Has it really been that long?

This seems to be the question that I find myself asking several times a day lately. Here are all of the things that that question pertains to:

Has it really been that long since.......

....Chris & I got married?
....I moved to Texas?
....I taught fifth grade? (they officially graduated from highschool this week. Congrats!)
....May 11th? (our sons' birthday)
....I taught first grade? (here is a picture of some of the first graders at our wedding. They are now going into 7th)
....I visited the boys? (it was only last night at 10pm, but a few hours feels like forever sometimes!)
....I blogged about the babies? So sorry about this one! Keep reading for their update. It's a good one! We will post pictures this weekend.

Update on Sullivan & Cam (June 4)

They are both recieving fortified food. That means that they add a little extra calories (a total of 24 I think) to their one ounce of food every three hours.) Come on chubby cheeks!
Sullivan weighs 3lbs 6.5 oz.
Camden weighs 3 lbs 6.1 oz.

We have started non-nutritive feeding. Basically, this is where I begin to start getting them used to what it will be like to be b. fed babies. This is their practice round. So far they are both doing great! Sullivan has taken to it a little better, but Cam is doing great also!

The temperature in their isolette continues to get lower. This is great because it means that every day they are maintaining more and more of their own body temperature. This will get them ready to be in an open crib.

Sullivan has another blood test/count today to see the status on his need for a blood transfusion.

They continue to be the two cutest baby boys ever! We can't believe how much we love these little guys!

Weekend update

Saturday was a pretty awesome day for us! We got to hold our boys "like babies", where we could just sit and look at their sweet faces. It was also their first day in clothes (which is why we didn't have to hold them "kangaroo style" like we had been). Although they are getting big (both Sullivan and Cam are over 3 lbs now), they still seemed so very tiny in our arms. It was such a great moment!

The boys continue to do very well! The nurses continue to lower the temperature of their isolette; the goal is for them to regulate their own temperature without the help from warmed air.

They continue to enjoy the company of one another.

Sullivan hasn't needed a blood transfusion as of yet. Although his red blood cell count is still low, his "re-tic" count is showing that his body is trying to make its own red blood cells. (way to go buddy!). The doctors will check his levels again on Friday.

Both boys are big eaters now! They are each up to one ounce (30cc) every 3 hours and handling it well.

On Sunday, the little guys got to have their tube moved from their mouths to their nose (although they didn't enjoy that process, it is much more comfortable for them now.)

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Holding Sullivan and staring at his sweet face.

Sullivan trying to decide if he liked it better "in the buff"?......

Bright eyed boy...(Sullivan)

Snug as a bug in a rug........

Monkey see, Monkey do. (or maybe we were all being too loud?)

Here is a video of Sullivan going to town on his little paci. They upgraded paci's from the mini size to the bigger (mini) size. I think he likes it.

Warning!!!! This is SUPER cute!

So there have been a lot of really cute posts of our little boys, but I now officially have a favorite (well, next to the day that they were born). Yesterday the boys got to be moved back together to share a womb room with each other. It was so sweet. We were able to catch the moment of their reunion.

....when we stopped back in later that night, we actually caught them holding hands. So sweet!

In addition to their cuteness, everything else is going well. Both boys are on "full feeds" (which means that according to their weight they are getting the maximum volume of food) and their digestive systems seem to both be working properly. Yeah for that!

There are a few continued prayer requests. Thank you for praying specifically with us for these milestones (forgive the non-medical explanations):

Sullivan might have to get a blood transfusion. Many preemies require this, but we would like to pray that it is not necessary. His brain has not reminded his bone marrow to produce red blood cells just yet (because he is still so young). Although there are some small signs of this red blood cell production, the medical team would like to see the count a little higher. Please pray that on Saturday/Sunday when they check his blood again, his system would be producting the cells the he needs.

Camden's belly still looks a little "loopy and distended". Basically, you can see little tiny valleys on his belly...those are his intestines. His belly (bowels) still sound good and he is going to the bathroom, but the swollen belly is something to continue to keep an eye on. This can lead/be a sign of infection and we wish to pray against that!

Thank you so much! We love hearing your comments and love sharing our miracles with you.

Happy Memorial Day...thanks to those who served our country for our freedom!

15 days old

I have always heard parents say things like "they grow up so fast". Yesterday was Sullivan and Camden's 2 week birthday. I have to just post a few pictures that reflect the amazing progress that they are making. We are so thankful for the daily progress that they continue to make. We are thankful for the nursing staff who are not only knowledgeable but also loving. We just love these little boys so much and can't wait to bring them home with us.

Here is a picture of Camden on day two of his little life.

Here is a picture of Camden on day 14 of his little life. Look at those bright eyes. He is very alert and likes to just look around and try to make sense of his surroundings. (He also loves to have his mouth wide open....its so cute :).

Today they took out Cam's IV. Both he and his brother are now IV free and getting all of their nutrients from b. milk. (Sully is on 28ml, which is is almost an ounce (ounce = 30 ml) and Cam is on 24 ml).

(Since I had pictures of Cam today...tomorrow will be Sullivan's day. Stay tuned for some pictures of Sullivan James tomorrow.)

Note to readers: We have had lots of people ask us about the song on our video. It is called A Mother's Prayer, by Rachel Aldous. There is a really sweet YouTube video with the song playing. Absolutely beautiful.

In love....times two!

Yesterday I had the surprise treat of being able to hold both babies together for the first time. I must admit that it was way harder than it sounds/looks. It didn't last very long because Cam was pushing his little arms and legs out and Sullivan was sliding down. They are still so tiny that I still am not sure how to handle them with confidence....not yet at least.

It was amazing to look down and see "my boys" laying on my chest. I can't wait to have many more moments like this.

(disclaimer: I should have titled this: in love times three...because I didnt think I could love my husband any more but seeing him with the boys is just so amazing. I am one lucky lady!)

the boys first 2 weeks of life in video...

So I created a video for Cheryl to show at baby showers in light of the fact that the baby's are already here. We thought it would be great to have something to share since they won't be able to make the showers. So here's our video...

Today...

So today I officially changed 2 diapers almost all by myself. I needed some serious coaching...but we got through it. Sully and Cam I'm sorry if they are on backwards. I'll get better. :) Sullivan is still eating and "expelling" like he was born for this. So that's great news. Cam is just starting to eat better. But he's still not figured out the "expelling" part of everything. I tried to tell him that he can only eat so much before it has to come out. So please keep praying for the simple things to get to working inside of Cam. We'd love to wake up in the morning to hear the great news. Its been 2 days since he did his last "do" (and that was with a little medicinal intervention). So he really needs to "do" it again.

Cheryl and I spent the afternoon with them and got to hold them again. That's always just a special time for our new family. So here are a few pics from the past couple of days.


So we wanted to share one of the monitors that we watch all day long. This is Sully's screen showing amazing numbers! The first line is the heart beat, the second is the breath's per minute, an the third is the oxygen saturation in the blood stream. The numbers show that Sully is doing great.


This is Camden's monitor also showing GREAT numbers.


This is Sully sucking on his fingers. He rotates through all 5. Always a surprise.


This is a happy mom who is holding one of 3 most important things in her life (Sully, Camden and ME :) )

This is Chris taking on the diaper changes. That is an intense and focused look. Error during this process can result in much larger "messes".


And this is how our boys spend most of their days...covered to keep it dark and private. This is Cam's "crib".

Here's Sully's "crib"



Not to be too voyeuristic...but here's a short clip of the time we get to spend with our boys when are able to hold them...