How Precious

We have been busy moving home and enjoying our babies over the last couple days so haven't found time to update!



I was released from the hospital on Friday - we couldn't pry ourselves away from them until late in the evening. It was really tough to head home and leave them at the hospital the first night - they just felt so far away. But we can call for updates whenever we want and it is getting a little easier each time we have to leave them. We know that they are getting the best care possible but it just feels strange to be away from them. It is so nice to be at home and sleep in our own beds and Ryan found time to get outside yesterday and work some which he enjoyed after being cooped up in the hospital for days.



I am feeling so much better and am able to get around really well. I was concerned at how traveling back and forth to Wichita each day would go for me but I am feeling great - thanks in part to wonderful pain meds. I thank God for those!!! We did some quick shopping last night at Target and I got one of the motorized carts. Ryan was laughing so hard at me and my pathetic driving skills so he got some pictures of that. No one was hurt and I didn't run into that many things :)



We have started seeing the twins' personalities come through already and see how different they are. Addyson is quite the "charmer" according to the nurses. They were moved to a different spot in NICU so that they are right next to each other in the same "team" which makes it nice for mommy and daddy too and now they usually have the same nurse taking care of both of them. Addyson is right on the end and sort of in the front so everyone gets to walk by and see her . . . which she apparently loves. She is a hit with all of the nurses. She was so wide awake and playful that the nurses took a picture for us while we were gone. She is definitely following in her daddy's footsteps and has the nurses wrapped around her little finger (and mommy and daddy too). Braden likes things to stay the same so if you change his diaper or bother him he can get pretty upset which makes his breathing and heart rate not as good. But over the last couple of days he has made huge improvements and is recovering so much faster from his littls tantrums. He is super cute and loves to grab on to your fingers or just be "hand hugged". He changes the minute anything around him changes so other baby's crying or monitors going off seem to make him more nervous than his sister. It is so fun to "get to know" our babies - it is just such a different experience this way but we are really enjoying them.



Saturday we were excited to see that Braden's ventilator had been taken off! Braden is now on CPAP and Addyson is still breathing completely on her own! What improvement for both of them - we are so grateful to God for their breathing improvements and pray that especially Braden's lungs will continue to develop.



Saturday we bundled Braden up and daddy got his turn to hold him . . . and mommy held him for a little bit too. He really did well and seemed to enjoy it. The nurses in NICU are great to encourage us to be involved and let us help however we can. We take their temperature, change diapers, clean their faces off, help change their bedding, and play with them in their "boxes" as much as we want. They are both doing awesome.



As we start to learn other family stories in NICU we have a hard time being so excited ourselves. One of the couples we've been talking to got some bad news last night as we were heading home so we continue to pray for them and others. It is hard to not worry when we'll have our next bad day and just how bad it will be. Things went so well yesterday and we were so excited and happy heading out the door but running in to that couple hurting so much makes you have so many mixed emotions. We talk about how we just have to enjoy the good days and trust that God will carry us through the bad ones. He's holding us and our little babies so tightly in His hand and we feel a definite peace in the fact that He is in control. Now that the babies have arrived it is easier for me to imagine them crawling around the house, playing outside with the puppies, or helping dad on the farm. We have no idea what God's plans are for their lives . . or ours for that matter. But we know that He has it all worked out and whether we have good or bad days His plan is perfect. Please pray that we can be there for struggling families in NICU and be able to manage our emotions as well.

Daddy and Mommy holding Braden - - - >

Braden and mommy enjoy "skin-to-skin" time - - - - ->

Look out! - ->