Jake & Ben, 24 days old

The boys are doing great!!! I love writing that!!

We accomplished a huge milestone yesterday! Both boys took a bottle for the first time! They did great! The nurses told us to expect some breathing issues while they feed because the whole suck, swallow, and breath thing takes practice. We were fully prepared to see some spells but our little ones, once again, didn’t do what we expected! Neither of them had any issues with eating except that they were very tired after a few minutes of sucking. Each day we will spend more time bottle feeding them until they get their full feeds and we can remove their feeding tube. Oh how I can’t wait for the day that I can look at my little angels with no tubes or wires!

One nice thing about being in the NICU is the education we are receiving. Each day, nurses walk us through the entire bathing, feeding, and overall caring for an infant process. Each day we feel more and more confident taking care of these little guys. Oh by the way, we will not be able to say “little guys” much longer! They are growing like weeds! Ok…they will be little for a while, but after spending our days at the NICU a 5 pound baby seems like a GIANT to us!

Jake is now three pounds twelve ounces and Ben is two pounds eight ounces. The bigger they get, the more weight they will gain. Jake is now gaining about an ounce a day and Ben is gaining about a half ounce a day…it is all relative to their size. Everyone is really happy with their weight gain. Kevin and I just have to be very patient!

At this point, we are just watching the boys grow and thrive. Currently, our biggest fear is infection. We have become paranoid parents and probably going a little over board with our visitors lately. RSV season is starting and the nurses told us it could be devastating to these little guys. If someone has a common cold and the boys catch it, it can actually be deadly. She also told me we are NOT out of the woods once the boys are home. They told us we should not take them out of the house until the spring and limit visitors at the house. This was really upsetting to me because I had a vision that once we were home, we would be able to resume to a somewhat normal life again….just like other parents with newborns! I know, in time, we will be able to do those things. We will do whatever it takes to ensure their good health! I just can’t wait to show them off to the world!!

Do you mind saying one more prayer?? This week the boys have their eye exam, which we are very nervous about. Preemies are at a higher risk for vision problems (ROP.) Please pray that they pass with flying colors!

Did everyone enjoy their sports-filled Saturday? I know my three boys did!! Kevin finally got to put Jake in his MSU onesie. Ben’s is a little big so we hung his on their isolette! I remember when Kevin bought those and we had just been diagnosed with all of our complications. I remember being so encouraged by how hopeful he still was after the doctors told us the news. And here we are, looking at our two healthy little angels…I still am so amazed at all that has happened!

Happy Monday!
Fondly, Danielle & Kevin