Two Steps at a Time

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-01-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

We haven't fallen off the face of the earth. However, we have been very busy! The boys are up and walking just about everywhere. They do realize that crawling is much faster (and safer), so they do still crawl quite a bit. Aiden has an appointment to see a pulmonologist at the end of the month. He had a chest x-ray that showed some reactive airways in his right lung.

We went to storytime at our library for the first time this week. The boys love books, so I thought it would be a good "organized activity" for them. They did okay. I think I just chased them around the library more than they listened to the story, but it's a great way for them to learn to sit still.

They still love going to daycare. I think we finally have a good routine down in the mornings.

At the park.

I finally "retired" the puppy shirts that were one of my favorites. They were well overdue! They were permanently stained and washed so many times they had lost some of their shape. I can't help but have those "favorites". Here are a few of my favorite clothes.......

The Infamous Puppy Shirts

The "Cowboy" and "Sheriff" shirts.
Because of Evan's reflux, he was always the "Cowboy" because it was white.

Then, he starting eating colored solid foods and changed to the "Sheriff".

The super-cute long sleeper that Aiden is wearing.
It was also a Cowboy onesie with a horse, barn and cowboy on it.
The feet were boots and it had "fringe" on the back.

Of course their OSU clothes! (Also Cowboy)

The micro-preemie shirts that had holes for the wires and tubes and big (but really small) elephant booties.

Resolutions

2011-01-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! One of my resolutions for the new year is to be more positive ;)

So, I have realized that the last several posts on the blog have just been about how sick the boys have been. Here is an update on the positive things the boys are accomplishing:

Walking! After Christmas, the boys have taken off. Aiden has taken up to 14 steps at a time and Evan has taken 6 steps. They are still pretty unsteady. In fact, it is really a drunken walk. Evan forgets to bend his legs so it looks like he walks with braces on them.
Eating! It might have been the steroids for Aiden, but their appetites have grown (if it is something they like). They have been off a bottle completely since after Thanksgiving. Our goal was by their corrected 1 year birthday (Nov. 6). We were a little late, but that's okay. I'll give myself a little wiggle room with twins. I also stopped pumping breast milk the week after Thanksgiving, which makes 16 months of pumping!!
Talking! Their vocabulary hasn't increased anymore than "Mamma & Dadda". However, they are babbling and conversing with us and each other.
Ornery! They have started taking away toys from each other, eating each others Cheerios, etc.

They are so much fun!

A&E's Second Christmas

2010-12-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

We had a very Merry Christmas that we spent in Oklahoma. We almost didn't make the trip because Aiden has developed bronchiolitis that seems to be lingering. However, we decided that we would make a very short trip so that we wouldn't be sulking in Austin.

Santa brought Evan and Aiden a rocking horse and a little play tent. They really like the horse, but are still a little afraid to crawl into the tent. I think they will start to like the tent more once we can take it outside. Evan gave the horse several kisses on the mouth Christmas morning. They love it!

Aiden is taking nebulizer treatments 3-4 times per day for the bronchiolitis and he was on steroids and antibiotics this past week. I think it has helped a little. I'm really afraid of the "A" word (asthma). We'll find out more this week at our check-up. We are getting very tired of the doctor's office!

Here are a few pics of Christmas weekend...

Aiden with his nebulizer.

David and Evan napping.

Aiden on Christmas morning.

Evan on Christmas morning.

We now have a train.

Cold Days

2010-12-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

It was a cold day at the park!

Really Late Thanksgiving

2010-12-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right. We went to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving, and the boys have been really sick ever since we got home. Therefore, I have had no time to post. I think they are on the mend now, and our pediatrician assured me that keeping them in a bubble would not be good. So, here is a recap of our Thanksgiving.....

We got a lot of time in with family and friends. They boys even got to see their great-Papa Wetsel from New Mexico. They also got to meet their great-Uncle Leroy for the first time!! They loved playing with their cousins, but they did not enjoy the car ride.

Evan

It was also my Mom's 60th birthday, and we had a little surprise party for her.

The boys playing with Cousin Carter.

With Callie and Papa Wetsel

David made his famous blueberry pie for Thanksgiving.

The boys are starting to take more and more steps. However, crawling is still their main source of movement. They are very curious, especially looking in drawers and closets. They continue to amaze me every day!

Very Long Week

2010-11-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

We have had a very long week. Last Sunday started out good with a trip to Temple to see my sister and her husband. They were in town for a wedding. We spent the rest of the evening in the Urgent Care Clinic with Aiden who was running a very high fever and had an ear infection. Evan did the same thing on Wednesday and also had an ear infection. Luckily, I was able to take him to the pediatrician. I'll just say that two sick babies is very tiring. They both wanted to be held, and my lap is only so big. They are both on 10 days of antibiotics, which makes for lots of poopy diapers!

The good news is that the boys are approved for Synagis again this year! Yeah!!! It took a lot of begging the insurance company and the pediatrician's office. I think they had forgotten what all the boys have been through, especially since they have been doing so well. They will go in every month and it will still be very expensive for us, but it's a lot better than a hospital stay!

Onto more interesting things....
They both say "Mama" and "Dadda"
They are both taking little steps here and there. No major walking yet.
They love balls and throw them all over the house.
They have gotten a little pickier when it comes to eating.

Riding the car that was not meant for two.

Looking out at mama.

Evan

Aiden

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T19:07:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween! We took the boys trick-or-treating to some of our church friends this evening. Their costumes were peanut butter and jelly. I also made hats that looked like the jar lids, but the boys would not wear them. They looked cute enough without them. We went to a Halloween party at David's work on Thursday (Aiden was PB and Evan was Jelly). This evening on real Halloween Evan was PB and Aiden was jelly.

Nanny and Poppy came and visited this week. The boys had a fun time with them! I was very glad that my mom was here to help me take the boys in for their 15 month check up. Here are their stats:
Evan- 19 pounds 10.5 oz - 28 inches tall
Aiden - 19 pounds 10 oz - 29 inches tall
Yes, Evan has surpassed Aiden in weight. I believe this is because Evan's reflux has gotten so much better.

Our Bible Study had a late surprise birthday party for David. It was fun!
Other BIG news is that Aiden took his first steps! He can take few little steps and then he gets scared. It won't be long before these boys are running around everywhere!

Happy Halloween

Happy late Birthday

Little Boys

2010-10-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

~~Baby~~ Pump-led Weaning

If you are not familiar with baby-led weaning, it is a method of weaning a baby from milk onto solid foods by offering a wide range of solids for the baby to play with, explore, and taste. Our weaning process is going to be “pump-led”. You see, my breast pump is dying. So, the amount of milk I get really depends on the condition the pump is in that particular day. It has had a good life and been many places. In fact, it has followed me everywhere for the last 15 months! I am going to continue to “milk” it for all that it’s worth – literally!!

The good news is that the boys like cow’s milk. They are doing great with their sippy-cups. Aiden and Evan eat 3 meals per day and 1 or 2 snacks. They are down to 2 bottles per day (on a good day). Our goal is to totally be off the bottle by the time they are 1 year corrected age (Nov 6). We’ll see how that goes. I think Evan will have a more difficult time with it than Aiden. Evan laughs when he sees his bottles. Evan also has a big love for his blankie (a blanket from the NICU). He loves to hold it and suck his thumb when he is tired. When I give it to him at nap time, he giggles and rolls around on it. Aiden also likes blankets, especially at nap time and bedtime.

Aiden enjoyed his lunch!

So did Evan.

Love the candy-corn socks.

A day at the park.

We are just about finished making their Halloween costumes. Last year, the boys were a policeman and fireman. I bought their costumes at Build A Bear. Here are some pics:

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

We skipped a posting last week. I was very busy with work. Every minute spent behind a computer was doing work stuff. The food of the week last week was whole milk! I have been giving about 1-2 oz in a sippy cup once a day (almost all of that gets thrown away). Then, their morning and nighttime bottles are about 3/4 breastmilk and 1/4 whole milk. The boys are doing better on their sippy cups. The ECI therapist brought out a straw trainer last week to work on drinking through a straw.

David celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday! We had a nice party with several of his friends at a restaurant. For some reason, he turned down my barnyard party theme idea.

Here are some pictures from last week.

Evan playing with his trucks on the coffee table.

Evan drinking milk.

Aiden will only drink from a sippy cup if it is propped up.

Molly at the pumpkin patch.

Dixie and Molly

The boys at the pumpkin patch.

Aiden sleeping. He has a curl on the back of his head!

Fred and Evan at David's birthday party.

David and his cake.

Pajama Pants

2010-09-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

The boys are half immunized for the flu. They each got ½ a dose of the vaccine and will get their next dose in a month. They each weighed about 19 pounds, 4 oz at the pediatrician’s office this week. David was gone to Lubbock for part of the week with work. So, it was just me and the boys.

I have been working diligently on word associations with the boys. I repeat “ball” when we play with balls, “bottle” when they take their bottles. Now, Aiden thinks that my name is “ball” and calls “ball” whenever he wants picked up or my attention. Both of the boys follow me around the house like little puppy dogs. They still love to play with each other. Aiden even made his way up the stairs one day following me. Therefore, we now have gates at the stairs.

We bought the boys some pajamas this weekend since it is getting cooler at night. They normally just sleep in a onesie, but their little legs have been getting cold. They will not stay covered up. So, we put the new jammies on them Saturday night. They HATE them. Evan threw a fit. They both cried and tugged at the sleeves. They were better by the morning.

Sunday, we took a trip to Six Flags in San Antonio. David’s company reserved the entire park for employees and their families. It was great – no lines! We didn’t get to ride many rides, but we still had a blast. However, we are reminded why we do not take long road trips. The boys just do not travel well in the car. And, it doesn’t help that we got stuck in I-35 traffic in downtown Austin for 40 minutes (on a Sunday morning)! I packed a lot of stuff for our day at the park (food, diapers, bottles, sippy cups, blankies, etc.). At the gate, we saw the sign for no outside food or drinks. I was very nervous, but smiled really big at the security guard (and hoped the boys were doing the same). We were relieved that he did not check our bag. I was not about to throw away the applesauce, bananas, breast milk, and cheerios and feed the boys ice cream and funnel cake all day. Thankfully, we had no troubles. It was a very fun day, and we had super tired boys that night.

Homemade sweet potatoes.. YumYum

Six Flags

New Jammies - They don't like the sleeves.

They were better by morning.

Potty Animals

2010-09-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

It's so hard to get started writing a blog entry now without starting it with, "Wow! These boys are growing!" Well, they certainly are. Evan can now keep up with Aiden crawling. They are all over the place. Aiden loves it that Evan can now crawl with him (and get into things). In fact, they play a game where Evan takes off crawling. Aiden follows and tackles Evan. They roll around on each other just laughing for about 30 seconds. Then, they sit up, smile at each other, and it starts over again with Evan taking off crawling.

The food of the week was egg yolks. I have intentionally waited on this one since I was allergic to eggs as a child, and my sister is also allergic to eggs. So far, no reactions. I wanted to expose them to eggs this week, because they are getting their flu shots this week. FYI - You cannot have the flu vaccine if you are allergic to eggs.

Aiden has started babbling. He says, "Abba, dibba, da." Sometimes, I think he says naughty baby words to us when he is mad.

Evan has started saying "Yeah" and clapping his hands to his knees when he gets excited.

The boys' favorite song is 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider'. They laugh every time we sing it. We are getting outside a little more now that it is not quite as hot. Here are some pictures from this past week.

Aiden

Evan had a bad hair day.

Playing with their fridge toys. They love them!

Playing the tackle game.

Wedding, Anniversary, and Showers

2010-09-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

We had quite the week. Hermine dropped about 12-14 inches of rain on Austin early in the week. We were glad to get some rain to perk up our dry yard.

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but the boys started going to an in-home daycare 3 days a week so that I can work a little more. They really like it, and so do David and I. They have some playmates and new toys.

David and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on Thursday. We had a nice dinner with the boys (they just watched us eat).

Now, onto Aiden and Evan.....
They are both cruising (walking along the furniture and fire-place).
Aiden finally got his second tooth this week.
We are trying so hard with sippy-cups without much luck.
They had a play date on Saturday with Baby Eli while I hosted a bridal shower for a friend who recently got married.

Aiden liked the Tiara from the shower.

Big boys playing.

Evan kicking Aiden in the rear.

Happy Evan.

Aiden loves "Wheel of Fortune".

Good eaters!

Aiden flying.

Evan flying.

4 years ago....

Bubbles!

2010-09-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

The boys were not feeling too well this past weekend. They both had runny noses. So, our Labor Day weekend was spent mostly at home. Nanny and Poppy stopped by on their way to catch a cruise. The boys enjoyed seeing them. Both Aiden and Evan are pulling up to stand. Aiden has developed a fear of noises (vacuum, food processor, blender). Evan likes to laugh at his brother. Here are some pictures from this week.

The boys like bubbles!

David made a blueberry pie!

Growing Boys

2010-08-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

These boys are growing! They are changing every day. The "baby look" is quickly turning into the "little boy look". David traveled out of town this past weekend for his cousin's wedding, so my parents came down to visit. Evan got another tooth, so the tooth count is: Evan - 5 and Aiden - 1. Aiden has some catching up to do.

Our dogs cleaning up after the boys eat.

Aiden fell asleep eating.

Evan with a full belly.

Snuggle buddies

A Year Ago....

2010-08-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, Aiden had his heart surgery. What a scary day! I must say that we are so glad that is behind us. David and I got to the hospital at about 7:00AM to visit with the boys before Aiden's procedure. Then, they closed down the unit. I think it was around 1:00 or 2:00 before they re-opened the unit. David and I waited anxiously in the waiting room. I was equally anxious that we would soon be facing the same scenario with Evan. Thankfully, he did not have to go through that! Aiden still has quite the battle wound to show for it.

Aiden after his surgery.

I got to hold Evan that night.

And now...

This past week, Evan has really been on the move. He does not have a standard crawl. It is more of a scooch, roll, push-pull type thing. The main thing is that if he wants to get somewhere, he now can. Aiden is pulling to stand on just about everything, but the poor guy bumps his head on everything.

On Saturday night, the Rollands came and babysat for us while David and I went to see "Eat, Pray, Love". What a treat!!

Cheerios!!

2010-08-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

By the title of the post, you can probably guess what our "food of the week" was.... Cheerios! Aiden really likes them. Evan would rather have something a little softer like graham crackers. The boys are doing awesome on their solids and finger foods.

We haven't ventured out too much with the boys lately because of the hot weather. We have been getting up very early and going for a walk and an occasional trip to the park in the evenings. They really like the swings.

Aiden is still crawling everywhere, and Evan has started crawling a little. Aiden follows me around like a little puppy. We've done a little baby-proofing, but mostly just putting things out of reach.

Evan sleeping.

Aiden sleeps with his bum in the air.

Evan

Aiden

Evan eating Cheerios

Aiden eating Cheerios

Picture, as promised

2010-08-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

The boys are feeling much better this week!

Swinging at the park

Aiden

Evan

Evan's Army Crawl

Aiden is cruising.

Happy Aiden

Evan playing

Evan eating graham crackers

Aiden eating graham crackers

Happy Evan

Aiden

Aiden crawling

Evan and his blankie.

No Pictures ?!

2010-08-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last week was crazy! We had our first round of sickness. It started on Monday night with Aiden running a low grade temperature and a really bad runny nose. Tuesday morning, Evan and Aiden both had a temp. By Tuesday afternoon, Aiden's was very high, so I called the pediatrician. This is the time when I'm constantly reminded that I have former preemies. The pediatrician wanted us to come in so that she could make sure their lungs were clear. If you remember, their lung disease was our biggest concern when the boys came home. That is why we were home-bound all winter and so cautious about sickness. Well, thankfully their lungs were clear. However, Aiden's blood count showed he did have a virus. We are so thankful that this is our first (outside of NICU) sickness.

David was busy with NI Week this past week, and I managed to get in a few days of work also. I have been asked to take over the patients in San Antonio and El Paso. It will require quite a few more hours. However, it will be nice to have more income!

Back to the boys - Aiden is everywhere and into everything. He is crawling very well now. He has discovered how to unplug my breast pump while I am pumping. He thinks it is very funny! Evan can get up on all fours and rock back and forth. From watching Aiden, we know that crawling is not too far away from Evan. Evan is super-attached to one of the blankets from the NICU. It is always in his hand, mouth, or under his head. We might have to start using that as bait for crawling.

We took the boys swimming yesterday at the Rolland's house. They loved it! We were in the pool with them for about 45 minutes, and they smiled the whole time.

Hopefully, we'll get some pictures this week.

One Year Ago...

2010-08-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

We held our babies for the first time!

Busy One Year Olds

2010-08-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Aiden and Evan had their one year check up at the pediatrician's office this past week. Evan weighed in at 18 pounds 1 oz and Aiden at 18 pounds 10 oz. My how they've grown!!! They also got their 12 month vaccines, including MMR, Chicken Pox, and Hib.

Both boys have had runny noses this past week. It could be due to the shots. They haven't run a fever. We are so thankful that this is our first bout of any runny noses or sickness.

The tooth count is Evan -4 and Aiden - 1. Yes, Aiden got his first tooth this past week, and he really let us know about it!!

We've been working with graham crackers and cereal bars for a little texture and to practice the pincer grasp. They do a little better every day.

We upgraded to the real bath tub now that they are a year old.

They still love the exersaucer.

Cousins Callie and Carter

Big Birthday Post

2010-07-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

They boys turned one year old on Sunday!!! It was very hard for us to celebrate the scariest day of our lives. However, we could not be more pleased with the progress that Evan and Aiden have made over the past year. The boys got tons of presents and had a wonderful party with family and friends. We threw a "Barnyard Bash" for our little farmers.

Opening Presents

Mmmmm cake (really a muffin)
Aiden

Evan

Aiden

Evan

Playing

Cow cupcakes

Pigs

Chicks

Sheep

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

The army crawls continue with a little hand and knee crawling also. Next Sunday is the bit 0-1 for the boys (first birthday). We are so excited for their little party. This weekend, we got some fun time in the sun. We filled our puppy pool in the front yard and were quite the site. It's funny that once you have kids, you really don't care what people think or see. It was fun!

Both boys were "changed babies" after church this week.

Our pool time was fun. Yes, I got in too. It was a crowded pool!

Aiden

Evan

The Army Crawl

2010-07-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Evan and Aiden are officially on the move. They can now ooch forward in an army crawl. Aiden has it down a little better, but I think he is just a busier baby. Aiden went from belly to sitting all by himself today. I must say that I was surprised. Evan is 2 teeth ahead of Aiden and is working on his top teeth now. One baby teething is no fun, but two babies teething is just wrong!

The boys can both hold their bottles now, but prefer not to. They actually really, really like their solids. Their excitement shows when I get out the spoons. We tried some finger foods this week. The pincer grasp needs some work. We worked with puffs. They make it to the hand, but the thumb makes it to the mouth. I have also been giving them sippy cups once a day.

This past weekend, we had professional pictures taken for the first time for our church pictorial directory. Not so good. David and I jumped around like idiots trying to get the boys to smile. However, Evan was too busy pooping, and Aiden hated the flash. I'm glad it was a free sitting. Our amateur pics don't look so bad now.

Evan on the move.

Aiden on the move.

Unexpected Trip

2010-07-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! This past week was pretty crazy. We had to make an unexpected trip to Oklahoma for David's grandmother's funeral. The boys are not too into the 7 hour car rides. We also took our dogs for the first time instead of boarding them to save some money. Lets just say that 2 adults, 2 babies, 2 dogs, and a whole lot of stuff in a car makes a tight fit. But, we survived and had a good time visiting family and friends.

Handsome Evan

Aiden is just about to figure out the crawling.

We also went out to visit the Phelan's at their ranch. The boys really enjoyed seeing all of the animals.
David and Aiden looking at pigs.

Evan and I looking at the bunnies.

Baby lambs.

Aiden

Evan in the walker at Nanny's house.

Our crazy dog, Dixie, trying to be like the cats & standing on the back of the rocker.

Visitors

2010-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

The boys had visitors this weekend from Oklahoma. Nanny, Poppy, and Cousin Callie came down to spend some time with the boys. We had a great time. And, David and I got to go see the Body exhibit at the UT campus. What fun!! We also experienced some of our first accidents. Well, Evan experienced his first accidents. He burned his finger (quite badly) and fell off the couch. Despite a very worried Mommy, he is just fine. Aiden is getting into trouble as well. He likes to roll around and find all of the electrical cords to pull on and put in his mouth. I am constantly chasing him!!

Aiden hitting Evan. Poor Evan.

He knows better.

Evan sleeping in the exersaucer. He's not quite as enthused as Aiden.

Callie and the boys.

Aiden riding Poppy's horsey.

Nanny and Evan.

OMG! Molly really wants some attention.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day. We certainly did! We went to church and actually left the boys in the nursery for the first time. They did great.

We tried frozen bagels for the boys to chew on for teething. They really liked them. However, they only lasted about 30 minutes before they got soft enough for Evan's little teeth to bite off a piece.

Where were Aiden & Evan a year ago? NYC!!

Sleeping Arrangements

2010-06-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Another busy week in our household. Working part-time sure does make the weeks go by quickly. Our biggest challenge right now is dealing with the heat. It is very hard to get the boys out during the daytime. So, we keep them inside as much as possible during the middle of the day and go outside in the evenings. Evan had a doctor's appointment this week that went well. Aiden has decided that he absolutely hates his car seat and throws a fit every time we try to put him in it. I think the heat has a lot to do with that, as well. The food of the week was yogurt. The boys like it mixed with their fruit in the mornings.

Aiden and Evan are still sharing a crib. This week reassured us that we should continue to co-bed the boys. At night, we put them in their respective corners. About 15 minutes later, they have moved into the same corner. They like being close! Here are some positions we found this week.....

Aiden sucking Evan's toes.

Snuggle bugs.

Aiden prefers to sleep with a blanket over his head.

The boys are becoming more interactive with their toys every day. They love their toys!!!

Evan playing

Aiden discovered Molly.

Swinging

2010-06-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

The boys finally got some fun time outside this weekend. David hung the swing in the tree. The boys really like their swing. Luckily, no throw-up yet! Evan also got his first bruise outside of the NICU (he was a very bruised boy when he was born). He hit his head on the table yesterday while I was eating lunch and holding him. He has a little bruise on his forehead. One of the many, I'm sure.

The food of the week was avocado. The boys take after their mother on this one. It was not a keeper. I think it is the only food that the boys refused to swallow. So far, peaches have been the favorite. Aiden has also realized that spitting his food everywhere makes Mommy laugh. I know I shouldn't, but it is just too funny.

The swing

Evan in the swing.

Aiden in the swing.

Outside

Evan trying to stand.

Aiden standing.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend visiting family and friends. The boys got lots of lovin'! Aiden and Evan got to go swimming for the first time and really enjoyed it for about 15 minutes. Less than 24 hours in Oklahoma and Poppy had killed a rattlesnake and an armadillo. Welcome to OK!! The ride back to Austin was absolutely miserable. Our boys were not happy to leave (or sit in the car for 8 hours).

Aiden, Callie, Carter, & Evan

The boys with Makayla and Kelsie (sitting in-between the boys)

Aiden is doing great with sitting up on his own!

Evan loved the water!

Swimming.

10 Months Old

2010-05-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

The boys reached 10 months old this Tuesday. It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating a big birthday in 2 months! They are so mobile now, rolling everywhere. I celebrated my birthday on Monday and taught classes to nutrition students this week. We are now heading to my parents' house in Oklahoma for Memorial Day. Hope everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Evan

Aiden

Evan

Aiden rolled himself into a baby burrito.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

I find them in very weird positions in the mornings.

More Fun!!

2010-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

We started off last week with another birthday party. We went to Woody's 94th birthday party on Tuesday and had a blast! I started my new job yesterday. Things went really well. Katie is doing a fantastic job babysitting the boys! We believe that Aiden is just about to take off crawling at any moment. Evan's reflux is really holding him back in that department. Poor little guy :(

The food of the week was forced upon us..... Prunes. Yes, too much rice cereal.

I don't think many people are reading the blog anymore. I can't say that I'm sorry for the lack of content. I really like not having the significant news that we reported for the first 3 months of their lives. I do, however, hope that someday Evan and Aiden will be able to look back at this and have so much of their lives documented. That being said.... Here is a picture of some very important people (surrogate grandparents, aunts, uncles, whatever they prefer to be called). Having absolutely no family in town this past year was so difficult, but these individuals have certainly made it easier!

Aiden's new way to play with the swing - just swing it himself.

We have really run out of ideas for this little guy.

Please read Evan's shirt.

Just too cute!

Evan likes the ball.

Evan chillin in the Bumbo.

Busy Saturday = Lots of Pics

2010-05-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Lots of news from our household. We started off the week with a visit from Nanny and Poppy (Janel's parents). On Tuesday I (Janel) was offered a job, which I accepted. It will be part-time with a home nutrition infusion company. I am very excited about starting in a week or so.

The new food of the week was oatmeal. It went over well. The boys get better each day with eating.

This morning, we headed out early to participate in the March of Dimes 'March for Babies' . We felt right at home among all the strollers and babies that had NICU stories to tell. We added signage to the stroller as you can see....

Participating in events like this really makes us realize what miracles and blessings Evan and Aiden are in our lives. Many of the families were walking in honor of their children, much like us. However, there were also a lot of families that were walking in Memory of their babies that were not as fortunate. We are so proud of our little guys!

Then this afternoon, we attended Audric's first birthday party. They had a petting zoo and pony rides. While Aiden and Evan are not quite old enough to enjoy this yet, that did not stop us from taking pictures and placing them on the pony!

Evan and the baby goat.

Our family.

First pony ride.

The boys were pooped after this big day.

Tomorrow is another big day.... My first Mother's Day. I could not feel any more blessed right now and look forward to a Mother's Day spent with David, Aiden, and Evan. I have the best mother in the world!!! Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Love you!

New Things

2010-05-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

We have had a really great week. The biggest news is that Aiden got a haircut and Evan has a tooth poking out! The new food of the week was applesauce, and the boys loved it (of course).
What is soft and cute and orange all over? All of the boys' clothes since they have started eating carrots!

Both boys are well on their way to sitting up. They can both sit up on their own for a couple of seconds before toppling over. We went to the pediatrician this week. Evan is weighing in at 14 pounds 4 ounces and Aiden is weighing in at 15 pounds 6 ounces. They will reach their 6 month corrected age mark this week and seem to be right on track for 6 month olds.

Aiden sitting up.

Evan sitting up.

Aiden before his haircut.

Aiden after his haircut. How handsome!

Evan doesn't quite need a haircut yet.

NICU Reunion

2010-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

We had quite a busy weekend! On Saturday, we attended the Seton Medical Center NICU Reunion. It was really fun to see a lot of the nurses and doctors that took such great care of the boys during the hardest time of their lives. They were all gladly excited to see how much the boys have grown. We really only have good things to say about the NICU at Seton. Evan and Aiden received such great care there.

Saturday night, the Rollands kept the boys for us while David and I went out. It was really nice to be able to eat with both hands!

The food of the week was butternut squash, and the boys really liked this one. We're still working with Evan on the swallowing part, but Aiden has caught on to this eating thing really well.

Aiden getting messy (eating).

And Evan.

Mario and Luigi

Rachel (one of the boys' nurses).

Places to Sit

2010-04-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

The new food of the week was carrots, and the boys had a new place to eat them. They got new high chairs this weekend. Aiden and Evan really like to sit in them. Our new babysitter, Katie, starts today so that I can hopefully go back to working part time.

Evan versus the carrots...

The carrots won.

Big boys in their high chairs.

Aiden liked his carrots.

So handsome.

More Peas, Please!!

2010-04-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Wow!! It is amazing how far the boys have progressed in the last month. They are both on their way to sitting up. Evan can sit for a few seconds by himself before he loses his balance. Aiden is a little too wiggly to sit by himself, but he has mastered grabbing his toes. Both boys are rolling over, although Evan still has not rolled back to tummy. They have really discovered their toys, as well. They love grabbing them and putting them (along with everthing else) in their mouths.

And, speaking of mouths.... I may or may not have felt a little bump on Aiden's gums this morning. I guess we'll find out in the next few days. We tried baby food peas this week (first baby food).

Evan eating peas.

Aiden's turn.

They were not quite sure what to think.

Just another day on the farm for Aiden. He is all business in the exersaucer!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great first Easter with the boys. It is hard to believe that one year ago, we filled these same eggs with M&Ms that said "Twins" and "C-U October" to give to our families. Well.... half of the M&Ms were correct.

No Easter egg hunts this year, but the boys did go to church again this Sunday.

Evan

Aiden

The boys helped Mommy and Daddy do yard work on Saturday.

Going for a walk.

The only way they will sit in their Bumbo seats.

Baptism

2010-03-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Evan and Aiden have had two big weekends in a row. March 20-21 we went to Oklahoma for a wedding, where we got snowed in a hotel room for a couple of days. We quickly learned that babies and hotel rooms are not a good combination! We did get to see some family and friends while we were in OK.

Then, yesterday the boys got baptized at church. This was their first time to go to church. We have waited until the end of RSV season and after the boys' last Synagis shots. The baptisms were beautiful. We are so grateful for our wonderful church family, and of course our real families that came down for the special day!

At home, after the Baptisms

The boys after church.

Aunt RaChel' and Cousin Callie playing with bubbles.

Baptizing

The boys playing with their puppy pillows. Thank you Uncle Gary & Aunt Judy!

Party Animals

2010-03-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Evan and Aiden had a very big weekend. They went to their first baby shower and birthday party on Saturday. They did really well at both events and got lots of attention. They spent Sunday morning with the Morris' while David and I attended church. They continue to grow and have started laughing a lot more this week.

Evan the Cowboy and Aiden the Sheriff

Aiden in a very special onesie. We bought this in Grand Cayman
the day we found out we were pregnant. Little did we know at the time that
we would need two!

Evan spitting up in his Bumbo.

Aiden in his Bumbo.

The boys playing.

3/8

2010-03-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

The boys had a pretty busy week of very frustrating doctor appointments, lots of play, and discovering new things. Aiden continues to perform his rolling trick. We lay him on the living room floor, and he can make his way across the room (unless he runs into something - like Evan). Evan has no desire to roll over. He is quite fascinated by his tongue these days. The boys are also starting to "talk" to each other.

I am still amazed each day of how the boys are progressing. They are changing every day. They have become so much more interactive with each other, us, and their toys.

Evan is entertained with his tongue.

Aiden says, "My Mommy watched too much 'Blossom' when she was growing up."

They boys talking to each other.

Sometimes Mommy's thumb tastes better.

Aiden joined the thumb club!

3/1

2010-03-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

Happy March! Aiden and Evan say "Hi". All of us enjoyed the pretty weather this weekend. We took several walks outside and spent Sunday afternoon at Central Market. Aiden's new trick is rolling from back to belly. He's done it a few times in the middle of the night. I think it scares him because he starts crying and we have to go roll him back over. We took a trip to the pediatrician's office this week for Synagis. Aiden weighs 13.5 pounds and Evan weighs 12.5 pounds. They are getting big!

Aiden and Evan

Evan

Aiden

We're Marching

2010-02-22T07:02:00.001-08:00

We have our calendars marked for May 8. All of the Funkhousers are marching for premature babies! The March of Dimes has a fundraiser walk every year. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. If you would like to sponsor us, you can visit our page:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3211629&ct=4&w=4051179&u=janelloraine

If that link does not work, you can go to www.marchforbabies.org and search for Janel Davis.

On another note, Aiden and Evan spent yesterday morning with two very sweet ladies from our Sunday School class while David and I attended a class about Baptism. The boys are getting baptized March 28th. When we got back, the boys were happy and had gotten some lovin'. You can see the lipstick marks here on Evan's head. LOL!!

We also started rice cereal this weekend with Evan. He is still pretty young (corrected age), but he is just having a very difficult time with reflux. We have tried two different medicines, but the poor little guy still has some frequent episodes of reflux. He did very well with the rice cereal. He kind of knows what the spoon is, since that is how he gets his medication.

We didn't want to leave out Aiden, so I gave him a few bites of cereal. This was his first time to try the spoon. He did okay, but he got impatient with the slowness.

2/19

2010-02-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

We had another first this week that I knew would have to happen. It was not something that I was looking forward to.... The boys had straight infant formula for the first time. They are still getting breast milk, but my supply just cannot keep up with their ever-growing appetites. So, we introduced formula very slowly this week (the dietitian in me is very strict on how to do this). Oh my, that stuff stinks just as much going in as it does coming out! I really expected Evan to have more problems due to his reflux, but he has done very well. Surprisingly, Aiden has had a little more problems with it than Evan! Breast milk is so easily digested and absorbed, which makes for fewer stinky diapers. I just wish I could keep up with their needs! And the $$ (whew). Hopefully, it will continue to only be a small amount of formula that they get to supplement my milk.

First Trip

2010-02-15T06:34:00.001-08:00

2/15
Yeah! We finally made it out of Austin for the first time in 7 months!! We ventured to Oklahoma this weekend to see family. Evan and Aiden had many firsts....

They met their cousins, Callie and Carter and their Uncle Quinton
They got to see their Aunt RaChel' again after a long time and their Nanny & Poppy
Also met the Phelans
First time to see snow
First time to sit in the car for 7 long hours at a time
First Valentine's Day

The boys did very well on the ride to Oklahoma, sleeping most of the way. However, the ride back to Austin was a different story. I think Evan wanted to stay! It was so nice to see family.

Carter & Aiden rocking together.

Uncle Grady with the boys.

Uncle Quinton gave Aiden a mohawk!

Aunt RaChel' with Evan.

Callie, Aiden, Carter, & Evan finally together!

First Superbowl

2010-02-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Soothing Sounds

2010-02-05T07:31:00.001-08:00

2/5
Aiden and Evan are very sensitive to sounds now. They know David's and my voice very well. They also like to listen to music. We have many CDs for them - Everything from Veggie Tales Silly Songs, Sesame Street, Disney. They really like it when Mommy and Daddy sing along! However, Bob, Larry, Oscar, and Elmo's squeaky little voices can really drill on your nerves after a while! So, we thought we would try a soothing sounds CD for the boys, thinking it would be especially good at bedtime. Well, note to self: Always read list of tracks before purchasing.

They were the happiest babies on the block when the 17 minutes of Hair Dryer noise (Track 4) stopped and I finally turned off the CD.

Aiden and Evan gave this CD 2 pacifiers down!

2/1 - Thankful

2010-02-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

We had a major first this weekend. We left Aiden and Evan for the first time (not counting grandparents and nurses). Since Aiden and Evan have been home, David and I have been rotating attending church. It is still not recommended to take the boys to such a public place. So, I'll go one week, David the next, and so on. Then, whoever went to church will preach to the other over lunch (just kidding). Well, this weekend, a couple from our Sunday School Class (Mark and Gayle) offered to keep the boys while we attended church together. We had no hesitations at all. The 11:00 AM hour is actually one of the best hours for the boys. They are happy, full, and usually tired. And, they did wonderful for their babysitters! We were so glad. I don't think David and I ever really worried about them. We knew they were in good hands. It was wonderful to be able to go to church together! The boys' baptism is scheduled for March 28 at 11:00 AM. After that, I believe we will start taking the boys to church (depending on how well they do). It will be July before we are allowed to put them in nursery care.

Also, please keep everyone in SW Oklahoma in your prayers. They have been without electricity since last week with no word on when it will return. From the way my family talks, it is very bad. There is a lot of damage to the trees from the ice.

Here are a few pictures from Sunday. I don't know what Gayle and Mark did, but the boys were pooped!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Happy 6 Month Birthday!!

2010-01-25T17:35:00.001-08:00

Wow! It’s hard to believe that 6 months ago today David and I were driving to Seton Medical Center for what we thought were kidney stones. Wrong!! I had something a little (yes, just a little) bigger than kidney stones. I say it’s hard to believe it’s been 6 months, but the NICU experience itself felt like three years. The time we have had Aiden and Evan home has really flown by. Evan is now about 10.75 pounds; Aiden is about 11.5 pounds. Both boys are about 7 times their birth weights!! They are doing wonderful as far as their health is concerned. They have regular pediatrician visits for check-ups and Synagis. They get their eyes checked regularly. Evan sees the endocrinologist every couple of months. And, the occupational therapist sees them 2 times per month. No more lung doctor!! We are blessed to be celebrating this half birthday today!

Little Evan

Big Evan

Micro-Preemie Diaper Compared to their Size 2 Diapers

Little Aiden coming home from the NICU

Big Aiden

1/18

2010-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

Crying… We have heard quite a bit of it lately. Don’t get me wrong, Aiden and Evan are both very good, happy babies. But, just like all babies, they have their fussy moments. Evan has a very loud cry (you would never know he was on oxygen up until a month ago). He sticks out his bottom lip and pouts. Aiden has a soft whining cry. He does not have near the volume that Evan has. It is such a blessing to have babies that can cry! This probably sounds silly, but I think our experience gives us a different perspective of crying babies. I remember the first time I heard Aiden cry. I had opened the door to his incubator and thought I might have heard a cry. I wasn't sure. It was so soft and weak. Then, he made a little louder, stronger sound that I knew for sure was a cry. David and I were so happy! It was the first “real baby” thing we had experienced. Then, we waited weeks and weeks just yearning to hear Evan cry. He was on the ventilator for so long and could not cry with the tube down his throat. He had some good reasons to cry! One of the complications with Aiden’s heart surgery was possibly clipping the vocal chord. After Aiden’s surgery we waited about a week before we finally heard him cry again. Each day we went without a cry, we worried more and more that he just might not be able to do such an ordinary thing. It may sound silly, but we are so proud our boys can cry! We don’t always love it when they do cry, but we know the alternative. And… cries are not the only sounds they are making now. There are a lot of coo’s, ahh’s, and ooh’s in our house. We have a lot more smiles than cries.

Evan in his car seat.

Aiden - His shirt says it all!

1/15

2010-01-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Big News!! Aiden and Evan slept through the night for the first time last night. It was mostly due to our decision NOT to wake them up to eat at 3:00AM. We have noticied at the 3:00AM feeding that they are starting to sleep more soundly. Their bodies are starting to adapt to a "sleep at night, awake during the daytime" schedule. This is good for our sleep habits, but I get nothing accomplished during the day! Well, I get a lot of diapers changed, babies fed, bottles washed, etc.

The boys are also starting to really develop personality. Evan is pretty calm but when he gets mad, he gets MAD!! He takes more naps during the daytime than Aiden. He has never mastered holding his binky in his mouth, so he has resorted to his thumb. He loves his thumb! Aiden, on the other hand, can be compared to Maggie from the Simpsons. The binky is a big comfort for him. He fights sleep. His eyes are always glued open during the daytime - very few naps for him, and it is a challenge to get those. I think he is afraid he will miss a feeding or something. They both love to eat!

Aiden - fighting sleep

Aiden - wondering when he'll eat again

Evan - the notorious thumb sucker

Evan

1/13

2010-01-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

All Smiles!!!!

Aiden

Evan

Well, not all smiles....

1/9

2010-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. There really is no news to report. Aiden and Evan are just regular little babies now that have to be extra careful about germs. They are all into smiles now. We have the camera handy at all times, because the cutest smile could come at any time. Evan's new best friend is his thumb. He has it in his mouth all the time, and he really likes to look at his hands. Aiden still prefers his binky over his thumb, but he will settle for the thumb if he has to. They both love to listen to music and think it's really funny when Mommy and Daddy sing along. I've gotten pretty good about taking them places by myself now. I think my arm muscles have just gotten bigger, and that makes lifting the 50 pound stroller easier. Pictures to come...

12/25/09

2009-12-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas!! We had a great first Christmas with Aiden and Evan. They were so excited about their gifts that they slept through opening presents. They were finally able to meet their great-Papa and great aunt Della this week. My (Janel's) Papa and Aunt Della came all the way from New Mexico. David's parents came in on December 23 to celebrate Christmas with the boys. My parents got stuck in the Oklahoma blizzard, but will hopefully get to come soon! We are so blessed this year!

The best presents ever!

Happy Evan

What a wonderful Papa!!

2009-12-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

Santa's Little Helpers

12/18

2009-12-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

Little Cowboys

The boys are doing great!! We absolutely love having them home. We had doctors' appointments yesterday. Aiden is now at 9 pounds 3 ounces and Evan is up to 9 pounds 1 ounce. They are getting so big. Evan had his cardiology appointment yesterday, and everything in there (his heart) looks good. The cardiologist also said we could stop his oxygen. That is good because he has not been on it in about 2 weeks. The sneaky guy got really good about taking it off of himself. They are both getting more interactive each day. Aiden really likes to smile now and is starting to making "cooing" noises. Evan is in love with the ceiling fan. He'll watch it for a long time. The biggest obstacle now is getting them through the winter without getting sick.

2009-12-03T17:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the boys.

Evan

Aiden

Our first walk.

They never knew we left the house!

AE pics 11/24

2009-11-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

My oh my how the boys have grown! They are doing well and getting bigger every day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Aiden and Evan - 11/6 with pictures

2009-11-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Evan made it home on Monday as planned and the boys are adjusting well to their new home. Here's a few pictures from this last week:

Evan about to be loaded into the car for his ride home.

Evan in his car seat with the sun in his face.

Aiden and Evan together in their pack-n-play.

The family at home together at last.

Evan and Aiden

Molly having a look at her new brothers.

10/31 with Pictures

2009-10-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! We have big treats to report… David is at HOME with Aiden right now, and I am in the NICU with Evan, who is planned to go home on Monday. We found out this past Monday that the boys would most likely be ready for discharge by Friday. We “roomed in” Tuesday night and Wednesday night and brought little Aiden home on Thursday. Evan had an episode of apnea on Monday afternoon, so that pushed his discharge back to this Monday. We are really looking forward to bringing Evan home! What a great week! So, the boys are spending this Halloween apart. Luckily, we got pictures of them in their costumes before Aiden was discharged.

Happy Halloween!!

Mr. Aiden Fireman & Mr. Evan Policeman

Mom, Dad, and Aiden on our way home

Aiden on his way home.

Aiden and Evan 10/25 - with pictures

2009-10-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting an update in a while. This one is long overdue.

The boys are really doing well. The eye doctor has been pleased with the progress of both boys and says the ROP is regressing. Evan gets his two weeks post surgery check up tomorrow so hopefully that will go well.

Evan seems to have done better recovering from the eye surgery and has been able to take a 5 oz weight lead over his brother Aiden. Evan currently weighs 5 lbs 15 oz and Aiden is at 5 lb 10 oz.

Aiden was weaned off his nasal canula on Tuesday of last week and has been able to keep it off so far. They tried Evan last week but he only made it about 10 minutes before his blood oxygen saturation started to fall off. He is now on a low flow (0.04 liter per minute) oxygen canula and has done well on it for the last week. If needed they can send him home on this amount of oxygen support but hopefully he will be able to shed his canula next time they try this week.
Both boys have started to take a bottle really well now. Evan was a natural from the beginning but Aiden took a while to get use to sucking, swallowing, and breathing. In the last few days however both boys have been able to feed exclusively from a bottle and no longer have feeding tubes down their noses. The boys have also been getting some practice nursing from mom and usually do pretty well.

Evan in his elephant shoes.

Evan smilling with milk drool.

Aiden taking a look around.

Evan and Aiden on momm'a lap.

Evan all bundled up.

Evan and Aiden back on momma's lap.

Aiden and Evan - 10/13

2009-10-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

A quick update on the boys.

This last Sunday the eye doctor decided Evan needed preventive eye surgery just like Aiden did the week before. So yesterday we repeated everything we went through with Aiden, this time with Evan. Fortunately both boys made it through their eye surgeries without any problems and were able to get back of the ventilators the following morning after their surgery.

I came down with the flu last Tuesday and by Saturday had given it to Janel as well. As a result neither one of us could be with Evan or Aiden this weekend. It was hard to not be able to be with Evan for his surgery. April, one of the boys’ primary nurses, came in on her day off to hold the boys for us and comfort Evan before his surgery. I can’t express how thankful we are. We pray for God to send angels to be with the boys and comfort them and He does.

Aiden and Evan - 10/5 with pictures

2009-10-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

The eye doctor did another check on the boys yesterday and gave us some bad news. Both of Aiden's eyes are showing signs of worsening retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and the doctor wants to do laser surgery on Aiden to try to help prevent retinal detachment. According to the eye doctor, if left untreated Aiden would have a 50-50 chance of retinal detachment, which would mean total blindness. With laser surgery the chances of Aiden keeping his sight increase by at least 15%. They are planning on doing the surgery this afternoon and it will be several weeks before we know the final result with regards to Aiden's vision. At best Aiden will probably lose some peripheral vision and be near sighted.

Evan's eyes are also showing some signs of ROP but not as severe yet. The boys are getting eye exams every five days or so to check the severity of the ROP. Hopefully Evan's will not progress as far as Aiden's has.

Otherwise the boys are really doing well. Now that they are out of their incubators and on cannulas we can really interact with them and do many of the normal baby care activities without having to have a nurse help us.

They continue to grow! They are both around 4lb, 4 oz.

Here are some pictures that we are long overdue on posting here.

Evan's foot next to his foot print taken when a week old. You can tell that the boys have already grown so much!

Evan in clothes for one of the first times.

Aiden in clothes for one of the first times.

Aiden and Evan in matching outfits.

One happy family.

Aiden looking cute.

The boys close together for the first time since birth.

Evan and Aiden together.

Aiden making funny faces.

Janel holding Evan.

Evan knows what it is all about...

And he likes it!

Aiden in his elephant shoes.

Aiden and Evan 9/30

2009-09-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened since the previous posting. Evan is now on a nasal canula just like his brother. He is requiring a little more oxygen than Aiden, but he is doing really well. Last week, the boys were doing a really good job of maintaining their body temperature. So… they got to wear clothes for the first time last Thursday!! The preemie clothes were still pretty big on them, so we rolled the sleeves and made a few other adjustments. Overall, they like wearing clothes. And, they just look so darn cute in them!

One of the biggest milestones this week is bottle feeding. Aiden and Evan have both taken all of their feedings by bottle several times. However, this is only true for about 1 feeding per day. The rest of the feedings are still given by tube feeding. The boys are getting about 1 ounce every three hours. It takes them at least 25 minutes to bottle feed this amount. We don’t want them to try any longer than that, or they will end up burning more calories trying to eat than they will get from their milk!

Aiden reached 4 pounds today, and Evan is just a few grams shy!!! This means that they graduated out of their incubators and into baby beds. This makes it so much easier to pick them up, change diapers, dress them, etc.

It has just been wonderful to see the boys progress so much in the last few weeks. We know that they still have a ways to go. Please continue the prayers. Pictures will be posted soon (in clothes)!

Aiden and Evan - 9/21 with pictures and video

2009-09-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

It’s been a good week in the NICU. The boys have had good steady growth and are up to 3 pounds 3 ounces each.

The biggest news this week is Evan was extubated Saturday afternoon. He had been on a ventilator for nearly two weeks so it is good to see him back on his nasal CPAP. I think he will be a much happier little boy without the vent tube stuck down his throat. Let’s pray that Evan is able to stay off the ventilator.

Aiden’s big news is that he has started to take a bottle this last week. He has not quit mastered feeding from a bottle though. He’s a natural at sucking on the nipple but hasn’t figured out just yet what to do with the milk. His little mouth gets full of milk and he ends up spitting most of it out. I bet he gets the hang of it here in the next week or two.

The doctors are going to do another round of tests on Aiden to see if his urinary tract infection has cleared up completely and if his liver enzymes have returned to normal levels on Monday. Aiden has been acting really well and does not look jaundice so we are optimistic that the tests are going to come back with good results.

Evan being held by Janel (9/6)

Janel with Aiden posing for a picture (9/6)

Evan with his Daddy (9/11)

Evan didn't like the vent tube at all but at least it gave him something to suck on all the time.

Aiden loves sucking on his pacifier. Here Janel flys it into Aiden's mouth.

The nurses take Evan for a visit with Mommy.

Aiden taking a look around.

Now that Evan is back on a CPAP, he can use a pacifier. He too loves them!

Aiden looks all tangeled up here when he decies to do his doggy dance!

Aiden and Evan - 9/14

2009-09-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

We have good news to report about Aiden’s bilirubin. Although it is still elevated, it has gone down nicely over the last few days. The doctors think that treating the urinary tract infection has most likely helped his liver also. Aiden is still on his nasal canula (when he does not pull it out of his nose).

Evan is still on the ventilator, and the doctors are giving no indication of when he might be extubated. He is tolerating his vibrating treatments a little better now, but still has episodes when he is just very uncomfortable. We have been able to hold him the last several days/night, and he has really liked it. He has been out of his incubator since he was put back on the ventilator last week. He is in a warming bed. This is good and bad. It is good in that we can talk to him easier, touch him more, and be closer to him. However, he is very sensitive to sound. And, there are lots of sounds in the NICU (including his very noisy ventilator). Every time the phone rings in the bay, his arms and legs flail out, and this makes his ventilator beep, which makes Evan squirm even more. For Evan’s comfort, we will be glad when he is back in his quiet little house.

Both boys have had good weight gain over the last week. They are up to about 3 pounds now!! Evan’s feeds were even decreased today to possibly help with his lungs (less volume). Aiden has been very interested in eating for himself. He has latched on to me (Janel) twice, and ate 10 mL out of a bottle this morning. He has to learn to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. This is usually done around 33 weeks in-utero. The boys will be 33 weeks on Friday.

Everyone in the NICU has warned us about the ups and downs in the NICU (they call it the roller coaster). And, although we have had many, many ups and downs, I don’t think we will ever be prepared for the “downs”. Our hearts still sink every time we get worrisome news. We really appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers. David and I pray constantly for Evan and Aiden. I can’t help but think of Mark Shultz’s song “He’s My Son”. The chorus has been my prayer for 7 weeks…..

Can You hear me?

Am I getting through tonight?

Can You see him?

Can You make him feel all right?

If You can hear me

Let me take his place somehow

See, he's not just anyone

He's my son

Aiden and Evan - 9/11

2009-09-11T16:02:00.001-07:00

It has been a high anxiety week in the NICU. I got a phone call from the NICU on Sunday night at 2:00 AM informing us that Evan was re-intubated because his breathing was worsening. His carbon dioxide in his blood was very high, indicating that he was not ventilating very well. Needless to say, this was very worrisome. Not much sleep that night!

Evan has been more stable since he has been back on the ventilator. He is not having near as many desaturations. He does not appear to be very comfortable, though. He flails his arms and legs quite a bit when he is unhappy. They are giving him some sedation to keep him calmer. He also has a lot of secretions in his lungs and has to be suctioned 1 to 2 times per hour. This is also very uncomfortable for him. The respiratory therapists have started giving him “vibe” treatments. This is basically a vibrating machine they place on his chest and back to break up the secretions from his lungs so that they can be suctioned out. Poor little guy!! It is so hard to see him uncomfortable. Please pray that Evan’s lungs will grow and develop into healthy lungs!

Aiden has continued to do well on his nasal canula. His color has continued to be slightly yellow/bronze. They re-checked his bilirubin on Wednesday and found that it was even higher than last week. They also checked his liver function enzymes and found them to be elevated as well. His liver is not functioning like it should be, and the doctors cannot seem to find the reason. He had a repeat of his abdominal ultrasound on Thursday and they could still not find his gallbladder. The gallbladder is really what they need to look at to find out if there is an obstruction or a cyst. They were finally able to collect some urine on Wednesday. We found out on Thursday that he does have a bladder infection. This could be what is causing his jaundice. He will get treated for 7-10 days with antibiotics to see if that helps his bilirubin come down. If not, more tests will have to be done. Pray that treating the urinary tract infection will heal his liver!

Both boys have gained weight this week!!! Today, they were both about 2 pounds 13 ounces. We apologize for not updating the blog as often as we should. We have both been very busy with the boys and work. Hopefully, we will find more time next week to update everyone (with pictures). Thanks for keeping Aiden and Evan in your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for them!

Aiden and Evan - 9/5 with pictures

2009-09-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

There are not a whole lot of changes from the previous posting. The boys are now six weeks old! Aiden continues on his nasal canula doing very well. Evan continues on CPAP and still has his desat and apnea spells. He had quite a significant spell this morning that required some manual bagging from the nurse and respiratory therapist. It is very unnerving to see these spells. However, Evan also has some very good times, as well.

David mentioned in the previous posting that Aiden had an elevated bilirubin. There is a very long list of things that could cause this. They sent a urine sample on Friday to check for an infection and for a metabolic disease called galactosemia. Somehow, the urine got lost in the lab. By the time they found it, it had been sitting for too long. They will send it again today. The test for galactosemia came back negative (thank goodness). He also had an abdominal ultrasound yesterday morning to check for an obstruction or any abnormality. The ultrasound tech said that he never found his gallbladder. This test will most likely also have to be done a second time. The elevated bilirubin could also be his liver reacting the IV nutrition that he was on right after his surgery. However, this usually happens while the baby is on IV nutrition, and Aiden has been back on breast milk for quite a while now.

Evan’s urinary tract infection appears to be gone now, and he is off of his antibiotics. His color looks much better, and he acts like he feels a lot better also.

On a good note, I gave Aiden his first bath last night. He did very well. David was able to give Evan a sponge bath in his incubator.

The doctors (and us) are still very concerned about the lack of weight gain over the last 2 weeks. Yesterday, I started separating foremilk from hind milk when I pump. The foremilk is the watery milk that is produced the first half of pumping, and the hind milk is the fattier, more nutrient dense milk that comes in the second half of pumping. The boys are only getting the hind milk mixed with the fortifier now. Hopefully, this will help with their weight gain.

Evan after his first (sponge) bath.

Evan (now clean) relaxing.

Evan warming up after his bath.

Aiden's first bath.

Mommy holding Aiden after his bath.

Aiden and Evan - 9/4

2009-09-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Oh my, almost an entire week has gone by and we have not posted a single updated to this blog. Here's a quick update with a promise for more details later...

Aiden is now on a nasal cannula instead of the CPAP, a very nice step forward for him. The functional difference is that the CPAP forced air into the nose under continuous pressure while the cannula just blows air freely into his nose. The best thing about it is that he no longer has to wear the bulky CPAP on his face, the cannula is a nice small tube that fits much better around his head.

In order to make sure we don't get too excited about being on a cannula, Aiden decided to let his bilirubin levels get high and as a result he look jaundice. This just came up yesterday and they are doing a handful of tests to try to figure out why this is happening. We'll report back as soon as we know something more.

Evan has continued to do well in his breathing. He has been on 30% to 40% oxygen all week which is good compared to where he came from. He has been up and down a lot though so he still needs some good growth to get him past his lung problems.

Speaking of growth, both boys are slowly growing, emphasis on slowly. They are still only about two and a half pounds and the doctors (and us) would really like to see better growth. I guess we just have to be patient.

Aiden and Evan - 8/30 with photos

2009-08-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

We’ve had several good days in the NICU as both boys have done well.

Aiden has been weaned down to a nasal CPAP and has stayed steady the last few days in the low twenties. His feedings have been resumed and picked back up to 22mL of 30 cal/oz milk mix every 3 hours. His weight today was 1160 grams, which is a tad over two and half pounds.

Evan has oxygen needs have stayed in the 45%-55% range over the last several days. He does not seem to be having as many apnea spells as he has been earlier in the week which is good. His color has been considerably better since last Tuesday when he looked very pale. They think he has had a urinary tract infection which may explain his color. Evan was placed on antibiotics to treat the infection and an ultrasound has been ordered to check his kidney anatomy just to make sure there is nothing more severe than a UTI. His feedings are currently at 24mL of 30 cal/oz milk mix every 3 hours and his weight has started to move up a little to 1130 grams today.

It’s been nice to be able to relax a little bit the last few days as the boys have both done well. Once again, thank you to everyone for lifting our boys up in prayer.
Here are a few pictures of the boys from the last week.

Aiden recovering from surgery on Wednesday. (32 days old)

Evan getting some sleep. That’s David’s wedding band around his left hand.

Evan is in the incubator under the blanket on the right and Aiden is in the radiated warmer bed next to him. They will be putting Aiden back into an incubator soon which is too bad for us as we have really enjoyed being able to interact with Aiden up close.

Aiden was placed back on his CPAP on Wednesday. He loves to suck on his pacifier.

We took this picture to compare Aiden’s current size with one of his premie size outfits he’ll be wearing before too long. He has a little bit of growing to do yet.

We have been able to start doing kangaroo care with both of the boys. Here is Aiden looking surprised to see daddy.

Here’s Evan snuggled up with mommy.

Aiden and Evan - 8/25

2009-08-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

The boys turned one month old today!

Aiden continues to recover nicely from his PDA operation. They took him back off of the oscillating ventilator this morning and he has continued to make progress on his ventilation support needs. Dr. Michaels said they might try to wean him back to a nasal CPAP in the next couple of days if he continues to do well. In addition, Aiden should start back on his feedings tomorrow. Aiden has been fairly sedated the last several days so he does not move around as much as he previously was. Hopefully he is not feeling any pain from his surgery.

Evan has also been stable the last couple of days. They have been able to wean his ventilator settings some more and he seems to do well with oxygen levels in the mid 30’s. The biggest need for Evan is to grow. His weight growth has been down or flat the last several days, mostly due to the steroids which act as a diuretic. To help replace the lost fluid they have increased his feed amount up to 24ml every three hours and are going to increase the caloric density to get as much growth in as possible. Today his skin has started to look a bit pale and we (and the doctor) are not quite sure what to make of it. It may be nothing but to be sure they have drawn a little blood and are going to make sure there is not any sickness setting in. Hopefully it is nothing.

Janel got to hold Evan yesterday for the first time in several weeks. He lasted about 40 minutes and then had a hard apnea spell. Both boys will occasionally have spells where their oxygen saturation level and heart rate drops down. Usually it does not last more than a few seconds and the boys recover on their own. However occasionally they fall hard. The monitors start dinging and flashing and the nurses rush over and huddle over them, poking and rubbing – trying to find a position that improves breathing. When it’s really bad they have to remove the ventilation machine and manually vent using an air bag. It’s all quite a rush and the first time you watch incredibly scary. After a few times of seeing this you learn to filter the excitement of it and prevent yourself from getting too alarmed. But there is always a fear in the back of your mind and you can’t help feeling a little bit of desperation hoping everything will be okay.

Aiden and Evan - 8/23 with photos

2009-08-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

What a weekend I am glad to have behind us. When we came for our Saturday afternoon visit Dr. Michael wanted to talk to us in the conference room in private. It’s never a good sign when the doctor wants to visit in private and this case proved to be no exception. That morning when Dr. Michael was doing his check up on Aiden he heard a murmur in his heart and ordered a echocardiogram to see what the cause was. The echocardiogram showed that Aiden had a PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) again and it was wide open. You might remember that Aiden and Evan both had PDAs and were treated with indomethacin (see 7/31 post). Because of Aiden’s age the doctors did not feel that indomethacin would work at closing the PDA this time and recommended surgery to place a clip on the open duct to pinch it close.

The news was somewhat of a shock to us (and the doctors) because Aiden has been doing so well and had not shown any signs of any of the problems that a PDA might cause. However, if left untreated it would be just a matter of time before the compromised blood flow caused problems so Dr. Michael wanted to do the surgery as soon as practical. So we agreed and the procedure was scheduled for Sunday morning at 9:30.

The actual operation is not too complicated and the impression we get from the doctors is that it is fairly common. The procedure is to make a small incision on the left side of the chest, go through the rib cage, push the lung out of the way a bit and place a small metal clip on the open duct to pinch it close. The whole thing takes about thirty minutes start to finish with most of the time spent identifying exactly where the clip needs to be placed. The biggest risk is that a nerve to the vocal cords runs down and through the same area as the duct and occasionally when this procedure is done that nerve is damaged. This happens in about one out of 4 to 5 times.

We arrived at the NICU Sunday morning at 8:00 and they were starting to prepare Aiden for surgery. They had moved him from his incubator onto a radiant warmer and were placing an arterial IV into his left arm. After twenty minutes we were asked to leave so they could switch Aiden’s nasal CPAP out for a ventilator. Fifteen minutes of waiting later we came back in and Aiden was intubated but having trouble getting stable. For an hour the respiratory therapist worked on Aiden’s settings and vent tube placement and finally was able to get it placed in such a way that Aiden was stable. The x-rays showed that Aiden’s lungs were probably starting to stiffen as a result of the PDA.

Meanwhile, Dr. Fox, the pediatric cardiac surgeon, arrived and went over in detail the procedure and associated risks with us. We signed the consent form for surgery and went back Aiden and Evan’s bed side to wait some more. We were told the operating room staff was tied up with other procedures and that our 9:30 procedure would be done at 10:30. At 11:00 the OR staff started to trickle in and began to prepare. At 11:15 we had to say good bye to Aiden and Evan and went out to wait in the NICU waiting room.

About thirty minutes later one of the nurses came out and told us that Dr. Fox had finished the procedure and that they were awaiting an x-ray to see if Aiden looked okay. Fifteen minutes after that Dr. Fox came out and told us everything had gone well. When he placed the clip on and closed the PDA, Aiden’s blood pressure changed right away indicating that the clip was blocking the blood flow as intended. We then got to go back into the NICU and see Aiden again. Aiden has an incision on his left side about a forth an arm length down from his armpit. The metal clip that Dr. Fox installed will be in Aiden for the rest of his life and should not cause any issues.

Since the operation Aiden has been sleeping off his anesthesia on the radiant warmer. We were warned that Aiden will likely have a rough couple of days following the surgery as his body recovers. This afternoon, X-rays showed that his lungs were not fully inflating so they have placed him back on the oscillating ventilator to try to expand them back out. He will probably be on a ventilator for a week. His feedings have been put on hold as well for a couple of days and he will be getting his nutrition through the IV. Hopefully, these set backs will be temporary and Aiden can get back on the growth track soon.

Evan is doing well still and continues to improve on his oxygen needs. He likes to be on his belly and has gotten down to 30% oxygen in this position. His steroid dosage is being stepped off and his last dose will be on Wednesday.

Here’s a couple of pictures from the last few days.

Aiden having skin-to-skin time with his mommy.

Evan and Janel’s hand.

Aiden before his operation.

Aiden after his operation. You can see the incision on his side.

Aiden and Evan - 8/21 with photos

2009-08-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

We have had a few really good days in the NICU. Yesterday, Evan was weaned from his high frequency ventilator to a conventional ventilator. He tolerated it really well. Later in the day, they were able to turn off the nitric oxide. Then, finally, around midnight of last night, Evan was extubated from his ventilator and placed on nasal CPAP just like his older brother. He seems to be tolerating it very well. He now has to wear the stocking cap just like Aiden. Aiden is also doing well. David is having quality Kangaroo Care right now with Aiden breathing 21% oxygen (room air). Umm… he just saw me type that and had to get bumped up to 24%.

Both of the boys are tolerating their breast milk and are off of their IV nutritional support. That means that both boys were able to have their PICC lines removed. The breast milk is being fortified to 28 calories per ounce now with the Prolacta. Both of the boys are getting a whopping total of 5 ounces per day. Although it is a small amount, it meets their calorie needs. Aiden is up to 2 pounds 3 ounces and Evan is up to 2 pounds 5 ounces. We are very pleased with the progress that both boys are making. Hopefully, we are past the major hurdles. They still have a long way to go and need lots of prayers!

Evan off his ventilator and now on CPAP.

Aiden napping.

Aiden telling us to stop taking pictures.

Our other set of twins are feeling deprived.

Dixie

Molly

Aiden and Evan - 8/19 with photos

2009-08-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

The steroids are working! Evan has been doing continually better with his ventilation needs since Monday when he started dexamethasone. Currently he is doing well on only 32% oxygen, the lowest he’s been in a couple of weeks. We talked to Dr. Landers this afternoon and she said his response to the dexamethasone is exceeding expectations! Janel and I both just wanted to do a little dance when she gave us such good news – what a relief! Thank you to everyone for praying for Evan’s improved lung performance.

Aiden also has had some positive steps in the last few days. On Tuesday they removed his PICC line which they were using to give nutritional support. This is great news because the PICC line has a reasonable chance of causing infection when left in long term and, more importantly, it means Aiden is able to get all of his nutrition from Janel’s milk and the Prolacta they are mixing with it. One less tube/wire hooked up to Aiden! They said they might remove Evan’s PICC line in the next couple of days if he continues to tolerate his feedings. He threw up most of one of his feedings Sunday night so they are being a little more cautious with Evan.

To celebrate the good progress made in the last few days, here are a few pictures of the boys.

Evan 21 days old.

Aiden asleep at 21 days old.

Aiden’s a happy looking boy! (23 days)

And Evan’s a sad boy. (23 days)

Evan’s 25 day old foot.

Evan holding hands with Janel.

Aiden at 25 days old. He likes to put his arms up.

Evan doesn’t like the light too much and will start squinting when you remove too much of the incubator cover.

Aiden and Evan - 8/16

2009-08-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

It’s been a few days since our last update to the blog so Janel and I thought we better drop down a few lines before we headed back home from the NICU.

Evan’s overall condition has not improved much over the last several days. His oxygen needs have been up and down a lot but seem to be centered on 50%. Today we came in and found him up into the 70s which is the most we have seen him on yet so we are a bit discouraged that maybe he is not making the kind of progress we were hoping for.

The doctors all seem to agree that giving Evan steroids is the best course of action now as the risk of not taking them is probably greater than doing so. So, we have agreed to start Evan on steroids on Monday. He will be on dexamethasone for one week and we should see results in the first two or three days if they are going to do anything. As for the risks, we will just have to wait, pray and see what happens as Evan grows up.

There is little research on the impact of taking dexamethasone after the first week of life. The doctor pointed us to read about the DART study which attempted to compare a group of 35 infants that received dexamethasone versus a control group that didn’t. From what I got out of it, they did not detect an appreciable difference but the results were just about meaningless. The dosage and overall health of the participating children varied so much it is impossible to say how their outcomes would have differed had dexamethasone been delivered or withheld. It really just goes to show how much of our medical care is guess work and it is really by the mercy and grace of God that any of these children in the NICU go on to have normal lives. So, let’s just pray that God takes care of Evan and protects him from any of the possible harm that might be done.

Not much new to report on Aiden. The gas in the stomach issue that popped up earlier last week has not reappeared. They tried to take him off the CPAP on Friday but unfortunately he only made it about an hour before his blood saturation levels dropped too low. It’s encouraging to know that Aiden is doing well enough that they are trying to wean him.

Both boys have grown a bit. Aiden is up to 2 lbs 2 oz and Evan is 2 lbs 3 oz. Evan is now getting 14 mL every three hours, and Aiden is up to 13mL every three hours.
Janel and I made it to Sunday school this morning for the first time since the boys arrived and it was good to be back. We can not say enough how much we appreciate all of the loving support and concern they have showed us over the last three weeks. And the same also applies to so many people, many whom we don’t even know, who are praying for the health of our boys. Thank you and please continue to lift Evan and Aiden up in prayer.

Aiden and Evan - 8/12

2009-08-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

The boys have had a good couple of days since the last post. Evan’s oxygen needs seem to have stabilized and he seems to be doing well on about 50% oxygen. It is a major relief for Janel and I that he is no longer going up in his needs. They gave Evan more surfactant yesterday morning and started mixing a little nitric oxide into his air supply and this seems to be helping. His puffiness has started to go down noticeably from where it was on Monday and he is looking all around better. Hopefully he will continue to do well and outgrow his ventilating needs before too long.

Aiden continues to perform like a champ. He is looking healthy and moves around quite a bit which is fun to watch. His eyes have been staying open for longer periods of time and he seems to do a good job at looking at you when you watch him. The only issue that has come up with Aiden is too much gas in his stomach. This probably came from his ventilator which is always pushing air into his nose. They lowered his ventilator pressure and inserted another tube into his stomach to allow it to vent and this seems to be working. He looked pretty bloated this morning and this evening he is about back to normal.

Janel and I have gone into work every day so far this week. Our routine is to get to the NICU around 7:30 in the morning, head to work around 9, and then come back to the NICU in the evening after the 7:30 evening shift change. This seems to be working out okay and we are not too sleep deprived (though I think Janel’s breast pumping keeps her a bit more deprived of sleep than I am).

As always, thank you for all of the prayers. God is listening and is helping our boys!

Aiden and Evan - 8/10 with photos

2009-08-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Not much news to report tonight on the boys. Aiden continues to do very well and Evan is still struggling with his breathing. Evan needed 60 to 70 percent oxygen in his ventilator in order to stay at proper blood saturation levels this morning, which is very high in comparison to Aiden who is in the low 20’s. According to the night nurse, they were able to lower him down into the 40s during today but it is still a lot of up and down.

We talked to the doctor about Evan’s condition this morning and he tried to reassure us that Evan is still on a course that can lead to a normal healthy outcome. However, at the same time he started to layout what actions could be taken in the event Evan’s chronic lung disease continues to worsen. To sum it up, there is not much they can do. The course of action for now will be to continue to monitor Evan’s blood saturation levels and adjust ventilating as needed. The hope (and usual outcome) is that Evan would continue to grow and his lung’s new growth would allow him to breath on his own. If his oxygen needs continue to increase they will consider giving him steroids, however doing so would increase his chance at getting cerebral palsy.

Needless to say, Janel and I both are very worried about Evan’s condition. It was a good thing that we both went back to work today. Staying in the NICU watching the blood saturation monitor all day is emotionally draining. Our hearts sink every time Evan goes below 80 and anytime any of the alarms in the NICU goes off (there are so many alarms!) we look to see what his monitor says. It probably is for the best we get out of the NICU for a while.

It had been a while since we had taken some pictures of the boys so when the respiratory therapist changed Aiden’s cap we had to get the camera out.

Janel holding Aiden up.

Janel holding Aiden again, this time you can really see Aiden’s dark hair.

The nurse suggested we take a picture of Aiden with our wedding rings. Even Janel’s size 3.5 ring is a loose fit for Aiden.

Here both of our rings are resting on Aiden’s left foot.

I felt bad that Evan was missing out on all the fun so I tried to take a few pictures of him. Unfortunately we don’t want to stimulate him so his oxygen needs will be as low as possible. Since the light seems to bother him I had to shoot under the blanket so the pictures are not the best. Nonetheless, you can still see how Evan looks a little swollen with excess fluid. The big metal thing on his right arm is to protect his arterial IV line they have placed in him.

It’s hard to see our boys not looking comfortable and it’s been a few days since Evan’s really looked happy. Please continue to pray that God provides strength and comfort for both Evan and Aiden so that they might grow into normal healthy little boys.

Aiden and Evan - 8/9

2009-08-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Over the last 24 hours, Evan’s lungs have continued to worsen. He is now requiring more support on his ventilator. The doctor said that his chest x-ray shows some signs of chronic lung disease, which will most likely mean he will be on the ventilator for longer than expected. He is also quite puffy since he is holding a lot of fluid around his lungs, a side effect of the indomethacin he was on for his PDA. He is sedated, so he is not opening his eyes as much. It is very difficult to see Evan like this, as just earlier this week he was doing so well. The doctor has said that the chronic lung disease could last for days, months, or years. It all depends on the next few days and how well Evan’s lungs will recover once the excess fluid is gone. We are praying that this will only be a very temporary thing.

Aiden is doing very well. David had skin to skin time with him tonight. Aiden continues on his nasal canula for breathing. He still wears his stocking cap all the time to keep his nasal canula in place. Both boys are tolerating their small volume feedings well.

We had several visitors this weekend at the hospital. It really helped to break the monotony of the hospital. Tomorrow, David and I will return to work. It will be interesting to see how that goes. We will try to get a visit in before work and then a long visit in the evenings. I will try to come some days on my lunch break as well.

Please keep the boys in your prayers, especially Evan’s lungs. Both boys need lots of prayers right now!

Aiden and Evan - 8/7

2009-08-07T19:59:00.001-07:00

The last 3 days have been a roller coaster. Evan’s breathing continued to worsen. With his poor breathing, his oxygen saturation was very low, and he had too much carbon dioxide in his blood. This morning, we arrived at the NICU at 8:00 to find Evan being placed back on the oscillating ventilator. This felt like we were taking three steps in the wrong direction. David and I left in tears to go to my doctor’s appointment. When we returned later in the morning, Evan was more stable on his new ventilator and his blood gases were much improved. He still has some haziness in his lungs, but seems much more comfortable. Aiden had a good day. He did have some episodes of desaturations, but overall has been pretty stable.

We spoke with Dr. Landers this afternoon. Evan had an echo for his heart this morning. His PDA is closed! What a relief. The boys also had brain ultrasounds yesterday. Aiden, who had previously had Grade 1 and Grade 2 hemorrhages, now has a completely normal reading. Dr. Landers had the results rechecked because she said this is impossible (it’s called a miracle). Evan, who previously had a clear reading, now had some areas that look a little abnormal. Dr. Landers said it is probably nothing to worry about, but it will be rechecked again in 2 weeks.

So, it continues. Problems solved and new problems arise. Please continue to pray for Evan and Aiden, especially Evan’s lungs, his new abnormal readings on his brain ultrasound, and that both boys’ PDAs will stay closed. We are so grateful for all of the prayers!

Aiden and Evan - 8/6

2009-08-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

The boys have had a rough couple of days since the last posting here. On Wednesday morning we talked with Dr. Creswell and he had heard a murmur while listening to Evan’s heart. They did an echocardiogram and found that Evan had a medium opening in his ductus arteriosus (a PDA), the same condition they had treated Aiden for earlier in the week. As a result they put Evan on indomethacin to try to close the opening. Today Dr. Creswell could not hear the murmur which could mean either the opening has closed back up or it has opened so fully that it no longer resists the blood flow enough to cause a murmur. They are going to keep Evan on the indomethacin until tomorrow and do another echocardiogram to check the progress.

Both boys have had some issues with their breathing. Aiden seems to be doing better today but Evan has been up and down on his blood saturation levels for the last two days. He’ll be in the 90s for a few minutes and then fall off into the 70s or lower for a minute or two and then come back up. The nurses have increased the percentage of oxygen they are giving to help keep it up. Dr. Creswell says the desaturation could be caused by the indomethacin which has a side affect of stiffening the lungs making breathing more difficult for Evan or it could be that the PDA valve is preventing his blood supply from flowing through his lungs correctly. The constant up and down motion of Evan’s oxygen saturation is staring to fray our nerves a bit and does not help our fear that Evan’s opening has gotten worse instead of better.

Because of Evan’s PDA, they did not let us do kangaroo care with him yesterday or today so Janel held Aiden. Evan has been looking agitated the last few days which probably correlates with his blood saturation issues so keeping him undisturbed is probably best.

Some good news is that both boys are slowly starting to do better with their feedings. The residual they are pulling back up on their feeding tubes from both boys is no longer the dark green goo it was before and they have increased the feeding amount from 1.5 mLs every four hours to 2 mLs. Also, Evan finally decided to open up his right eye so he no longer looks like a one eyed pirate.

Please keep praying for Aiden and Evan.

Aiden and Evan - 8/4

2009-08-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

The boys had another good night and not much has changed on their status. We talked with Dr. Creswell today and found out that Evan’s kidneys are filtering out too much bicarbonate as a result of not being mature. They can compensate this by giving him more until his kidneys start working better. The result of this right now is that Dr. Creswell is going to keep Evan on his ventilator longer before trying to wean back to the nasal prong.

Yesterday we started doing skin-to-skin contact with the boys. Janel held Evan yesterday and David held Aiden and today we swapped so that we have both now held each of the boys. We got to hold them for about an hour and a half today. Here are some pictures of the holdings:

Here the respiratory therapist and nurse lift Evan off his bed and carry him to Janel.

Janel holding Evan to her chest.

Our first family photo! Janel is holding Evan and David is holding Aiden.

David holding Evan.

Janel holding Aiden.

And here are a couple more pictures of our little guys:

They took Aiden’s cap off to give him a bath (wipe down) so we got to see his dark hair for the first time.

Evan’s our little pirate with only one eye open.

Aiden and Evan - 8/3

2009-08-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

The boys are doing very well today. Aiden had another echocardiogram this morning that showed his heart murmur is smaller. He is going to get one more dose of medicine for his murmur today and then a repeat echo in a couple of days to make sure it is completely closed. Please continue to pray for Aiden’s little heart! Evan continues on the conventional ventilator, and the doctors have said that they will most likely continue this throughout the week. Both boys increased the volume of their feeds by a small amount and seem to be tolerating them a little better.

David and I got to hold our sons for the first time today! We both had to take off our shirts and hold the boys directly on our skin. The nurses call it “skin to skin” time. I held Evan while David held Aiden. Evan did very well. He grimaced when the nurses took him out of his little warm house (incubator), but he fell asleep as soon has he was placed on my chest. Aiden did fairly well. He had a little bit of a hard time keeping his breathing constant, but he fit very comfortably in his Daddy’s chest.

Aiden also had his first “bath” today, which means that we got to see his head for the first time. He has dark hair and dark eyelashes. Evan, however, has blond hair and very light eyelashes. Aiden is opening his eyes more and more everyday. Evan is still our little pirate, opening only his left eye. His right eye is still fused shut.

David’s family came into town on Saturday evening. It was very nice to be able to show Evan and Aiden off! They left this afternoon, and my mom went back to Oklahoma today as well. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family.We really thank everyone for your prayers and support. This is a very difficult time, but also a very happy time as we watch two little miracles grow and develop.

Aiden and Evan - 8/2 photos

2009-08-02T13:13:00.001-07:00

Here's a few more pictures of the boys...

Aiden at six days old.

Aiden with his legs crossed and saluting.

Here is Aiden with the bilirubin light turned off and his eye mask removed. He was really looking around and got a good look at his Mommy and Daddy.

Here is Evan at six days old waving hi to the camera.

Evan seven days old. You can really see the blonde fuzzy hair he has on his head in this photo.

Evan with his left eye just barely opened.

And Aiden at seven days old peaking out.

Evan’s little six day old foot.

Aiden and Evan - 8/1

2009-08-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

The boys had a good night last night. After having their feedings stopped last night because of the green goo that was being pulled back up, they restarted this morning. Evan is doing well with the feedings but Aiden is still having a little bit of green goo issues.

Evan’s left eye has started to open up. He was kind of squinting with it when we were visiting this afternoon. Hopefully we can catch a photo with it open wide.

Both boys are currently off of their light therapy. They look much more at peace without the bright light shining at them. The nurses have put blankets over the incubators which make it dark for them.

In times like these music is sometimes the best way to express the way you feel. Perhaps then it was meant to be that the radio has started playing a song by Kenny Chessney (with one of my favorites Dave Matthews) called I’m Alive. I’ve copied them here below:

So damn easy to say that life’s so hard
Everybody’s got their share of battle scars
As for me I’d like to thank my lucky stars
thatI’m alive, and well

It’d be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you sat and watched go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me, I’m alive

And today you know that’s good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing can’t you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I’m alive, and well
I’m alive, and well

Stars are dancing on the water here tonight
It’s good for the soul, when there’s not a soul in sight
But this boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I’m alive, and well

And today you know that’s good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing can’t you see
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
Now I’m alive, and well
Yeah I’m alive, and well

Aiden and Evan - 7/31

2009-07-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

The biggest news today is that they did an echocardiogram on Aiden’s heart and classified his murmur as moderate to severe. Because of this they are going to go ahead and start Aiden on medicine to help the valve start functioning properly. The medicine they use is about 60% effective at correcting the issue and will take several days to work. We should know in about five to six days if it is successful. The downside is the medicine decreases blood flow to the organs and could have some side effects.

Other notes for the day:

- Evan is still on the conventional ventilator and has been doing much better with it. Aiden continues to do well with his breathing.

- They started giving small feedings to the boys today but had to stop again because they are still bringing back up the green bile.

- I (David) changed my first diaper tonight on Evan. As soon as we got the dirty diaper off he started peeing again and peed all over the ointment the nurse has just applied.

- Our friends James and Liz stopped by this evening to visit the boys and us. It was nice to show off our new additions to our friends and we appreciate them visiting.

We also would like to give thanks to our good friends JoeDale and JoNell for brining by Rudy’s barbeque the other night. We have had the pleasure of making several meals out of their generous gift.

I’d also like to give thanks to Janel’s mother, Mary, for helping us out all week. Her presence has made this week much more bearable for us.

And as always, thank you to everyone who has lifted our boys up in prayer over the last week. We could not have made it this far without God’s loving hands helping us. Please continue to pray for Evan and Aiden.

Aiden and Evan - 7/30

2009-07-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

This was one of those roller coaster type days that they had warned us about earlier in the week.

Janel and I arrived today to find out that both of our boys were not doing as well as they had been on their breathing. They did the sonograms this morning and this probably wore the babies out. Evan had had few apneic spells and they had to increase the oxygen levels back up some. Also, Evan had another attempt at putting his PICC line in but again his little veins wouldn’t take it. We think that Evan has Janel’s veins and is a “really hard stick”.

We then talked to Dr. Landers, the neonatologist, who gave us the wonderful news that Evan’s brain sonogram showed no signs of bleeding and that Aiden only had two little spots of bleeding. Aiden has a level one and a small level two (lower the better) bleed in an area normally filled with fluid and not in any of the actual brain tissue. There is little chance that the size of the bleed will increase and should actually decrease as Aiden’s body reabsorbs the bleed. Dr. Landers said the probability of a level two bleed becoming problematic is only 20% and Aiden’s was on the smaller side of level two. She sounded optimistic that Aiden wouldn’t have any problems from his.

Dr. Lander’s also informed us of another potential concern with the boys. The blood vessels in the retina of the eye are in the process of developing right now. There is a 20% chance that these vessels may not develop correctly and the result could be as minor as a lazy eye or serious as blindness. The most critical factor is the controlling of the blood oxygen saturation levels. If the vessels receive too much oxygen while they are developing, they will not do so completely. This is why (or at least one of the reasons) the monitors start beeping any time the oxygen level goes above 95%.

The other news from Dr. Landers was that they are going to try giving the boys some of Janel’s milk again. As of this evening, both boys are getting feed every four hours and so far they seem to be taking it well.

Around 5:30 PM today Janel got a call saying they were placing Evan back onto a ventilator. I guess his blood saturation levels were not staying up high enough. They have replaced a tube back to his lungs and are using a normal ventilator. We are a little disappointed that Evan had to go back on a ventilator but we were warned early on that they would probably have to go back on ventilators several times.

Janel and I are holding up fairly well through all of this though there are times when the enormity of all of this hits and you can’t help cry a little bit. Knowing that so many people are praying for our little boys really is comforting and we can not express our thanks for this enough.

Aiden and Evan - 7/30

2009-07-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi! It’s finally Janel…

First of all, I am very grateful for all of the prayers and support that we’ve gotten since our big surprises on Saturday. We are so grateful to have such great family and friends. My sister and Mom were able to come down Saturday night. Then, my Dad flew in on Sunday. They were such a big help to David and I. And, of course David has been wonderful through all of this. I am so blessed!

I can tell that the boys are getting stronger every day. Last night, we heard Evan cry. He does not like to have his diaper changed! The nurses have started log-rolling Evan, so he was on his side for quite a while yesterday. He really seemed to like this! Evan likes to squirm. I think he is going to be feisty, which is kind of weird since Aiden was the kicker in my belly. Aiden is doing well too. He likes to stretch and grab a hold of his tubes. We found out yesterday that he most likely has a heart murmur. So, please continue to pray for them!

The boys have not gotten to have much of my milk yet. They have not been tolerating the tube feedings. Hopefully, they will get lots of it soon, because our refrigerator and freezer are filling up fast. It really gives me comfort to provide at least that for them. They are getting their nutrition through their IV right now, but hopefully will be able to use their feeding tubes soon.

We have been going to the NICU twice a day, in the morning/afternoon and in the evening. We have been running circles since I came home on Tuesday. I guess we had better get used to it, because it won’t slow down for the next 18 years.

Please continue to pray for Aiden and Evan. They need lots!

Aiden and Evan - 7/29

2009-07-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

We got some worrying news today about Aiden’s heart. One of the nurses started hearing a murmur in his heart. One of the valves in his heart is not closing yet which can result in improper blood flow into or out of the lungs. It sounded that this is not too uncommon in babies this age but usually it will close on its own in the first several days. To help Aiden out, they are going to give him some medicine which usually will make it start closing properly. They are going to see if this works over the next four or five days. If not, Aiden may have to have a surgery to correct the problem.

Since both boys are having issues taking and digesting milk, they want to use a new formula that uses concentrated breast milk called Prolacta to mix with Janel’s breast milk. Studies so far on Prolacta show that it is less likely to cause intestinal problems because it does not use any cow’s milk. Janel knows all about this stuff and seems excited that they will get to use it.

Still no sign of infection in the samples they have growing in the lab which is encouraging. The boys are still on antibiotics as a preventative measure.

Both boys are still doing well on their breathing. No signs of apnea yet.

After trying twice yesterday to place the PICC in Evan they decided to place a PIV in the back of his head. The PIV is more or less the same as an IV and they will still need to get the PICC placed. I’m not sure if they will try again tonight or wait till tomorrow.

We were warned today that it is not uncommon for babies as young as our boys to go through a slump after about two weeks of life. We’ll have to wait and see what happens and hold on as best we can.
Today when we were visiting the boys the nurse turned Evan onto his side. He seems to really like being on his side as this made him sit still and look less agitated. It also allowed us to see the back of his head for the first time. The fuzz there thickens up into blonde hair which you can see in the photo above. I can’t wait to see the boys with out their stockings on.

Aiden and Evan 7/29 Photos

2009-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

A few more pictures of our tough little men…

Aiden at two days old with Janel’s hands. We are allowed to touch the boys some but have to be careful not to stimulate the babies too much. On the second day, Aiden and Evan were both under light.

Here is Evan at two days old. Notice that both Evan and Aiden have different breathing tubes than they had on day one. The orange tube going to the mouth is for their feeding and goes all the way down to the stomach.

Evan at three days old. Both boys are really looking better. Most of Evan’s bruising has diminished and the skin is looking thicker on both. According to the nurses, Evan actually had a little better skin than Aiden and that it was not as sensitive.

A closer look at Evan’s face. Evan’s eyes are still webbed shut at this point but should open up in several days. That's Janel’s hand, which helps put the size in perspective.

David’s hand next to Evan’s left foot. What cute little toes!

Aiden at three days old. He is still under the light but the nurses turned it off for a few minutes so they could take his eye cover off for us.

Here’s a close up of Aiden’s face. He has opened his eyes but usually keeps them closed. According to the nurse, the pigment in the eye that gives it color has not filled in yet.

Evan and Janel.

Aiden and Janel.

Janel and one of the nurses changing Aiden’s diaper. Both boys get agitated and move around a lot more when they are wet. Less than a minute later, Aiden had already wetted himself again!

Aiden is in the incubator on the left and Evan is on the right.

The money shot. This is one of the diapers that the boys are now wearing. At first they actually were wearing them like a normal baby would (see day one photos) but they stopped strapping them on because they rubbed their umbilical cord. They now just sit on one and use gauze padding to absorb their urine.

Aiden and Evan – 7/28

2009-07-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Janel came home today! We were discharged and left the hospital at 2:30 today, although we will still be here enough that Seton will seem like a second home. We are both really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight!

Janel has continued to increase in her milk production. She was able to get a full 2oz this afternoon at one of her pumpings. We’ve rented a breast pump to use at home and Janel will have to use it every three hours or so around the clock.

The boys continue to do well. They are both still off of the high speed oscillating ventilators and have not shown any signs of significant apnea – a very positive step in the right direction. I talked with one of the respiratory specialists and got a better understanding of what the differences are between the ventilators and how our boys lungs are developing. As I understand it, the boys lungs are already developed. However, when in the womb the lungs are full of fluid which comes out at birth. At 25 weeks, the lungs do not yet have a lubricating coating to prevent them from sticking to themselves. To correct this, the doctors gave the boys surfactants, which give their lungs a thin coating of lubrication allowing them to expand easier.

The ventilators that they are now on apply a continuous amount of positive pressure into nasal passage (the previous machines had tubes all the way to the lungs) to help keep them expanded. Also, the new ventilators give longer, shallower breaths at the rate of twenty times a minute that help keep their blood saturation levels higher. However, both Aiden and Evan are breathing on their own at their own rates so in that respect they really are breathing on their own.

The most exciting thing to report today is that Janel and I heard Aiden cry for the first time! I’ve never heard a baby’s cry sound so good. The nurses also mentioned that they have also heard Evan make crying sounds.

Other notes from the day:
- Aiden has had his first bowel movement. Still waiting on Evan to get going here. Apparently it is normal for it to take several days for this to start going.

- Aiden got his PICC placed into this arm (no, I don’t know what PICC stands for or if it is even really an acronym). This is essentially an IV that goes into an artery near the heart. They tried getting Evan’s PICC placed twice today but failed to do so. They will try again tomorrow.

- Both Aiden and Evan are having some issues with bile coming up from their intestines into their stomach. They have tried giving they boys some of Janel’s milk and when they pull back on the feeding syringe to see if they have taken the milk they got green stuff. This is apparently normal in babies at this age and given a little time, their digestive systems should start going the right way.

Aiden and Evan 7/27 photos

2009-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos that we have taken so far:

Here is Evan at one day old. He is under a bright light to help lower his bilirubin which his bruising is likely increasing.

And here is Aiden at one day old. The plastic that is over him is to help keep the humidity level next to his skin up. Both Aiden and Evan are inside incubators which help them regulate their body temperature.

Evan's little foot.

Aiden and Evan – 7/27

2009-07-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

One of our first questions we had for the neonatologist was what kind of chance the boys have at a normal life. According to Dr. Creswell, all the research he’s seen shows that babies born in the 24-25 week range have a survival rate of 80%. Of the babies that do survive, only 35% have any kind of handicap as a result of being premature, which means there is a slightly better than 50% chance that our boys will get through this without any lasting issues.

During the first several days of life, the biggest concerns are infection, lung development, and brain hemorrhage.

The risk of infection is present in all new born babies as they have been relying on the mothers immune system for protection. For premature babies the risk is even higher. Immediately after birth, both Aiden and Evan were given antibiotics to help fight any infection that has or may occur. So far, no signs of an infection are present in either Aiden or Evan.

At 25 weeks gestational age, the lungs are not fully developed. While they are capable of exchanging oxygen, the structure of the alveoli is not fully developed and the lining inside the lungs that help protect them from infection is missing. In addition, babies this young are at an increased risk for apnea, which is where the baby essentially forgets to take a breath. Immediately after birth, both Aiden and Evan were placed on a high speed oscillating ventilator. This machine pushed a small amount of air in and out of their lungs 15 times a second. The result of this is that you could see their little chests vibrating, which looked like it would be hard on them but, according to the doctor, is thought to be the gentlest way to deliver air. To help keep blood oxygen levels up, the air provided by the ventilator is mixed to a higher oxygen level than normal air.

So far Aiden has progressed a little better than Evan with regards to lung development. They were able to reduce Aiden’s oxygen content down to 21% (normal air level) within the first day. Evan took a little bit longer but also has been able to get down to normal oxygenation levels. The doctors use x-rays to see how well the structures of the lungs are developed and fill with air. Aiden’s x-rays have been looking clear, which from what the doctor says is good. Evan’s x-rays have shown that his right lung is clearer than his left. If all goes well, this should get better with time.

This morning, Dr Creswell decided to try to wean both Aiden and Evan off of the high speed oscillating ventilators and onto ventilators that assist in their breathing but allow Aiden and Evan to do most of the work of taking breaths. Doing this is somewhat trial and error. They remove the oscillating ventilator and use blood oxygen saturation levels to monitor how well the boys are doing.

Both Aiden and Evan are breathing on their own! The oxygen content of the air is elevated to help out but they are able to breath by themselves. We are so proud of our little fighters!

The third big worry at this point is brain hemorrhage. During the first 72 hours after birth babies this young may have bleeding in the brain. This bleeding can fill in around the voids inside the brain and prevent the brain from continuing its normal development in these areas. The result of this depends on what part of the brain the bleeding occurs in and the severity or amount of bleeding. Any bleeding that does occur opens up the possibility of mental retardation so we are very worried about this. Dr. Creswell has told us that it’s about a 50-50 chance that there will be some bleeding in babies this young. Typically there are no visual clues that bleeding has occurred unless the bleeding is very severe. Furthermore, there is little that can be done to relieve the bleeding as they are too young to undergo any kind of surgery or to even have a needle inserted to relieve pressure. The only way to tell if bleeding has occurred is to do a sonogram of the head. Because there is nothing that can be done if bleeding is occurring, this is not done until the period of greatest risk has passed. The boys are scheduled to get a sonogram done on Thursday so hopefully we will find out what we are dealing with then.

We’ve been asked the same questions by multiple people many times. I’ll attempt to answer some of those questions here:

Q: What caused Janel to go into labor? A: We don’t know. We asked Dr. Moreno this and she said there is typically no way of telling what causes a mother to start labor at an early date. We asked if the infection Janel had or the medicine given to treat it could have caused it and she said the infection may have played apart but she doubted this was the only reason and that the medicine, if anything, would have helped avoid preterm labor. She also stressed that it was not anything that Janel or I did that caused it. Personally, Janel and I think that the infection and medicine provided just enough stress to her very pregnant body to trigger some sort of survival reflex where her body decided it had to get rid of the babies. Friday her cervix was tightly shut and in less than 24 hours she was 5 cm dilated. So to us this seems like an abrupt decision her body made. I’ll be the first to say though we don’t really know what we are talking about here so take our explanation with a grain of salt.

Q: If the babies make it through the first X small amount of time will there chances of survival increase greatly? A: Does not sound like it. I’ve asked Dr Creswell these kinds of questions and the answer I’ve gotten is that there will be different things at different times that can go wrong. Right now we have the lungs, infection, and hemorrhage issues to worry about. Next week we will have a new list of things to worry about, and after that yet another list of thing, and so on and so forth. However, every day the boys make it and every day we can cross things that can go wrong off the list, the closer we get to getting through this okay. Unfortunately it does not look like an exponentially decreasing list of things that can go wrong but rather a linear progression.

Q: How long will they boys need to be in the NICU? Dr. Creswell has been very careful not set any false hope and expectation. The NICU is doing their best to simulate the environment the babies would have in the womb so it is reasonable to guess they will be there until they become full term, which is 15 more weeks in our case. However, they do not have a set amount of time they have to be in the NICU and the time here could increase if complications arise. The doctors will use the condition of the babies to determine when they are ready to go home. When we reach the point where we can do everything at home that the NICU is doing then we can take them home. We have been told by several people that it is not uncommon for one baby to be ready to go home considerably earlier than the other.

Q: What do the babies look like? A: I’ll post some pictures we’ve taken so you can get an idea for yourself. Their skin is very thin right now so they appear red in color. They both have bruising in spots from the delivery, especially Evan, though this is starting to go away already. Aiden appears further developed in the face. His nose is more rounded out than Evan’s (we think he has a Davis nose) and he is able to open his eyes. Evan’s nose is still somewhat sunk in and his eyes are still fused shut. Since Evan is longer and lighter, he looks thinner than Aiden. (We are all wondering how Evan got to be tall and thin as neither Janel nor I are very tall and I certainly don’t qualify as thin.) Evan has fuzz on his checks and chest that is real fine and hard to see unless you look close. We have not seen it for ourselves but the nurse says Evan has a little bit of blonde hair on his head.

Q: Is there anything we can do to help? A: The only thing we need right now are prayers. Janel and I really do appreciate all of the offers of help we have received. It truly gives us comfort to know that we have such a wonderful network of friends and family to help support us and Aiden and Evan. Janel will not be able to drive for 3-4 weeks due to her C-section, so she may be bumming rides to the NICU. Keep this in mind when reading the next question…
Q: Can we visit the babies? A: Yes. Two people at a time can be in the NICU to visit the babies. However, outside of grandparents, either Janel or I have to be with the second person.

Janel’s Progress

2009-07-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

Janel has done very well recovering from her c-section. The first night she was on enough pain medicine that most of the evening was a blur for her. Janel’s mother, Mary, and sister, RaChel’, arrived Saturday night from Oklahoma and provided much needed emotional support for Janel and me both. Around 10:30 that night the nurse showed Janel how to operate the breast pump. Even at such a young gestational age they will give the babies breast milk in the first couple of days as there truly is nothing better for them. It was a blessing that Janel was able to pump 5cc on her first try. I think it provided some comfort for Janel that she was able to provide breast milk, which really is the only thing she can do for the babies in a direct way at this point.

At four in the morning, the nurse came and helped Janel get up out of bed for the first time and clean her dressings. After that was done we got Janel into a wheel chair and we both went up to the NICU together to see our boys together for the first time. While it was somewhat overwhelming to see their small bodies hooked up to so much equipment, both Janel and I were comforted to see them. All twenty toes and twenty fingers were present and both Aiden and Evan were actively moving their legs and arms. Seeing them move reminds you that though they are small they are alive. And, though there are many scary obstacles to overcome in the next several months, there are so many things that are already right to be thankful for. Aiden and Evan truly are special gifts from God.
The following day, Janel continued to recover. Her IV and catheter was removed in the late afternoon and by the end of the day Janel was up walking around some without help. On Monday, Janel was feeling even better. She has been walking around all day without any problems and could probably be discharged if the doctors would let her. The breast pumping has continued to be successful. She was able to get nearly 30cc this morning and more than 35cc this afternoon.

The Birth

2009-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Janel started having contractions around 2:30 am Saturday morning. Being only 25 weeks we both thought these were cramps brought on by a prescription that Janel had started taking the night before for an infection. However, as the morning progressed the pain associated with the cramping intensified and Janel called her obstetrician, Dr. Hansen around 10:00 am. Dr. Hansen advised us to go on in to the hospital to be checked out.

We arrived at Seton Medical Center around noon. Dr Moreno was the obstetrician on duty and examined Janel and found her to be 5 cm dilated. Upon discovering this they began giving Janel magnesium sulfate through her IV in the hope that this would reduce the amount of dilation and allow the babies to stay in the womb. Dr. Berry, our perinatalogist, was contacted and informed of the situation. After 30 minutes of this treatment Dr. Moreno measured the dilation at 6.5cm and she and Dr. Berry decided to adjust the levels of medication in hope that labor could still be avoided. Unfortunately, the next time Dr. Moreno measured the dilation it had increased to 7cm. At this point Dr. Berry decided it would be safest to get the babies out as opposed to continuing to let labor progress in hope the dilation would go back down.

Nearly immediately after the decision was made to give birth, Janel was taken to the operating room for her c-section. Because of the urgency, Janel was placed under complete anesthetics and I was not allowed to be in the operating room with Janel. However, they did allow me to wait outside in the operating area where I was able to see them carry the boys from the operating room to the NICU prep area. It could not have been more than five minutes between when they moved Janel into the operating room and when Aiden came out at 3:45. Two minutes later they rushed Evan to rejoin his brother in the prep room. From my spot in the hall way I could see the nurses and doctors huddled around each of the boys. There was a lot of beeping equipment and flashing red lights as all of the supporting equipment was brought up and connected. It was perhaps the most helpless feeling I have ever felt to watch my boys in the first minutes of their lives fight to stay alive.
After about 15 minutes, they allowed me to go into the neonatal prep room to see the boys for the first time. I couldn’t get a good look at Aiden but was able to get close enough to Evan for a good look. Because Evan was below Aiden in the womb, they had a harder time getting him out. As a result Evan had quite a few bruises on his arms and legs where they had to grab a hold and pull. On the portable incubator they had Evan in was a clock that showed the amount of time passed since birth. Evan was 19 minutes old. After a couple more minutes in the prep room they rolled both Aiden and Evan to the elevators to go up to the NICU and sent me off to the waiting room until Janel was stabilized in the recovery room.

Welcome to the World

2009-07-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

On July 25th Aiden John Funkhouser and Evan Robert Funkhouser were born at 3:45 and 3:47 in the afternoon at Seton Medical Center in Austin Texas. Janel was 25 weeks and 1 day on the day of birth.

Aiden weighed 1lb 12oz and was 31.5cm in length. Evan weighed 1lb 9 oz but was longer at 33cm. At 15 weeks early, the boys will spend the first several months of their lives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit here at Seton Medical Center.

Janel and I will try our best to post updates on this blog as a means of keeping all of our extended family and friends up-to-date on the boys status.

Love,
David and Janel