Against All Odds...

Earlier today I was speaking with the nurse practitioner. She was happy about how well the girls are doing now, then made an interesting comment. She basically said that against the odds they made it through the first few weeks despite the doctors being at the end of what they could do for them (when they had their unknown infections). I was once again reminded at just how close we came to losing them and felt compelled to once again thank you all for your prayers during that time. I am certain they made a difference. Natalie and Abigail are still with us when it seems they shouldn't be, and we are so grateful.


The reports continue to be good. Yesterday the girls had vision exams to check the development of their eyes. Everything looked good and there were no signs of any damage. (Sometimes the high levels of oxygen can cause damage to the eyes). Some parts of their eyes are not yet finished growing, but so far, everything looks good. For those wondering, they can't really see yet, although they open their eyes and "look" around. Mostly they see shadows and I think a difference in light and dark. After all, they are supposed to still be tucked inside my womb, where it is dark and shadowy. Who needs to see when there is nothing to see?

Abigail:
Abby is on the nasal canula and doing well. The nurses said her belly was very extended earlier today, so they held off on her 12:00 feed. Then she had a HUGE poop and her stomach went back to flat! They restarted her feeds at 4pm. They did however hold off on the HMF (no idea what that stands for) which is essentially extra fat and calories they add to the breast milk. They had started adding it yesterday, but it can cause gassiness, so they gave it a rest. Her weight was 980g - she's flirting with that 1000g mark. They did give her a transfusion today as well. Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but a few days ago, they had a pacifier in Abby's mouth. It was so cute. You could see her sucking it occasionally. It's all in preparation for a bottle.

Natalie:
Natalie's feeds were increased to 2.5ml 2 hours on/2 off. So that is 5 ml over two hours. They are trying to catch her up to Abby. Natalie is weighing in at 841g. She's been holding steady around 1lb 13 oz for several days. She is back on her CPAP, but I'm hoping they will give her another shot on the nasal canula soon.

Yesterday, I held Abigail for about 30 minutes. She is just so sweet. When we first arrived, she was being evaluated so she was on her back with the blankets off. She looked so BIG! She's really rounding out and getting some meat on her. She has also moved out of the itty bitty diapers and into big girl diapers. After a few poopy blow-outs, the nurses decided it was time. Speaking of blow-outs, Natalie had one yesterday - while her diaper was being changed. Ben was a witness. He didn't seem very impressed - his eyes got really big and I think he thought it was gross. Ahhhh, welcome to parenthood, Daddy. And, FYI, premature baby poop is green.

I also wanted to thank my Aunt Diane and her mother for visiting with me and Natalie and Abigail. It's always so much fun to show them off:-) If anyone wants to visit - just email or give me a call.