Izzy & Seth are Home!

Today was the big day for Izzy and Seth as they were released from the NICU and finally allowed to come home after a three week stay at the hospital.  They had both experienced two straight days of strong weight gain with Seth now weighing in at 4 lbs 3 oz and Izzy at 4 lbs 1 oz.  The docs felt that was good enough to release them (and we were certainly not complaining!).  Funny thing is that we were targeting 10-11-12 as the kids birth date (since we were married on 9-10-11) but we ended up getting it as their coming home day!

It was somewhat bittersweet in that we really have fallen in love with the professionals in the MCV (VCU) NICU.  The nurses treated our babies as if they were their own and the care they received was amazing.  I expect a lot when it comes to health care but this far exceeded my expectations (I plan to attempt a more appropriate thank you post to the NICU folks down the road).  It was hard to walk away from that top notch care but, at the same time, it has been awesome to be home where we can begin to get into a routine and not have to live out of suitcases.

Please be praying for us as we now assume care for the twins 24/7.  Thankfully we are surrounded by loving family and friends who are helping us at every turn.  Pray that God will give us the stamina to keep up with the demands of caring for two newborns and that He will give us wisdom as we make decisions that affect the twins.  And please continue to pray for physical growth and good health for the twins and for Am (ah, just the good health part for Am - I don't think she would appreciate you praying for physical growth for her).  Thank you all for praying for us so faithfully over the past few weeks.  We cannot thank you enough!

Here are shots of Seth & Izzy their last morning in the NICU:

We decided to dress the babies up in their snazzy Halloween costumes to exit the hospital.  Our primary nurse since moving over to the healthy baby side of the NICU dreamed up this parting shot:

The twins went on a goodbye tour of the NICU.  We had a lot of different nurses care for the twins and even more stop by regularly just to see them.  They have been quite popular so it was nice for them to get a chance to say goodbye.  The first shot is of the twins with Marty (the primary nurse I mentioned above) and then with a group of nurses and NPs.

And then it was time to hit the road.  The twins did fantastic in their car seats and slept the entire way home (a 50 minute drive so not a small accomplishment for their first trip).  But as you can see below, the seats tower over them.  We actually had to go out and buy a different set of car seats this week as the ones we purchased a few months back have a minimum weight of 5 pounds.  Fortunately we were able to find a couple with triplets who were selling the 4 pound minimum version on Craigslist.  Craigslist has been a Godsend!

We arrived home to balloons, a freshly mowed lawn, groceries in the fridge, and a clean house thanks to Am's dad and my mom (Am's mom has been living out of a suitcase with us in Richmond so she could be with Am every step of the way).  And then Drew showed up and made enough chili to last us a long time.  We are well cared for!  Here are the twins taking in their new house (even if they are peering through the back of their eyelids).

It is so great to be home after four weeks of hospital adventure.  Thanks again to our parents who have been so supportive through the past few weeks, to Drew and Kevin for providing housing, food and lots of visits, and to everyone else who has played a part in the story, whether it be through visits, shower gifts, other acts of service or prayers.  We love you all!