Getting Close...

I was so exhausted yesterday that I couldn't bring myself to get on the computer and post a blog. The hospital I delivered at offers something called a courtesy room for parents who have babies in the NICU-and I stayed in one last night. Basically if they have an open hospital room we can stay in it for free. It was amazing to be able to spend so much extra time with the little ones. With the two hour round trip drive from our house to the hospital, I usually only get to stay for one feeding before I have to leave to get back to Ava. So, I really enjoyed seeing so much more of the babies, and getting some time to myself between feeds. Since I am a nursing mother, I can still order room service when I am staying in a room as well. (Not sure if I mentioned this in an earlier post, but my hospital actually offers room service. There is a menu for breakfast, lunch & dinner and you just call in what you would like to eat and they deliver it to your room. The food still isn't that great, but it sure beats being delivered a tray of mystery food.)

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So much has changed with the babies since I last blogged. Yesterday they were switched to the bottle, bottle, tube schedule and did great on it. They finished all of their bottles. So today they were moved to all bottle feeds. YES!! I have been looking forward to them getting to this point for so long. I really hope that they are strong enough now to finish each bottle every three hours. They hadn't been evaluated by the doctor before I had to leave today, and after they were the doc gave me a call. I believe she said that if they do well on this schedule for 48hrs then they would be able to come home. I am not getting my hopes up quite yet, just in case I misunderstood her (I was woken up from my nap when she called so I could have been hearing what I wanted to hear) ;) .

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She said that we needed to bring their carseats up there so that they could be tested sitting in them to make sure there are no problems with the fit and that the babies don't have any breathing problems while they are in them. She also asked if we would be rooming in the night before they were released. It is not mandatory, but they offer a room with a large king size bed for parents to stay in the night before they go home just to make sure they feel comfortable taking the babies home. You also still have their NICU nurse at your disposal all through the night just in case anything comes up. I don't think we will be doing this, but I am still going to talk it over with Jamie.

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Just having the doctor talk to me about these things really makes me think that they are getting super close to coming home. I mean they could be here by this weekend!! Again, trying not to get my hopes up, but it is SOOO hard. Today I had my first real breakdown leaving the hospital. I literally had to force myself to start the car and pull out of the parking lot. I almost went right back inside to stay for another feeding. I think being able to stay the night and spend so much extra time with them made it that much harder to leave them. I really haven't had good quality time to bond with them. There are always nurses looking over your shoulder and checking in on you. Granted all of the nurses have been wonderful, I just want them ALL TO MYSELF!!

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I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day. It is just getting so hard to leave them knowing they are so close to coming home. In the beginning I knew in my heart that they needed to be in the NICU, now my heart knows that they need to be home. I hope tomorrow I will have more positive news. ;)

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Jamie didn't spend the night with me at the hospital, but we did have a wonderful date night before he left. We went to our favorite restaurant-Z Tejas-and had the BEST dinner. It may be the last dinner we have alone together for a long long LONG time. Don't even know when we will be able to eat out as a family...two carseats and a high chair for Ava??? Yikes, we are going to have our hands full. Anyway, we held hands, talked, just really enjoyed our time together. I have the best husband in the whole world...don't know how I would have made it through the pregnancy without him, and would be a complete mess these past two weeks with the babies in the NICU if he wasn't by my side. Love you Jamie! Look forward to our next date night in about a year. :)

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Sister yesterday...pretty in purple. She looks like a little doll.

Daddy holding Owen...thinking he is trying to tell me something. :)
Snuggling with little sister. She is so content after her bottle.

Pic from today. Not sure if you can tell from this pic, but they are really starting to fill out in their faces. UGH I can't wait to get these two home!!!