Week 34 Babies 1 week old "Graduation"

Logan and his drowsy self :)

We started off this week with yet another round of good news. On Monday the babies were upgraded to the Continuous Care Unit which is an extension of the NICU located next to the healthy baby nursery one floor upstairs. Mainly, the NICU is a very busy place and there was a flux of new babies who need lots more attention. Our babies are on the most stable end of the spectrum so they were moved to the nursery style room. They no longer need as much observation because they no longer have any IV's or tubes (Kelsey's feeding tube has been removed) or no extra monitoring. They are still on their heart monitors to make sure they catch any spells that they may be having. They will remain on those monitors until they are discharged. They are also in the final round of temperature stabilization before they go into the open-air tub cribs.

Kelsey is often awake when we visit

Tuesday they both had and passed their hearing tests and Logan's circumcision has been ordered for later in the week. I was able to speak with the doctor during his rounds and he thought they were on track to leave in a week if they can just kick those spells. He also confirmed that the mark on Kelsey's temple is also a Nevus. Both Austin and I have a Nevus on the same side of our heads as well. Mine happens to be in the exact same place as Kelsey's. We have not noticed any birthmarks on Logan as of now.

Kelsey in the open-air crib

Wednesday evening both babies were transferred to open air tub cribs for their next test. They need to maintain their body temperatures between 36-37 degrees Celsius for a minimum of 24 hours, let's hope they check this box off. Kelsey did have spells so the 5 day countdown has started over :/ I am afraid there are going to be many more disappointments when it comes to these spells but she is better off in the hospital, I won't be able to relax if I am worried about her breathing 24/7. This was a hard evening for me. I had been doing well being separated from my precious babies and hadn't cried since the night I left the hospital but I knew it couldn't last forever and I shed some tears wishing that I could spend the night holding them. They didn't nurse well this evening which probably caused the disconnect that I am feeling. It really is the worst punishment ever that I cannot drive myself to the hospital and I have to keep relying on rides let alone the task of always needing a babysitter for Austin.

Logan in the open-air crib

Thursday Grammy(Paul's mom) Uncle Jason( Paul's brother) and Aunt Mira came to visit and meet the twins all the way from Boston! They were very lucky because both kiddos decided that they would wake up and show off their pretty eyes. Kelsey is almost always awake so she was no surprise but the fact the Logan woke up was a even nice for Mommy and Daddy to see. Logan has officially surpassed his birth weight but Kelsey has about 3 ounces left to be back to her weight. Logan had his circumcision also and the nurses said he did great and didn't cry much.

Friday came with our very first step back. Most likely due to being outside and undressed for his circumcision, Logan's temperature dropped too low and he was placed back in the incubator for a couple of days along with this both babies had spells so we have to start our countdown all over again with the earliest discharge for Tuesday now. My poor little babies are just so young and not ready for the world. For the medically savvy the episodes that they are having are called Apnea of pre-maturity and Bradycardia if you would like to look it up and educate yourself. Both babies did eat well for me and I had a load of milk to drop off since I didn't get the chance to nurse on Thursday. Both babies lost their umbilical cord stubs too and now have cute little belly buttons. It has been another sad evening for me as the tears stream down my face as I write today's update entry.

Fast asleep after her feeding

Snuggle time with Logan before I left for the day 

Saturday not much has changed. Logan is still in the incubator for the time being since their is no rush to get him out and both babies had spells during the night. Countdown starts over again for Wednesday...ugh! It makes me feel like they are never coming home. Three babies left our room today and went home which drives the nail in harder that ours are not ready but I try to remember that they are doing really well besides the spells and I really do keep forgetting how premature they are. I have really adjusted to their small size and they just seem like normal babies to me when they really aren't :/

My milk supply is starting to stabilize due to the fact that my mature milk(a bit more watery than the transition milk I have had since last Wednesday) has finally come in. I had been having quite the range of amounts when pumping but as of now, I seem to be producing one feeding for only one baby from each pumping session. Yes, that means I am only producing enough for half of their feedings in a day. They receive formula (Similar Neosure-preemie formula) for the other half. My parents have been gracious enough to buy us lots of formula which is a tremendous help for when they do finally come home because it's unlikely my supply will ever reach full capacity to satisfy both. We have been instructed to give them each a minimum of two formula feeds a day (at home) because of their pre-maturity, it provides extra calories than my milk. Logan will need to stay on the Neosure until he is 6 months and Kelsey only for 3 months from their original due date, after that we can put them on a regular formula(cheaper). I plan to equally rotate the babies from breast to bottle that way each will get 4 breast feeds and 4 bottle feeds a day.

For those who are interested in what my daily schedule entails it's as follows. I wake up at 8:00 a.m. to pump. At 10:45 a.m. I get dropped off at the hospital (family and friends have been helping , I cannot drive for 4 weeks) they return home with Austin to watch him. I change, nurse and cuddle with Kelsey at 11:00 a.m. then the same with Logan at 12:00 p.m. My ride returns at 1:00 p.m. to take me home. I pump at 2:30 p.m. and take a nap while Austin naps to re-cooperate because I have weened myself off of the Oxycodone and only take the Motrin during the day if needed, I am still taking the Oxycodone once a night for good sleep for now. I pump again at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. I set two alarms and pump at 12:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. and the next day starts all over again. It works out really well helping me adjust to the babies schedules. I will only need to add one feeding during the night and alter the times slightly when they get home.