"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art." - La Rochefoucauld

Sunday, April 01, 2007


Poor Jake got a scratch from his little bro!
Our Last Week at the Parents!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ben & Jake at 6 Months
(Ben is 11 pounds, 9 ounces
Jake is 15 pounds, 12 ounces)
We saw the pulmonologist today and are happy to report that Ben is doing well. Sadly, he is not off of his medication. The doctor explained to us that the damage from the Chronic Lung Disease takes time to heal. Ben needs to out grow his dosage. The good news is that we have not increased his dosage in months. He is at the low end of the theraputic range. Once he is out of the theraputic range (which they think will be in 1-2 months) we can stop giving him his medicaiton. We are really looking forward to the day that he can just enjoy a bottle with no medication added. All in all, they couldn't be more pleased with his progress. We did also have a long talk about taking the boys out and about. My doctor had a heart to heart with us!! He told us that we need to continue to protect them until their at least one years old. No grocery stores, no restaurants, no big crowds, etc. etc. We also can not expose the boys to smokers or sick people. He explained that their lungs are damaged from prematurity and they take a long time to heal. With time, they will fully recover. I don't know why..but this conversation upset me! I just can't wait to take Ben and Jake out and show them off to the world!! We are planning a baptism for them in June and my doctor was even hesitant about this! Again, I am sad that the boys have to have such a sheltered life but I do know it is well worth it! We are going to plan the baptism and then a small gathering with immediate family. My family knows the drill so I think it will be ok to go ahead and move forward with the plans. I really look forward to the day that we can take them out and about! I know it will be one day soon! We can't thank everyone enough for your good hand washing and being careful about not exposing the boys to illness. I believe that is why they are as healthy as they are!!
Update on House: We will be in by April 1st!!
We can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk to you soon! :)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Happy 6 Months Ben & Jake!!!!
Mom and Dad are so proud of how far you have come!!!
:) :)
Grandma Sue getting some baby love!
(This is an older picture, but I had to post it! I think it is very sweet!)
Grandma Wren Rocking the Boys!
Jake, Aunty Maria, Kev and Ben
We were all enjoyiing the sunny day!
The boys were not enjoying it as much as we were...as you can see in this photo!! :)

Saturday, March 10, 2007

A Trip Outside!!!
Today we bundled the boys up and took them on a walk. It was such a beautiful, sunny day! It was so fun to do normal mom things! They loved it! They loved it so much they fell asleep minutes into the walk.
Now that things have calmed down, I have started to think about going back to see the doctor who gave us no hope about our pregnancy. I am really nervous to see her again but feel it is my responsibility to educate her on TTTS. I have ordered information packets to give her but for some reason can't bring myself to follow through. I don't know if I am afraid to relive the memory or what..but it has been a difficult thing for me to do. Hopefully, I will get the courage to go down that path again. I know that by doing so, I could help a family avoid the pain we went through. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
That is all for now!
Enjoy the weekend!!
Jenny and the boys!
My good friend Jenny came to visit the boys today.
Congrats Jen on your engagement!!!!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007


Going down memory lane!
As the boys approach almost 6 months old, I find myself thinking back to all we have been through. I love this picture!! This is Kevin trying to help me with a Non-Stress Test. We were trying to locate the heartbeats of both of the babies. This was no easy task. It reminds me of his dedication and determination he had/has! I can't wait to show the boys this picture and explain to them how lucky they are to have such a great dad. I can't wait to tell them how badly he fought for them!! Soooo many stories to tell!
Lately, I have been talking with a lot of parents who are going through the same thing we did, as we speak. It is my mission to give hope to families with TTTS/IUGR. I just want them to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! Hang in there and say those prayers!!!
By the way, I would like to say hello and thank you to Lynn. Lynn is a great friend that we actually have never met! She works with our good friend Mike G. She has followed our story and said many prayers for our boys!! Lynn, you are one of a kind!! We so appreciate your sweet and encouraging comments on our blog. They mean more to us then you will ever know! Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here she is!!!
The house we hope to move into sooner then later!!

Our New Home In Construction
(pre-flood)
Many of you have asked to see photos of our new home and I have not been very good about posting. Well here we are...going back in time...in the back yard of our new house. This was the one and only time I went off of bedrest. My family and I took a trip to see our house when I was about 25 weeks pregnant. This is one of the only picutres I have where I am actually vertical. I also am wearing the only maternity shirt I owned, which was given to me by my friend Amy. I usually wore sweats so this was fun to put on normal clothes and go out. This was three days before I was put in the hospital. Wow...it seems like a life time ago!
What an over achiever!!! Jake reading a book! HA! :) :)

Ben flashing a big smile!

Meet Abbie
This is our four year old Viszla Abbie! She is our first baby! This is the first photo of all three of our sweetiepies together! She has been staying at Kevin's dads house until we move into our new home. My mom is allergic to dogs so unfortunately she has been there since we moved. We miss her dearly! We can't wait to get her back!
THE BOYS UP NORTH

This past weekend we took the boys to our cottage up North. It was so much fun! Lots of doing nothing!!! Sitting by the fire, sipping wine, watching movies and playing with the boys!! There was a huge snow storm too! It was the perfect weekend! By the way, do you think the boys look identical in this picture??

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

BIG NEWS!!!!
Today we had Ben and Jake's developmental delay follow-up appointment and it went very well. Before I tell you about the appointment, I have to tell you about the day we were admitted to the hospital and put on bedrest. We had a neonatologist come in and tell us that if we deliver early, our sons were at risk of everything from CP to problems with vision, speech, hearing, etc. etc. and that was if they survived! We were so fearful that our children would not have a good quality of life. We wanted them to have a full life, like any parent would hope for their child.
We have always felt that the boys were just fine but were eagerly wanting to hear it from a professional. Today put our mind at ease! Here is an overview:
1) Ben is 10 pounds, 9 ounces. Jake is 14 pounds, 5 ounces. Great weight gain for both!
2) Both boys lungs sounded clear and hearts sounded good as well.
3) And the very best news is, at this time, neither of them have any signs of CP or autisim. Our doctor told us that it is actually a myth that it takes years to diagnois these things. She said there are many signs that clue them into health problems early on. This made us feel so much better. No matter what, we would always see Ben and Jake as perfect little guys, but it was so nice to hear, from a medical professional, that the boys have no signs on any health issues at this time. What a relief!!! :) Whewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
Since we were already at the hospital, we decided to bring the boys by the NICU to visit. It was so wonderful to see our NICU Holden family. It really brought back a lot of emotions. My heart went out to the parents who were there, visiting their children. I just wanted to give them a big hug!! When we were there as patients, they would always announce "Holden Graduates here for a visit!" I always used to wonder if that would ever be us!! And today, on the loud speaker, they proudly announced Ben and Jake as "Holden Graduates!" What a great moment!!!! :)
On a side note, I have to tell you about my favorite new thing that the boys are doing. They are laughing!!! And I mean LAUGHING!! It is so loud, and so funny! They are so interactive! Tonight at dinner, Kevin was just talking with my parents about our latest house situaiton..which by no means, was funny!! But Ben thought it was hilarious!! Once Ben started laughing, Jake started laughing. Then of course, the enitre table was lauging at that point. Their laugh, their smile...it is all so contagious!
Well, we are with out a doubt on cloud nine tonight....and continuting to thank God over and over again!!!! I often think back to a time when several of our doctors suggested that we terminate our pregnancy, and it just makes me sick to my stomach! If we would have listened to them, (which we never would have...that was not an option for us) we would not have these precious sweethearts in our life. Medical miracles happen all the time!!!! We are proof!!
Hope you are having a good night!
Proud Parents to Jake and Ben!! :) :)
Bath Time!
We love bath time! It is quite a production! It is a 2-3 man job to bath, cloth, feed, and get the boys ready for bed. Thank goodness we are fortunate to have extra hands (GRANDPARENTS) to help us!
Grandpa and Ben
This picture makes me laugh because Mr. Ben likes to be held...A LOT! Ben had to be included in lunch time! You can see how content he was just being held by gramps! Also, I need to say a BIG thank you to my parents! They have yet to complain about the bottles and breast pumps that have taken over their kitchen counter, or how their family room looks like Babies 'R' Us, or how we have taken over their spare bedroom and turned it into our baby nursery, or all of the times they have been woken up my baby crys! They are so patient and so kind! We are very lucky!!!!!!!
Aunty Carrie and Jake
The boys have enjoyed their time with Aunt Carrie since she has moved back home.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Great Grandma Wren, Ben and Jake
Stay tuned for the latest photos!
We have a little more time on our hands to update the blog these
days now that we are getting sleep!!!! :)
xo Danielle

Friday, February 23, 2007

Kevin and I want to say thank you for following our story!!! So many of you post such nice and encouraging comments. It means soooooo much to us! Ben and Jake thank you too!
Thank you!!!
Danielle & Kevin

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Jake & Ben at 5 months old
Here are my big guys!!! Jake is over 14 pounds and Ben is over 10!!! They are doing very well and keeping us on our toes! Ben is still on his meds. for his premature lungs. However, after a visit to the pulmonologist this week we have decided to start to wean him off of his mediacation which is very exciting! His reflux is almost gone too! He is eating well and trying really hard to catch up to his big bro. The big news with Jake is that he rolled over at about 4 1/2 months! They are both all over the place these days!
As for Kevin and I, we are doing pretty well. We did have a major set back with our new house. We were suppose to move into our new home last week but a pipe froze in the upstairs bathroom and flooded most of the house. We have been pretty bummed about the situation. My gracious parents continue to house our big family and we will stay here while construction is under way. The floors, drywall, etc. have to all be replaced so we will be here for a few more months. No matter how stressed out we are..all it takes is one look at my little angels and it melts the stress away!!! We have a new lease on life since we were blessed with Ben and Jake.
Hope all is well and you are staying warm!!
Lots of Love, Danielle, Kevin, Ben and Jake

Monday, January 15, 2007


Pictured from left to right:
Jake, Chloe, Ben & Emma
(Jake & Ben, 4 months old)
Emma and Chloe are the mo/mo twins I spoke of in an earlier post. Another beautiful set of miracles!! Emma and Chloe are two weeks older then Ben and Jake. They were also born at 30 weeks at the University of Michigan. The same doctor delivered all of these babies- Dr. Chames! We shared lots of tears, laughs, and hugs throughout the 8 long weeks we spent together in the NICU. So glad to report their girls are doing wonderfully!
Update on the boys: Poor Ben and Jake caught their first cold from non other then mom and dad!!! We did everything in our power to protect them from our illness...but it did not work. Ben is still on his meds but the pulmonologist said he is on the right track and should be off of them in no time. Jake is almost caught up to his full term peers. He is nearing 12 pounds. Benny boy is following close behind at almost 9 pounds.
Even though the doctors tell us to look at their adjusted age (2 months old based on their original due date) for meeting development milestones...we seem to be more on track with the 3/4 month olds. Mr. Ben actually rolled over several times this weekend. My little one pound, 13 ounce miracle seems to be quite the determined little guy. I guess he has to be after what he went through. I think Jake is close behind in the rolling over department as well.
We can't see too many personality differences with the boys yet. They both love to cuddle and seem very layed back. Big Jake is so funny! He chuckles at almost anything!!! He is such a happy go lucky guy! Ben seems more serious and focused...maybe he will be the intellect! :)
The boys are sleeping about 8-10 hour stretches. The only problem is that they typically don't go to sleep till 1:00 am. Any suggestions on how we can change this bed time to an earlier hour?? We welcome input!! :)
All in all, we are having a great time watching them grow and develop. It is fun to see them come into their own and develop their unique personality traits. We cherish every second with them!
Hope everyone is doing well! XO

Friday, January 05, 2007

Ben & Jake, 3 1/2 months old

The boys are getting so big! Ben is 8 pounds and change and Jake is 11 pounds and change.

If you have 9 minutes on hand, feel free to view this video clip of our journey. It has recent pictures of the boys.

Enjoy!
Danielle
http://www.epicweddings.com/preview_twins.htm

PS) Ryan from Epic Weddings did this. He was wonderful to work with! :)

Monday, December 18, 2006


Ben and Jake at three months old
Ben is over 7 pounds &
Jake is over 10!!!
We hope the holiday finds you well. We are excited to celebrate Christmas with our boys.
Happy Holidays!
Love,
The Kovachevich Family

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Jake & Ben, 2 ½ months old

Just thought we’d give you a quick update. The boys are doing very well. Kevin and I are starting to figure out some sort of a routine. We are happy if we get four hours of sleep a night these days. I think your body learns to live without sleep for a while…thank goodness! However, it is more difficult to function on such little sleep. Kevin actually called me from work yesterday to tell me he went to work with two different shoes on…they weren’t even the same color! It was pretty funny!

Jake is about 9 ½ pounds and Ben is almost 6 pounds. Big Jake actually rolled over twice this weekend. It looked like it was sort of accidental but he did it twice in a row, on both sides. He hasn’t done it since but we were so excited! Ben is doing very well too. We have been taking him to the pediatrician for weekly check-ups just to make sure we don’t have a relapse with the breathing issues. So far, so good. They hope to take him off the diuretics by the time he hits 6 ½ pounds which should be next week some time. We think he will thrive even more once he is off these meds. The meds taste bad and he chokes them down and doesn’t really enjoy his feedings. He gets these meds twice a day.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for our boys. I still am in awe at every little thing they do. We love to watch them sleep, eat, burp…hell, we actually get a kick out of changing their diapers!! We actually spent last Friday night giving the boys their bath and couldn’t imagine a better way to spend our time. Parenthood is more then we ever imagined! Our most amazing accomplishment yet!!

Dad & Ben enjoying the evening!

JFK

Thank goodness there are two so grandma and aunty don't have to share! :)
Ben & Mom at the pediatrician.
He is doing so well and hopefully will be off of his meds in the next week or two.

Jake using Ben as his pillow!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Ben & Jake, 9 weeks old

The boys are doing great. They are enjoying the luxuries of home!!! I still have to pinch myself…I can’t believe they are actually here. They are growing like weeds since they have been home. We have taken them to the pediatrician twice and boy was that an adventure. We were actually a half an hour late to the appointment because we did not allow for enough time to get two newborns and all of their belongings into the car and to the clinic. The doctor’s office was very understanding about our late arrival. Next time we will give ourselves a good hour prior to departure!! :)

The pediatrician said the boys look great. Ben’s lungs sounded clear, his color was good, and his blood work came back just fine too. We will be going to the pediatrician once a week for a few more weeks just to make sure he is still on the right track. We still are a little nervous about his health after all we have been through. I pretty much analyze every move he makes. I know in time we will be more and more confident about his health. He sure looks perfect to us!!

Our first night was very entertaining. We didn’t sleep at all. It was a combination of new parent jitters, excitement, diaper changing, feeding, burping, rocking, etc., etc. Each night we get just a few more minutes of sleep however each feeding takes about an hour and they eat every three hours…so you do the math! :)

I also wanted to update everyone on the pathology report. I just got the results last week and it was very interesting. The findings showed:

1) Jake had about 70% of the placenta and Ben had about 30%
2) Ben’s cord was restricted at the placental insertion
3) There were connections as expected in a Di Mo pregnancy that caused mild TTTS
4) There may have been an infection in the uterus
5) There was traces of meconium found in the membrane
6) Advanced placental maturation for stated gestational age of 31 weeks

As you can see, these boys are a true miracle!!! It’s hard to believe they made it out so safely. The doctor said he is not sure if one of these six problems were more dominant then the other..but he thinks #2 was the number one reason Ben’s growth was restricted. He said we will never really know for sure why things played out the way they did…but the important thing is we had a happy ending.

Well, I must go feed the boys! Hope you are having a good day!

By the way…November 19th was my actual due date. Interesting…huh??

Danielle

Brotherly Love!!!

Big Ben at 5 pounds

Big Jake at 7 1/2 pounds
No joke...this is how they sleep!! They start off on seperate sides of the bed and end up snuggling together.

Sunday, November 12, 2006


Our first night together as a family!!!

My sweet angels together at last!!!

We LOVED our nurses!!! We were so happy to leave yet sad to say good-bye to our wonderful nurses. They were not only our nurses, but our friends. NICU nurses are angels sent from above. We will miss talking to them, but hope to stay in touch in the outside world.
Jill and Magnus posed for a photo for Benedicts big good-bye

Our last few moments at Holden NICU
Jake & Ben, HOME AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is such a wonderful day. A day we have dreamed about for so long!!!! Our family is together, under one roof!!! We couldn't be happier! The best part is that my family is celebrating Thanksgiving today because my parents are leaving for Florida this week. It was so wonderful having the entire family together for this joyous occasion. We have sooooo much to be thankful for.

Wow, I get tears in my eyes when I think about all of the support we have recieved on this blog. Whether we knew you or you were a perfect stranger...your comments, prayers, and support have given us the strength to keep fighting. We created this to keep family & friends updated because it was so hard to rehash the event each time we talked to someone..but we had no idea how much WE would get from doing the blog. We hope to post again...might not be as interesting...unless you find dirty diapers and sleepless nights interesting! :)

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We are now moving on to part three of this journey...Life with twin boys!!!

Fondly,
Danielle and Kevin

Enjoy the pictures
Ben & Jake, 8 weeks and 3 days old

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!! We are picking Ben up today. I have been hesitant about posting just because I wanted to make sure it was really going to happen. We called at 6 a.m. this morning and they confirmed Ben's discharge. We are so happy!!!

We will write later! :) Danielle

Friday, November 10, 2006

Jake & Ben, 8 weeks old

The roller coaster ride continues! We were told Ben was coming home Saturday but his homecoming has been delayed once again. He continues to intermittently breath fast, which they believe is still related to the fluid in the lungs. The diuretics are helping with the breathing episodes but have caused him to loose weight. He went from 4 pounds 12 ounces to 4 pounds 6 ounces. The doctors want to get him on an effective dosage of diuretics and have him gaining weight at the same time. Not sure how long this will take…

We are beside ourselves. I don’t even know what to write… The doctors keep telling us he will be fine we just have to be patient. We are trying so hard to be patient but we worry 24 hours a day. We know things could be a lot worse but seeing Ben in the hospital by himself is so heartbreaking.

Jake is doing really well…other then suffering from separation anxiety like the rest of us. Its obvious he enjoys all of the constant love he is getting. We are making up for lost time! :) Soon enough we can do the same for Ben.

Please keep Ben in your prayers!
XOXO

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Interested in helping unborn babies???

Check out www.fetalhope.org.

There is a TTTS calendar on their that features TTTS survivors and angels.

All proceeds go directly to the fetal hope foundation for further research of TTTS.

Kevin and I know a few of the families featured in the calendar. What a wonderful cause!!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Ben & Jake, 7 ½ weeks old

We finally have some answers as to why Ben is still having breathing issues…and hopefully, a solution. Sunday night they did a multi-channel test to see if Ben’s breathing issues were central (related to the brain) or obstructed. Acid reflux, a stuffy nose, and other miscellaneous reasons can cause obstructed Apnea. Ben’s breathing issues are obstructed, which we were told was the better of the two.

In Ben’s case, the obstruction is fluid in his lungs. The doctors are calling this diagnosis “Chronic Lung Disease.” This sounds very scary but we were happy to find out that Ben will be able to play sports and bounce around like any other two year old. He has a very mild case of CLD. Most preemies with CLD are still on the vent and oxygen, neither of which Ben is on. They said this is very common in babies born under two pounds two ounces.

Where to we go from here…Ben is now on a diuretic to rid the extra fluid from his body. We started this yesterday at 2:00 p.m. and can already see improvements. They are going to try to take his cannula out today and hopefully we will see great improvements in the next few days. We hope he will be home by the weekend or early next week. We won’t get our hopes up until he is actually in his car seat and on the way home.

The doctor said he may have to come home on the diuretic but predicts Ben will be off of any meds. by six months old. He also said he should have healthy, normal lungs by the time he is two if not before. This will change our plan of care for him. If he catches a common cold, it can put him back in the hospital. We have to be extra careful with him and exposing him to sick people. I thought I was paranoid before…now I really am paranoid.

When the doctor told me about the Chronic Lung Disease last night I was pretty upset. But when I think about what our prognosis was eight months ago, this seems like a walk in the park. I am glad to know this will not cause any long-term problems for Ben. It just breaks my heart to see my child in distress…whether it is gas pains or breathing issues. You feel so helpless as a parent. You just want to take away their pain, but don’t know how. Thank goodness we have wonderful doctors and nurses.

Our nurses have been so great. Two of our favorite nurses, Casey and Jill, actually gave us their home phone numbers. How nice is that!! I talked to Casey about ten times the night Jake came home. Jill has also been such an advocate for the boys. She treats them like her own. They cuddle with them when we are not there. They make the parents feel at ease. We are so lucky to be at U.M.

Hopefully we will have some good news soon!
Thanks, Danielle & Kevin

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Jake & Ben, 47 days old

Update/Ben: We have had a few setbacks this week with Benny. Poor little guy can’t catch a break! As I mentioned, he was suppose to come home Saturday but they delayed his homecoming due to some bradycardia spells. He continues to have them and the doctors are perplexed as to why he is still having them. At this point, he really should be outgrowing them but he still is very small and breathing is directly related to muscle mass and fat. Yesterday, he had an echocardiogram to see if there is something wrong with his heart that is causing these breathing spells. Fortunately, the eco. results came back just fine. Nothing seems to be wrong with Ben. He is eating wonderfully, gaining weight, and maintaining his temperature. They are hoping he just needs a little more time. They want him to go at least 24 hours without a bradycardia spell before he goes home. They are going to do another test to see if sending him home on oxygen would help him with his spells. This breaks our heart that he would still have be hooked up to these machines, but hopefully it would only be for a short period of time.

I often wonder if Ben is having a hard time because of the separation. He was ready to go out the door until Jake left. Ever since Jake has been gone, Ben seems to be having these spells again. My doctor was telling me that studies have been done on co-bedding twins and how they often do a lot better when they are together. Hopefully, once Ben gets home and he is back with Jake, he will start thriving again.

Update/Jake: Oh Jake…my little gassy guy!! We spent Sunday night in the emergency room because we thought he was having breathing difficulties. His breathing seemed very labored. He was grunting, groaning, and holding his breathing on and off for 7 hours. It really made us quite nervous and my parents kept telling us he’s just constipated and that these are normal baby sounds…but we wanted to get things checked out for our own piece of mind. Well my parents were right…the diagnosis came back as a severe case of gas and constipation. Yea…we went to the emergency room at 3:00 a.m. for indigestion. I guess being first time parents, you have to learn the hard way. Thank goodness he is ok!

Update/Us: We are a little stressed out over Ben’s current issue. We were so close to being done with the NICU part of this journey. We see it as a minor setback but still worry that something else might be going on with Ben. My gut feeling tells me he is ok and just needs a little more growing time. When we first took the boys off of the cannula, Ben was in the three pound range and Jake was in the five pound range…Ben was still so little. I think it was too soon for him. Again, hopefully time will be the best medicine.

Life with Jake home is great. He is currently cuddled up on my chest as I type on my laptop. Other then his gas issues, he is such a content little guy. I don’t know if it is a preemie thing, but he doesn’t cry much at all. He seems very content.

As I mentioned before, we are living at my parent’s house till our house is ready. At first, we were stressed about not being in our house when the boys came home but I truly believe this is a part of God’s master plan. It has been so nice being at my parent’s house and having the extra help. After the emergency room debacle, my mom let us sleep for five hours straight while she watched Jake. It was so nice. It has also helped having our parents watch Jake while we go back and forth to see Ben.

I know we have already asked for so many prayers…but could you say one more for Ben? I know he is a fighter and will ultimately be just fine. We just have to be patient.

Thank you for your prayers!
Danielle & Kevin

PS) Jake is 6 pounds and Ben is 4 pound 5 ounces.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Jake & Ben, 6 1/2 weeks old

Wow!! Life with a baby is wonderful..I can't imagine life with two at home!! It has been so wonderful having Jake home. He is doing very well in his new environment. The first night was a little rocky. He seemed very uncomfortable. He was up for about 7 hours straight. He did cry a lot..we think he missed Ben, as did we! Last night was a lot smoother...we all slept a bit. We still can't believe he is here. We can't take our eyes off of him!!!

Last night about 8:00 p.m. we got a call from the hospital saying that Ben could come home today or Sunday. However, last night at 3:00 a.m., I called to check on Ben and they said they put his cannula back in. We are so bummed! So now they are going back to saying within the week. It was almost too good to be true that he would be coming home so soon.

We all miss Ben so much. I can't stand beeing away from him. His day is very soon! Trying to be positive about the situation, I think it is nice to get used to one before the real ride begins!!

Hopefully we will be posting about Ben's homecoming very soon!

Take Care,

Danielle & Kevin

Ben trying to warm up to the "fake Jake"
Jake's first time in the car seat! So happy to be going home!! I think he is smiling! :)
First Family Photo

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Ben & Jake, 6 Weeks Old

Hello Everyone!

Get the car seat ready!!! Tomorrow is the day we will take Jake home from the hospital. We are soooooooo excited! However, I have been really sad tonight thinking about leaving Ben behind. I think about kissing him good-bye tomorrow night and leaving the hospital without him and get VERY upset. The nurses are telling us it should only be another week or so until Ben comes home. A week seems like an eternity!! I know in the big picture it is nothing but I will not rest easy until our family is all under the same roof. I can't wait to have alone time with my family. We have yet to be alone with our boys since they have been born. Soon enough!! Whats one more week?? :)

Well I must go and enjoy my last night of restful sleep! :)

PS) My little chunkers are 5 pounds 12 ounces and 3 pounds 12 ounces. They both have doubled their weight!! YEAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

PSS) Their hearing tests came back perfect. Another thing checked off the list!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Ben & Jake, 5 1/2 weeks old

What a great weekend we had! My mom, grandma, & sister threw a beautiful shower for us this past Sunday. We had such a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our boys! After the shower, we went straight to the hospital to visit Ben and Jake. When we arrived, our nurse informed us that Jake will be home in a few DAYS!!! She said if he keeps progressing as is, he will be home by the end of the week! We are sooooooo excited. We do know that there is a chance that it might get postponed, but the fact that we are so close is wonderful!!! Right now, I do have mixed emotions because my little Benny will not be going home with us. I am so torn and feel so sad he will be alone. The nurse said if she had to guess, he will be home in about two weeks or so. Last night they did try taking his cannula out and sadly it is back in this morning. :( Ben is about two weeks behind his big bro, so he just needs a little more time. We are going to do our best being with him as much as possible the next few weeks while he is by himself.

Neither of the boys will come home on oxygen or monitors. This is great news but also a little nerve-racking. We are so dependent on those monitors while feeding and bathing them. I am sure we will adjust. It will be so nice to cuddle with them with no wires or cords in the way!!!

Today I am going to be setting up baby equipment, buying diapers, doing laundry and preparing to have Jake home!! We have dreamed about the day we can cuddle with our babies all day long..I can’t believe it will be a reality soon!

XOXO

PS) Jake is 5 pounds 6 ounces and Ben is 3 pounds 11 ounces.

Ben snuggling with his stuffed dog. Wait till he meets the real thing!! Abbie will love these two!

Jake cheering on the Tigers in his little baseball get-up!

Thanks Kim, Mom, and Grandma for the beautiful shower!

Our Baby Shower Celebration

Monday, October 16, 2006

Jake & Ben, 32 Days Old

Today was a great day!

Ben & Jake passed their eye exam with flying colors!! No ROP!!! We were so pleased about this. One less thing to worry about! Also, we weighed them during bath time tonight and both boys had a wonderful weight gain. Almost too good to be true! We are cautiously excited...Jake was 4 pounds 14 ounces and Ben was 3 pounds 3 ounces!! This was a huge weight gain for both of them. Our nurse tonight, took all of their stuffed animals out of their bed because she said it would give a more accurate reading. This was the first time we did that and are now wondering if the other weights were not as accurate. Plus we weighed each baby three times! Our nurse Julie thought the other weights were inaccurate. I guess the important thing is that they both gained!!! The doctor told me today, if they both gained weight, we could up the amount of times we bottle feed them! Good news all around!

Hope you had a good day too! D&K

Sunday, October 15, 2006



Jake & Ben at one month old!!!
I hope they are always this close!! :) :)
UPDATE:
Ben is now 2 pounds 14 ounces and Jake is 4 pounds 4 ounces. They are both taking several bottles a day. They had their 3rd and final brain ultra sound and it came back perfect! Monday is the big eye exam! Cross your fingers & toes!! All in all, we had another great week. Of course it would be better if they were home with us!! Soon enough!
Hope all is well!
XOXO Danielle & Kevin

Sunday, October 08, 2006

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

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Best Buds!!
Jake & Ben, 12 days old

Hello All!

Before I head out to the hospital, I wanted to give an update on the boys. They are doing very well. Jake is three pounds nine ounces and Ben is two pounds five ounces. The doctors are pleased with their weight gain. Both boys are opening their eyes a lot and staying awake for longer periods of time. Their cranial ultra sounds came back normal once again!
Wooo hoooooo!!!

Ben was recently put on caffeine for his bradycardia spells. This is a very common/safe treatment plan. Jake has an intermittent heart murmur that the doctors believe is related to PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus.) PDA is when a valve has not closed that is supposed to close shortly after birth. Sometimes with preemies, it takes a little longer for the valve to close. Jake has no symptoms of this causing a problem for him. The doctors are hoping it will eventually close on its own. If it doesn’t, there is medication or a very routine procedure that can be done. Even though the boys are experiencing typical preemie stuff, every time we see the docs they tell us the boys are doing great!!!

About four days ago they put Ben and Jake in the same isolette. It is so darn cute!! They interact with each other by playing with each other’s hands and trying to pull one another’s tubes out. Every night they fall asleep spooning each other…it is quite a site to see. Whenever we leave them we feel so much better knowing they are not alone!!

Recently, we have been allowed to give them a bath, change their diapers, and help the nurses with their overall care. The bigger they get, the more we can do with them. We are getting used to being at the NICU. These days I don’t get as upset when all the buzzers go off. Sadly, it is something we are getting used to. Even though I know the NICU is saving our boys lives, it still can be a sad place to spend your days. About a week ago, a baby died in our room. It was awful!!!

All in all, we are surviving through part two of this journey. I do enjoy having my independence back!! I drove last week for the first time in four months!! It was very exciting!! Sad…huh?? :)

We continue to count down the days till they can come home! Not sure when that will be. Hopefully in the next five weeks or so…

Have a great day!
Love, Danielle & Kevin