Lela's Saturday Morning Scrub Down

Saturday morning, John woke with a mission to restore order to our slightly disheveled space. Did I happen to mention that he's the best husband and baby daddy ever? Anyway, we were definitely in need of the typical weekend vacuum and clutter control but he also collected five days worth of crusty burp cloths and spitty sleepers and swaddle blankets in need of a hose down.
                                                       
We had two crusty babies, too, one of which got tossed in with the laundry.










We used the delicate setting and skipped the spin cycle and this is what came out. Cute, huh? She smelled good, too.

Top 10 List: Signs of Success

10. We are sleep deprived, but not depraved.

9. We haven't called the NICU nurses to ask if we could bring the girls back... until their 18th birthday.

8. John returned to work part-time and Angel has survived a handful of feeding cycles in his absence.

7. We made it to our first pediatrician appointment; our first outing. We were even on time.

6. We shared pie and wine and laughs with visiting friends one evening. A major social accomplishment, even if we did talk babies the whole time.

5. Our reliance on NICU monitoring and procedures has waned; we haven't been tempted to place a feeding tube yet.

4. Our new motto: the family that burps together stays together.

3. Human waste has remained confined to appropriate waste collection areas (ie. not on the ceiling).

2. Tandem feeding attempts resulted in the actual transfer of some amount of food.

1. Kai hasn't tried to eat the small children.

Home At Last

Welcome Home, Cate and Lela!!

Since their birth day, which was exciting and shocking in many ways, today was Cate and Lela's biggest day yet. It started out much the same as every other day until they got their eviction notice from the doc. Things started to get weird when Mom and Dad began emptying the contents of hospital drawers into tote bags and then the photographer showed up and had them (Cate and Lela, not Mom and Dad) strip naked. Weird how all NICU rules are broken every time there's a photographer around. Monitors come off, clothes come off, and critters get to lie on the NICU floor together.       

                                                                                                                           

Then there were ridiculously large fleecy suits, big recliners with NASCAR worthy safety belts, cold breezes, a car ride, and an introduction to the furry three-legged family member who never visited in the hospital.

Finally, Cate and Lela moved into their new home... the big girl crib.

Based on our first few hours at home, our suspicions that the NICU staff mildly sedated the girls during their stay seems to be a real possibility. The flawless three hour feeding schedule that they were on is already in a shambles and Lela is not loving the "back to sleep" rules after sleeping on her belly for three weeks.

We're thrilled to be home. But it's going to be a long night...

"Are We There Yet?"

Not only did we not have to pull out the allowance threats, we didn't even get a chance to have our family meeting.

Lela has finished every bottle since yesterdays post! And to be sure that her efforts didn't go unnoticed, she yanked her feeding tube out this morning while the nurse was putting on her hat. No fuss, just a perfectly timed pull to send a very strong message.

So it's all bottles all the time for these two until they come home. It's easier to gauge how much they're getting that way and hopefully easier to ensure that they'll gain weight.

Visiting our daughters in the NICU is getting old. It's time to bring these small mammals home.

One Step Closer

Yesterday, Cate's gavage (feeding) tube was removed to see how she does feeding on her own. The verdict is still out, but we're hoping the next weigh in reveals that she's still packing on the pounds (or at least ounces). I'm thinking my newly adopted donut-only diet will surely help. In the meantime, it's just nice to see her sweet baby face without attachments.

Lela seems to think the nurses are playing some sort of practical joke with the bottle business; she'll only eat about half of her total feeding from a bottle at this point. We'll address her concerns in our family meeting this afternoon. If that doesn't work, we may have to bust out our "tough love" parenting strategies and let her know that her NICU bill will have to start coming out of her weekly allowance.

The Race is On

A bit slow out of the gates, Catherine and Lela are now neck and neck in the race to NICU graduation. Suddenly things are happening, and happening fast.





2/13 - Lela is off her IV. Notice those perfect tube-free hands.




2/14 - Both girls are maintaining their temperatures

with their isolettes set on the minimum 27 degrees Celsius.

2/15 - Cate and Lela are now maintaining their body temperatures in open cribs!

The first of two graduation criteria - check.

Nevermind that they appear to be bundled for their first great Everest expedition.

The one remaining criteria they both have to meet is to eat by breast or bottle only, while continuing to gain weight. Here Daddy is telling Cate that our house is just like Disneyland with the hopes that she'll finish this bottle. It didn't work.

We are open to suggestions; what's better than Disneyland?

Can't We All Just Get Along

All is well here. Catherine and Lela are making huge progress every day and John is a dream.

There's just one problem. My breast pump and I can't seem to get along. I wish this was a minor hiccup, but as a NICU mom who would like to breastfeed I need the pump to be my friend. 

I'm not sure if I've done something to upset it or if it treats everyone with this same disregard. I'm desperate and willing to do just about anything, but how does one find out what a breast pump would like. I use only loving words when I speak to it, take good care of it's parts, and have provided a safe and warm place for it to live. Maybe it would prefer more modern decor, or perhaps a shrine in it's honor. Maybe it's like a giga pet and needs to be fed, watered, and loved at certain intervals. Or could it be that this leased pump has an attachment disorder caused by frequent shifts in caregivers? 

I've searched the owner's manual looking for clues but it seems geared to mechanical ramblings only. I've spent countless hours doing google searches. Still no luck. I've found no hints as to how to win the heart of my pump. 

My pump and I have even been seeing a team of specialists. The professionals are equally troubled by our obviously strained relationship and fear we may be incompatible, but their parting advice is that we spend more time together. Really? MORE time? I must have left out some important details to have gotten such reckless counsel.

As in any difficult situation, I can only take it day by day. The pump does not need me the way that I need it, but I will continue to do my best to seek a peaceful coexistence. 

Wish me luck.... and if you don't hear from me in the next week, send me a sledge hammer.