Terrible 2s continue & Grandma's visit

The twos are trying us as parents. Truly. I now believe that the terrible 2s occur in order for parents to be able to let their little ones go to preschool and therefore start the process of emptying the nest.

You'll find a picture above of Jack sitting in our master bathroom sink. In a two minute time span (J and I both thought he was with the other), he climbed up on a chair, sat himself in the sink and turned on the water. A little bidet experience, if you please. We're just glad he turned on the cold. This picture really doesn't do the situation justice, as the water splashed down the cabinets and covered a great part of the bathroom. There are no words. We are now blocking the bedroom part of the house off with a safety gate while we are in the kitchen/great room area. I could continue with our Jack stories, but there are really so many! I am reading "The Happiest Toddler on the Block," which suggests that Jack is a Happy Spirited child and the best bet for us is to keep him terribly busy and run him around outside as much as possible. Good news is, he seems highly intelligent and will probably rule the world. Just have to get out of the toddler years.

Grandma visited this weekend and had a good time with her grandkids. We took Jack to see Elmo LIVE! He cried when it was over, so fun was had by all. Caroline and Brooke are enjoying their new mobiles in the pictures.

Week 6 with the Twins & Why I Hate Monopolies

Like most American cities, we have but one electric provider. This practice originally began with the concept that whatever company invested in the infrastructure to light a city then had the ability to charge its citizens for the service. This my elementary knowledge garnered from a lobbyist acquaintance who works for the electric devils. Needless to say, this practice does not provide for good service. Our city's company does not maintain its lines, causing entire areas to go dark for days on end, in storms, in heat, or any regular day. It is an outrage. And where I live, they just received a rate increase, resulting in an astronomical bill for me this month. Apologies to my journalism professors, this is a ridiculous lede.

We lost power on the coldest day of the year thus far on Thursday. The excitement began at 4:30 a.m. and was resolved by 3 p.m. While this would be a problem for anyone, with preemie twins who are not supposed to be exposed the elements, this was quite the drama. We spent time at J's office, Jack's godfather's house and Nana's boyfriends. Nomads, we were. (Made me check the box for the Heat Up program on my bill this month, though.) Electric companies should have to bid out and they should have to do it regularly. I don't know what I'm talking about, as I'm sure there's some sort of process, but there really should be more accountability. I know, I know -- parts of the world are surviving on oil-powered generators, yes, I know. Still irritating.

The twins are 6 weeks old this week and are doing well, nearly 8 lbs. each. We went to the doctor's today, everywhere we go we are celebrities. It's weird to have all this attention, I'm not sure I like it. Jack is getting used to the twins and has been very sweet. He is headed to preschool hopefully in April, but it's definitely time. J and I are surviving. In the pictures, Auntie Carrole visits and assists on a Monday, the twins nap together, Jack and I play outside in the leaves.

One week down.....

Today we celebrate the twins' first week anniversary at home. Things are going pretty well, though we all feel as though we are running a marathon. Aunt Emmy described twin baby care as Groundhog Day, feed, wash, change, do it again. She's right! Saturday marked Aunt Emmy's departure home, very sad for us, but we're thankful she was able to stay with us for so long and help us get settled in.

Jack is acting like a 2 year old, a bit worse than normal, but he has been very sweet to his sisters. A little too sweet, as he tried to feed Caroline a green bean the other day, but we're working out the boundaries. The babies are eating pretty well and learning when nighttime arrives. Overall, we're holding together! In photos, Jack sings to his sisters, Brooke is pretty in pink, and Caroline decides that she hates Tummy Time.

HOMECOMING

Nineteen days it took us to learn to eat on our own, but we finally did it! Today the girls finally made it home and we are thrilled to have all the chickies in the nest. Brooke held us up one extra day trying to eat a bit better, but she finally passed all her tests yesterday. We are forever grateful to the wonderful nursing staff and neonatologists at Mo Bap, as they were eternally patient and empathetic to our plight this month. The twins' most frequent and our favorite nurse, Katrena, saw them off today, a fitting ending to their stay.

Big brother Jack accepted the babies in stride. He is very interested in them and has been terribly kind, wanting to feed them and even giving them his favorite new toy, his stash of Dora and Diego bandaids. (No, he doesn't have the actual need for a bandaid, but likes to wear one every day). While sibling rivalry is surely in our future, at this point, all is at peace.

So far as the pictures, Jack is feeding and loving on Caroline. We dressed the girls in the same outfit for coming home, which was a mistake! We can tell them apart, but at first glance, they certainly are twins. Brooke is the one sleeping. Finally, a picture of their cribs in the special needs nursery, their first home. We are so grateful that we are finally out of the hospital!

Feeders and Growers

Tomorrow is our two week birthday and day No. 12 in the special needs nursery. At this point, the girls are referred to as "feeders and growers," basically preemies have to do three things: 1) regulate their own temperatures 2) gain weight and 3) eat all of their own feedings. The last step is the feeding, and thankfully, that's where we are. We are in the "feeders and growers" group, which is the last step before coming home.

Today, Caroline took her 8 a.m, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. feedings all by the bottle, which is the longest stretch she's had of feeding on her own. Brooke is also taking more of her bottle, but is yet to finish one by herself. When she doesn't finish, she ends up getting the rest through the feeding tube, which, to quote Jack, is "No fun." As opposed to last week, we are seeing progress and the nurses and doctors believe that we will have them both home in one or two weeks. This lesson in patience is tough. All of our good doctors believe that the girls are right on track for their age, unfortunately, it takes twins a bit longer than singletons to learn to eat.

Last Thursday, Aunt Emmy came to help out and she certainly has! Not everyone would give up their vacation to take care of their sister's family, but she has and we are forever indebted. Frankly, we don't know how we would manage without her, as the three of us were generally a mess altogether before her arrival. Jack, however, in the last 24 hours or so, seems to be doing better. Susu and Andrew came today and that always cheers him up.

In the above pictures, I am feeding Caroline and holding Brooke. We are incorporating some kangaroo care, basically putting a baby down your shirt....it encourages milk production and helps the babies prepare for PO readiness (ready to eat state). It's also just nice to hold them close like that, they seem to really like it. Jack and Andrew are doing a Christmas gift exchange (Andrew loved the Elmo legos and books) and Aunt Emmy holds the twins.

Thank you for all the messages and emails, I am very behind in responding simply because I am in a bit of struggle getting through the days.....but, hope to catch up once these girls come home! A very merry christmas to all.....

Patience is a virtue.....

On Wednesday our girls celebrated their 1st week here with us. At 35 weeks, they are acting their age, which means that they are still learning to eat. Caroline, who is the middle child and the smaller one, is actually eating better than Brooke. Today, she took a whole bottle at one feeding and several milliters at the others. Brooke did not have a good eating day, though earlier this week she showed some progress. The doctors have told us that, as the smaller twin, Caroline is used to fighting in the womb for nourishment. They often find that the smaller twin progresses faster than the larger one.

Those who know me well know that for me, patience is a Sisyphean task and this waiting for their suckling reflex to arrive is quite painful. Add that to recovery, sleep deprivation, well, making for difficult days around here.

Big Brother Jack has attached himself to Nana, though he seems to be accepting of his parents a bit more each day. He still hates going to sleep.

In this week's pictures.....Daddy is dancing "Fly Me To The Moon" with Jack. Caroline is in the lavender gown. Thankfully, Aunt Emmy arrived on Thursday and is helping us manage our household a great deal better than we were earlier this week. Aunt Emmy is holding Brooke in her shot. Daddy is holding Caroline, who was particularly alert that day!

All doctors have said that the girls are progressing well and that while we might not be able to see the progress, they can. Now, we wait and hope this growth process goes a little faster.

And then there were 5.....

Caroline Emily and Brooke Kathryn arrived on December 10, 2008, at 6:05 p.m. and 6:07 p.m. They were 34 weeks old at birth, past the real dangers developmentally and for that we are deeply grateful. Caroline was born at 5 lbs; Brooke was 5 lbs., 10 oz. Their first names are our personal favorites, but their middle names are in honor of two very important women to our family. Emily for my sister, aka "Aunt Emmy," and Kathryn for our dear friend Kate who introduced me and J when we both looked liked hopelessly single individuals. Matchmaker of the century!

Caroline and Brooke are both healthy, but they were born 5 weeks early. As preemies, they are struggling learning to eat by themselves, as babies usually need to be around 37 weeks to suckle at a healthy rate. They are getting stronger every day. The tubes you see in the pictures are feeding tubes. They eat every three hours from bottles. When they get too tired to finish their portion, the rest of the milk is fed to them through the tube, which goes directly into their stomachs. As you can imagine, this is very difficult for us as we really want to bring them home.

So far as when we can bring them home, they need a blessing from the "nipple fairy," as the nurses call it. Essentially, they need 24 hours of eating each feeding by themselves, after which the feeding tubes come out. Then they need another 24 hours of successful feeding, then they can join us at home. Preemies get a "blessing" from the nipple fairy because one day they just figure feeding out. The neonatologist told me today that there really isn't a week when preemies begin feeding consistently and there aren't any other specific signs that indicate that the successful feeding is nearly here. As a Type A, I am struggling with this concept! We are hoping that they can be with us at Christmas.

In the picture of Mom and Dad and the twins, Mom is holding Brooke and Dad has Caroline. Brooke looks just like Jack did at this age; Caroline actually has Dad's nose. Dad thinks that Caroline reminds him a bit of his Aunt Jeri, he may finally have a child that resembles him! Caroline has shown herself to be the spunky one of the bunch. The nurses think she'll be an actress as she has shown a propensity for drama. (Don't know where she would have picked that up!) Brooke is a bit quieter, and they both are terribly sweet.

Big Brother Jack is recovering from the shock. Nana was a hero and stayed with him while we were at the hospital. We are forever indebted and seriously cannot imagine doing this without her help. She is exhausted, though, as anyone is after several days of chasing a 2 1/2 year old. Santa will bring her great gifts this year! As is to be expected, Jack did punish both J and me when we came home. He wouldn't come to us until today; it appears that we have been forgiven now. At least until the twins come home! He did visit them in the hospital and he told Brooke that he loved her. He's going to be a wonderful big brother.

Thanks to all for all the well wishes and thoughts. Send all good thoughts our way and to our little babies!