First Family Pictures

Not much in the way of new news to report this morning but mom did stop by yesterday and took some family pictures now that we can get both babies out and near each other.  The kids are doing well today but no new big milestones have been achieved since yesterday's update. 

Both babies are having to deal with an increase in food consumption that is challenging but they are managing pretty well.  We need to get more and more food into them so they can continue to grow. 

We continue to have an excellent experience here at MCV with top notch nurses, doctors and everyone else that we come in contact with.  While having to spend time in the NICU is not ideal, we couldn't imagine our babies being in better hands.  Here are the family shots:

Am, Izzy & Seth - Day 6 Update

Sorry it has been so long since the last update.  I have sat down two days in a row to write this but both times ended up distracted and never managed to get it completed.  A lot has transpired since the last update but it feels like a blur.

Am was released from the hospital Tuesday and is doing well.  She feels good and is able to manage the pain pretty well with the Motrin.  She still has a lot of fluid hanging out in her body but we are slowly watching it drain away.  We walked what had to have been close to a mile to lunch yesterday which is great for being just 5 days removed from the C-Section.

Izzy is doing fantastic and is progressing really well.  She came off the respirator on Sunday and is now breathing just room air with no respiratory struggles.  She moved from getting all of her nutrition by IV to getting part by IV and part orally (breast feeding or bottle) to now receiving 100% of her nutrition orally.  Unfortunately today she just wasn't taking as much milk as she needs to meet her chaloric intake so they did have to put in a feeding tube (like Seth has had).  She did pick up the breast feeding instantly and also does great with the bottle.  Izzy was on a bilirubin blanket all day Tuesday to help stave away jaundice.  Her levels did drop but they look like they are back up a bit so we will likely have her back on the blanket tomorrow.  You can see a picture below of her chilling on the blanket (along with her stylish goggles).  When we came into the room this morning we found that Izzy had been moved from the incubator to a crib!  This was an awesome surprise as it means Izzy is another giant step closer to being ready to go home (plus it makes it a lot easier to kiss her on the forehead whenever I want!).

Seth is also doing really well and is progressing along just slightly behind his sister (I like to think he is being a gentleman).  Izzy came off the respirator on Tuesday and has been donig a great job of self regulating his breathing.  He is still on the IV but was able to move to taking some nutrition in orally (in addition to a feeding tube like Izzy).  He too picked up breast feeding really quickly and has done a good job with the bottle.  Seth has struggled a little with digesting all of his food but he seems to be getting better and better.  Seth was on the bilirubin blanket the same time Izzy was and was able to come off at the same time.  He actually seems to be doing better in this area than his sister and he may be able to avoid going back on the blanket.  Seth is still in the incubator but the temperature has been turned way down and he should be out in a crib in the next 24 hours.  Both kids seem to be happy babies thus far and they love to snuggle.  We are having an absolute blast with them.  No word yet on when they will be able to come home we are hopeful that it will be in the next two weeks.  Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts and prayers!

(Here's Am holding Seth for the first time.)

(Here is Izzy striking a pose on her bilirubin blanket.)

(Seth looking quite happy in mommy's arms.)

(Izzy holding Am's finger and refusing to let go.  She is a sweetheart!)

(And here is our beautiful Izzy with the respirator tubes out and before they put the feeding tube in.  She is precious!)

Am, Izzy & Seth - Day 3 Update

It is Sunday morning and we are sitting back in awe over the progress that both Am and the kids have made in the past 38 hours since their birth.  Yesterday Am was able to get off the magnesium and the epidural and move to ibuprofen.  That has helped clear her head and remove the drowsiness and yet still has managed the pain well.  Am is the toughest person I know and has done an unbelievable job at forcing herself to get up and move to relieve the gas bubble pain and to expel some of the fluid that was built up from the preeclamsia.  I remember after my kidney surgery how much I fought getting up...and how long I stayed on the pain meds.  Yep, she is WAY tougher than me!  Am looks fantastic and feels great!  She will likely be released either tomorrow or Tuesday.  Please continue praying for her as she still has a lot of fluid buildup, her blood pressure is still high and we are waiting to find out if her liver enzymes have come down.  Also pray for the separation anxiety that goes hand and hand with momma having to recover in a different wing of the hospital than the kiddos.  I have the freedom to go back and forth but Am can only periodically visit.

Because the kiddos were so small, they were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for special care (part of the Children's Hospital).  They both had to go on respirators to assist with breathing and started out with their little chests heaving and with a lot of grunting.  It was hard to watch.  But through God's grace and some exceptional care from our NICU nurses and doctors, our little ones are doing so much better.  Izzy was actually taken off of her respirator yesterday and is breathing perfectly on her own.  Seth is going to have to keep his a while longer but is still progressing very well.  It is hard not to compare his progress to Izzy's and feel like he is behind but the docs are assuring us that he is doing much better than preemies typically do at his size (especially white males or "wimpy white males" as they refer to them in the NICU - they have the hardest time breathing on their own).

Izzy & Seth will likely stay in the NICU for at least another three of four weeks before being released to go home.  While we would love to take them home with us now, it is wonderful knowing they are in the very best hands.  We have been blessed with nurse after nurse who have loved on our babies and treated them as if they were their own.  I can't possibly thank them enough.  Last night Am was able to come down in a wheelchair to visit the kids and, despite her exhaustion, she decided to try to hold Izzy and to give her some skin to skin time.  Izzy knew right what to do, latched on instantly and received some of the great nutrition that Am plans to supply through breast feeding.  Seth isn't quite ready for that yet but he is receiving some of Am's milk through a feeding tube.  I got to have some good skin to skin contact with Seth while Am was holding Izzy.  They are so tiny but they are also so beautiful and sweet.  It was an awesome and uplifting experience that left us both in awe as to how we have been so blessed by being given these wonderful two children.  God could have given them to anyone and yet he chose us.  We have a great duty now to raise these kids up to bring Him glory!

Here's our handsome boy Seth Patrick:

Love how he has his hand around the pillow.

He kept peaking out to see if anyone was looking at him.

Seth has crazy hair!

This was the stretching Am was feeling all night every night!  Seth loves to stretch out!

And here's our beautiful girl Elizabeth Katherine:

Tell me that is not the cutest face ever!

Check out those little toes!

Izzy has a good head of hair - think how long it would have been if she made it to 40 weeks!

Izzy Says "look everyone, no respirator!"

And just for fun, here is my first attempt at changing Izzy's diaper:

Presenting Elizabeth Katherine & Seth Patrick

Ladies & Gentlemen,

May I proudly present our two absolutely perfect children, Elizabeth Katherine born at 6:44 and weighing 3 pounds 11 ounces, and Seth Patrick born at 6:46 and weighing 3 pounds 14 ounces.  Mamma and babies are doing absolutely perfect.  Am was fabulous and has a massive smile on her face as she visits with family and friends.  Thank you all for your prayers and support!  I will post more pictures and more of the story tomorrow after things settle down some.

Here is Seth (on the left) and Izzy (on the right):

Here's momma and me back in her recovery room.  Doesn't she look great!

It's Almost Go Time!

We just learned that the doctors' plan is to go ahead with the C-Section tomorrow afternoon (not sure what time yet).  Am's liver enzymes are on the rise so the docs decided not to wait until next week.  So at this time tomorrow we will hopefully be posting pictures of our precious babies!  Thanks in advance for all of your prayers tonight and tomorrow!

Am went yesterday for an ultrasound so they could determine the babies' current weight.  They found that our girl is up to 4 pounds 6 ounces but our boy is lagging quite a bit behind at 3 pounds 15 ounces.  The ultrasound machine at the hospital allows you to get 3D ultrasound shots and Am got a cool one of our boy.  Unfortunately our girl was very shy yet again and was hiding her face with her hands.  But here is one last ultrasound shot of our boy before you get to see pictures of them on the outside!

Update on Am - Preeclampsia

As many of you have heard, we have moved to the next phase of Am's pregnancy.  Am had been fighting a persistent headache for three straight days which prompted her to check her blood pressure (that would be the nurse in her).  Am's blood pressure is always perfect so it was alarming when she found that her BP had spiked significantly.  She wisely called Labor & Delivery at MCV and they instructed her to come in immediately.  I met her at the hospital and they proceeded to do some tests.

They quickly determined that Am likely had preeclampsia.  Three of the main symptoms for preeclampsia are high blood pressure (check), bad headache (check) and an increase in swelling in your hands and feet (check).  They did a quick test and found protein in her urine which is another sign of preeclampsia.  That led to a 24-hour urine test that was the final confirmation and Am was officially diagnosed.

So what does preeclampsia mean for our pregnancy?  Well, the only way to get rid of preeclampsia is to deliver the babies.  We are at 34 weeks and 2 days which is past the point when the babies' lungs are considered mature enough to be completely ready for life on the outside.  But every day that can go by with them still on the inside gets them a little more developed and equipped.

Right now Am is only mildly preeclamptic so the risk level is not very high.  So the docs have decided to monitor Am and the babies very closely but to try to make it to as close to 36 weeks as possible.  So Am has been admitted to MCV and will be staying here for the remainder of the pregnancy.  They will check her blood pressure every 4 hours and will periodically check the babies' heart rates.  If either indicate the risk level has increased, they will move forward with the delivery.

As of yesterday the babies were still not cooperating in terms of position as both are still positioned with their heads to the side.  While it is really cute that they have been side by side with their heads together through the whole pregnancy, they seem determined to make Am deliver by c-section.

So we are now playing the waiting game.  I am doing my best to work each day but always have my phone by my side and I find that I jump up every time it rings.  People are commenting how odd it is that I answer on the first ring.  Am is continuing to be a trooper and her spirits have remained relatively high.  Obviously we both have some anxiety but we are trying to put our worries behind us and leave everything completely in God's capable hands.  Thank you for your continued prayers!  I will do my best to keep you updated as we progress.  Regardless, it won't be long before we will be introducing you to our son and daughter!!!  We love you all!

Josh & Am

Philadelphia Baby Shower

This post is very late in coming but I made the mistake of taking a ton of pictures at the baby shower.  We have been crazy busy and I have repeatedly put off post processing the images.  Fortunately today is a slower day for us and I knocked the pictures out while watching a movie with Am.  So here goes.

We were invited up to Philadelphia for a baby shower for Am hosted by Am's cousin, Noreen.  The original plan was for it to just be for the women so us guys were going to have to go out and find our own fun.  But last minute the party was expanded to include us so I was able to pull out the ol' camera and document the fun.

Noreen did an unbelievably awesome job as we had great decorations and delicious food.  Dave & Noreen's house is a fantastic party location both inside and out.  Here is a look at some of the decorations and food:

(Yep, that's a cake made of diapers - very cool!) 

(Check out these handmade creations!)

 (These were the cool give-aways.)

 (Aren't these cute?  Kathleen is very talented!)

And we had an awesome turnout.  Seems like almost all of Am's family on both her dad's side and mom's side were there.  That was the greatest gift of all as we got to visit with everyone.  Here's the gang:

And we were spoiled absolutely rotten with awesome gifts (thank you everyone!).  Here's Am opening away:

(Love this one - both Am and Mamma Breen have their mouths open in awe.)

 

(Am had lots of helpers with the presents.)

Here are some miscellaneous shots from the party:

(We played lots of wiffle ball!  Drew showed us how to hit.)

We will close with some shots of Pappa Breen getting some good baby practice.  He is going to make a fantastic grandpa!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for the baby shower and thanks for all of the wonderful gifts.  And a massive thanks goes out to Noreen and Dave for pulling it all together and opening their home for the party.  You guys are the best!!