Thursday, September 17, 2009

Moving in Fast Forward

Okay, so yesterday they were moved to all bottle feeds. Well, today when we went in at 11:30 they had already been evaluated by the Nurse Practitioner (which happens at some point every day), and they were already promoted to bottle feeds every feed amount as tolerated. The last step in the process for them to come home. Basically they put more than their minimum amount in the bottle and let them eat as much as they want, as long as they still finish their required minimum.
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They both did fantastic and completed all of the extra that the nurse put in the bottle-which I think was an extra 10cc's. So I asked to speak to the NP to see how long they had to stay on this regiment before they were allowed to come home. The NP came over and said, well if they do good for the rest of the day and through tonight, then they can go home tomorrow. What? WHAT? Tomorrow? REALLY?? I was beyond excited and I was not expecting her to say that AT ALL!!! SO SO SO THRILLED at the thought of bringing my babies home!!! Now, there is still a slight possibility that they will not finish all of their bottles, but I really doubt it. Good thing we threw in Ava's old car seat for them to test Ella in. We also packed Owen's new one in the car so that we could exchange it. (I started reading some bad reviews on the one we had picked out for him, and they all complained about the same thing so I decided to return it.)
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Ava's old car seat failed their tests, so we had to leave and go buy two new car seats. Ava's car seat was a little too big, and the straps wouldn't tighten enough. At this point I will pay any amount to get my babies out of there. So after lunch we headed back to the hospital with two new car seats. They had just finished another full bottle each-which just reassured me that they would be coming home tomorrow. They also scheduled Owen's circumscision for later that day. I was so sad I would not be able to stay and be there with him to comfort him after it was all done. :( My poor little man.
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Soooo, tomorrow morning all they have to do is review the car seat tests and review their eating from the night before, go over care for the babies and for Owen's circ, finish up some paperwork and we should be on our way. I can't believe they are coming home two weeks to the day that they went into the NICU. I feel like I have missed out on two whole weeks of bonding time with my babies. I know it is going to be hard, and a lot of work, but I am so looking forward to getting to know Owen and Ella.
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This may be my last post for a couple of days until I can figure out a schedule for the family. Wish us luck!!!
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Mommy and Owen

Ella completely passed out drinking her bottle. Hehe!


Notice anything different?? They also got their feeding tubes taken out!! She still has a little bit of tape on her cheek in case you were wondering. I am SOO looking forward to them not having a million tubes connected to them!

Maybe one of the last pictures of them in their NICU crib together. Bittersweet.
Ella in Ava's old car seat. It is crazy how small they look in their seats.


4 comments:

Alana said...

Yeah!! I can't tell you how excited I am for you guys! Let us know if there's anything we can do to help out.

Lesli Archibald said...

They are beautiful!!!! So glad they are doing well!

The Macha Family said...

Congratulations, Lauren! They are so beautiful. What precious little blessings. I am sorry they had to stay in the NICU, but what great news that they will be home soon. You are doing such a great job already and I know you will figure out what works for you guys at home. If you need any advice (not that I really have a clue), let me know!

Chris said...

I am tearing up just thinking about how well these babies are doing! Best wishes for a smooth transition to the house. I am thrilled for you guys, your first time in your home with your family complete. :)