore I hate to disappoint. I can't promise daily entries, after all I will have two babies, but I will update. Be aware that you may begin to find sleep-deprived rambling, incoherent babbles or blatent calls for help. For instance, if you check the blog and find: "3 am, babi no slep plse heeelp" - you may want to drop by and make sure I'm still here.

:-)

Breaking News

The word is in...the girls are coming home!!!! I have 7 days to clean, organize, prepare - and sleep. Natalie and Abigail are slated to come home Wednesday, Sept 19!!! They will come home a few days after their 4 month birthday and weighing a whooping 6+ pounds and 7lbs. So much for the preemie diapers and preemie clothes! We are so excited we can hardly stand it.

The girls will come home with their nasal feeding tubes (ng tubes) and heart rate monitors in case of braidys or chocking caused by movement of the tubes. A home health nurse will stop by every few days to check up on things. We will see a feeding specialist at Duke at the 2 week and 4 week mark. If everything falls into place by Friday, there is a chance they could come home Monday or Tuesday. The 48 hours prior to their homecoming, I will spend "rooming-in" at the hospital with the girls. We will have our own little room and I primarily will care for them (Ben, too, of course). We have to watch the CPR video, learn how to put in and check the ng tube, understand and know how to administer their meds and know how to work the monitors and feeding pumps. Just call me Nurse JoJo.

We are so happy that this day is finally near. I am confident that they will do better with eating at home. At least - they can't do much worse. I know many of you want to visit - and we want to see you and show off the girls. I will post rules and regulations after I talk to the doctor about precautions.

Thanks to all who have long prayed for their health and homecoming. Our NICU journey is almost at an end.

A quick word before bed...

Just a quick update...

The girls continue to do better. Last night, over night, they each took a full bottle. Today they had several feeds taking between 30ml-40ml. Yeah!!! The doctor again mentioned a "plan for going home". We're still looking at the end of next week/weekend/ beginning of the following week.

Today is day two of my dairy-free life. I bought soy butter (very good) and soy milk (haven't tried yet). Yesterday, I narrowly pulled myself out of a deep depression when it dawned on me that chocolate is made of milk. I really think I could just cry.

The "H" Word

The doctor actually said it...the "H" word - home! Now, don't get too excited yet - it's very cautious and not at all certain.

Tuesday morning I had a discussion with Dr. Isatt, their current doctor. She actually took care of them at Duke when they were very, very sick. She was disappointed to see they were still here. Monday when I spoke with her, I had expressed our own frustration and once again mentioned bringing them home on gavage. She wanted to consult with Dr. Malcom at Duke, a reflux specialist to see if he had any idea. Tuesday, she told me his ideas and the new plan.

The Problem:
Dr. Malcolm suggested two things that may be related: First, Since they tend to take the first 25-35ml okay, he thought maybe their stomachs are not emptying as quickly as they should and they feel full and therefore stop eating. He thinks this could be related to: Second: a possible milk-protein allergy. It's also possible the first thing isn't true, but the allergy is.

The Plan:
Starting today at their 2pm feeding they started receiving Elecare - a non-milk product formula. They will try this for one week to see if it helps. At the same time - mom is now on a dairy-free diet. No cheese, butter, milk, and I realized today - no chocolate! I will continue to pump and mark the dairy-free milk (isn't that an oxymoron!) so if the Elecare seems to make a difference, they can take dairy-free breast milk. Why, you may wonder, would I continue to breast feed if I have to give up all dairy. Well, the answer is that one can of Elecare is $35-$45. At their current consumption (which will only continue to go up), one can will last about 3 days. So, that's about $450 a month in formula. Now you understand.

The Conclusion:
Two scenarios are possible from this new plan:
One: The dairy-free regimen works, they start eating well, and could come home at the end of next week.

Two: The non-dairy regimen doesn't work, and they still may go home at the end of next week, but with a ng-tube (nose feeding tube) and a time table of one month. We will work on the feeds and check in with Dr. Malcolm for one month. If they haven't gotten it by then, we potentially move to 2a: a semi-permanent g-tube (a feeding tube inserted surgically directly into the stomach). The nose tubes have to be changed once a month (or whenever the girls pull them out which is rather frequently). There's a greater chance for infection and irritation. Obviously, we don't want to get to option 2a.

I firmly believe they will do better at home - if I can just get them there. By whatever method, there is a good chance they will come home at the end of next week - provided everything else stays okay.

Nothing is for sure, but at least we have some of the other "H" word - hope.

A Week in Review - Saturday, Sept 1 - Sept 5

I'm so sorry I get behind. I fully appreciate those of you who diligently check the site every day hoping for some new bit of information. At last - you are rewarded!

Saturday and Sunday
Mommy and Daddy took a little trip. Frankly, the stress was getting to us, and we decided a little get-away was in order. We hadn't really had a "just us" vacation since March of 2006, and we figured it would be our last for a while. We headed up I-40 and caught the Blue Ridge Parkway and traveled south towards Asheville. We stopped along the way at the Brinager Cabin (just an old, cool late-19th century home site). We saw a number of deer with fawns along the road. We ended up in Blowing Rock/Boone and tried desperately to find a place to stay. We discovered it is not a good idea to go willy-nilly to the mountains on Labor Day weekend. We finally found a room in Lenior. Sunday, we visited Grandfather Mountain. I had not been in years and Ben had never been. We continued on down the Parkway for a while until finally coming out of the clouds and heading home. The little trip did us good and we returned happy and less stressed.

On the the girls: the basics...
Abigail - feeds
Fri -
3:30am - 3ml
9am - 1ml
Sat
2am - 36ml
8am - 25ml
Sun
2am - 34ml
2pm - 30ml
8pm - 40ml (great job Nanny!)
Mon
2am - 30ml
11am - 34ml
5pm - 41ml
Tues
2am - 39ml
11am - 22ml (mommy)
Wed
2am - 51ml (mommy)
11am - 50ml (mommy)
5pm - 22ml (mommy)

weight
Fri - 2690g
Sat - 2735g
Sun - 2735g
Mon - 2745g
Tues -2825g
Wed - 2870g (6lb 5.2oz)

Natalie
feeds
Sat
5am - 23ml
11am - 37ml
Sun
2am - 4ml
11am - 42ml
5pm - 25ml
Mon
2am - 15ml
11am - 39ml
8pm - 22ml
Tues
2am - 24ml
2pm - 12ml
11pm - 42ml (mommy)
Wed
5am - 22ml (mom)
11am - 40ml (OT/ST)
8pm - 25ml (mom)

weight
Fri - 2366g
Sat 2380g
Sun 2375g
Mon 2455g
Tues 2445g (5lb 6oz)