19 days old

We took the twins for another check up today and we received a surprise...Tate weighs 7 lbs 1.5 oz and is 19 3/4" long. That's an increase of 1 lb 5 oz and 1/4" since birth!! Not to be outdone, Tara weighs 6 lbs 8 oz and is 18 1/2" long. She had an increase of 1 lb and 3/4"!! The doctor was pleased with their progress and we were happy to know why they have been waking up every 1 1/2 hours for food!!

All is well...

Not to jinx things, but everything is going really well around the Keesee house. The babies are getting stronger every day. They are eating over 2 oz per feeding now! They stay awake a little longer each morning and yesterday we tried tummy time...without much success!! Gage is going back to preschool a few days per week and Aubie is working a few days too. It's great to get back to a somewhat normal schedule! I've attached pictures from this weekend.

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and the twins go for a check up Thursday. I hope everyone has a great week and we will update again soon.

Babies first check up

We took all 3 kids for check ups today...can you say chaos??? Who knew getting 3 children clean, dressed, fed and in their carseats in a timely manner would be so crazy!!! But we made it to Dr. Mettry's office 5 minutes early and without any tears so I consider that a success.

Gage has grown 3 inches since May and has gained 2 pounds. He is a very healthy boy that is suffering from a case of allergies (making him cough and making Mom freak out!!)

Tate weighs 5 lbs 15 oz so he has surpassed his birth weight!! His circumcision is healing well and his jaundice is going down.

Tara weighs 5 lbs 7 oz. The doctor said that ideally babies will be back to their birth weight by 10 days old. They are 9 days old so they're doing great. Her jaundice is also getting better.

It's only been a week...

The past week has been a whirlwind. I guess now that we've had time to think about all of the events, it's a little overwhelming! First, we're lucky that we went to the hospital when we did. My blood pressure was 170/106 and I had 4+ protein in my urine. I had fluid collecting on my lungs. We arrived at the hospital at 7:00 pm and the twins were born at 9:40 pm...so while I tend to downplay most health situations (nobody wants to be a hypochondriac) I was fortunate that we received care before things got out of hand.

Second, we're so blessed to have healthy babies. Yes they had issues and spent 5 days in the NICU. Yes they might have a few hurdles to overcome in the next few months but they're home! They're eating and breathing on their own and I'm able to hold them anytime I want!! That is such a miracle. It was so emotional to see them in the NICU with breathing machines, IV's, feeding tubes and monitors attached all over their little bodies. But we always had the reassurance that they would come home. Our biggest question was "when" they come home...there were some families that we met that had the horrible question of "if" their baby would come home.

And finally, we have been humbled by the outpouring of support and love from our family and community. We never had to worry about our 4-year-old feeling left out or abandoned while we were at the hospital because Mamaw and Papaw went the extra mile to make him feel special and involved in the process. We had lots of visitors everyday that truly express a desire to help in any way. We have been eating like kings thanks to our church!! It's honestly an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so much compassion.

As for the babies, they are eating, sleeping, pooping machines!! They're eating approx. 35 cc at each feeding which is every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Tate is very much like Gage, very low key and laid back. Tara is starting to show her prissy side! She doesn't want it too hot or too cold. She doesn't want to be wet or swaddled to tight. Tate will cry when it's time to eat while Tara makes little noises all the time...they are the sweetest sounds ever!!

We're home and have pictures to prove it!

We came home from the hospital yesterday. It was great to get everyone in the same place. I wanted to get the pictures posted for all to see. Gotta run - babies need fed. I'll try to have Jackie update later.

From NICU...for the last time

This is Jackie...I'm finally ready to post again. Big thanks to Papa Aubie for all his updates. Actually he deserves a medal for all he's gone through. He's been taking care of me (and I'm admittedly very hormonal) and watching out for the twins and making arrangements for Gage. He's an amazing man and we're all lucky to have him in our lives!

Things change fast around the NICU. The twins are making amazing progress and we were discharged at 6:00 tonight with instructions to be back in the morning for follow up bilirubin (sp?) testing. Since it was late and we live 1 hour 45 minutes from the hospital they let us keep the twins in the on-call suite. So it's our first night with the babies! YAY! The test tomorrow are to monitor their jaundice. If the levels increase they will likely have photo therapy. If they decrease or stay the same they will likely have us return in a few days for more tests. Either way, we should be home, with all the kids, tomorrow!!!!

This has been a wild ride, to say the least. Things happened so quickly that some of the details seem hazy. And did I mention that I'm a hormonal mess?? It is so hard being away from Gage. We have felt so torn between staying with the twins or going home to Gage. So, I'm tired and very sore (did anyone ever tell you that the abdominal muscles are used in almost every movement???) and a little weepy. But very soon this will be in the past and will make a great story!!

Tuesday Update

Jackie is getting dismissed this afternoon. We are going to go home after the afternoon feeding and spend the night with Gage. In the morning, we plan to pack up and move to an extended stay hotel near the hospital. Tate and Tara are doing good - up to 20cc per feeding. They have their feeding tubes out and are nursing bottles. Hopefully their IV's will be removed tonight. They are in the same bed sleeping next to each other for the first time. It's amazing how much more content they are next to each other. I will try to talk the nurses into letting me take more pictures to post on here. The nurses aren't very camera friendly in NICU. Hopefully, in 4 or 5 days we will be able to take them home and get the herd all together. Thanks for all the comments and support. - Aub