Bye-Bye Monitors

Tuesday Addyson and Braden saw the pediatrician. He discontinued their monitors and Braden's oxygen! We were so happy to take off their "bras" (that's what we called the strap and leads that went around their chests for the monitors) and leave the equipment at the home health place. So the kids are 100% wireless! They are so much easier to move around and take care of. It is wonderful! Ryan and I were talking how this is the first time ever that they haven't been hooked to a cord - even when they were in utero they had umbilical cords so this truly is their first experience without wires!

We were just a little bit nervous overnight since we're used to relying on the monitors to beep if they don't breathe. So we're just paying extra attention and when you're as sleep deprived as we are you can sleep no matter what so we weren't as worried as we thought we might be.

At their appointment Addyson weighed 5 pounds 5 ounches and Braden weighs a wopping 9 pounds 1 ounce! Addyson is 18 inches long and Braden is 21 1/4 inches. They're both growing! They're both filling out their clothes pretty well. Addyson is getting too long for some of her preemie clothes but there is plenty of room in the tummy - she is so skinny! Addyson has been spitting up big amounts so we get a new medicine to try and hopefully that helps her gain even more weight. We go back next week for another weight check.

Both kids are sleeping really good at night. They've learned to fuss during the day now so they keep us on our toes! Braden has started being a mama's boy over the last week - he loves to snuggle. Addyson seems to be able to entertain herself pretty well - she just fusses and wants to be held when her reflux is bothering her which is totally understandable. Boy am I thankful for bouncy seats and swings!!

That's the update for now!

Big Girl!

Addyson had her checkup yesterday and she weighs exactly 5 pounds! She gained almost an ounce a day since her last appointment. So the doctor was pleased with that and so are we! She is eating more, spitting up less, and apparently gaining weight! We have another checkup next week to make sure she is continuing to grow. We also hope to get the ok to ditch the monitors at that appointment!!! Neither of the kids have had any apnea alarms since their shots so that's awesome!! Braden has been eating without oxygen and doing well so that should be gone also.


We continue to work on eating - both kids are showing good improvement over the last week or so and that is encouraging to see! We have taken a couple walks outside in the stroller and it gives me a chance to get outside so we are really enjoying that and are thankful for the beautiful weather we've been having! And Ryan is excited to finally be able to get in the fields and get some work done!

Due Date

Today was our due date - May 12! Addyson and Braden are 10 weeks old today - but really their adjusted ages are zero. Kind of a weird feeling - we knew there was no way we would have made it all the way to the due date but it still is a big landmark for some reason!

The kids had their 2 month shots yesterday and their checkup. They are of course in the less than 1%. They did really well with their shots - lots of initial crying and screaming but the tiredness from the doctor's visit and the Tylenol put them right to sleep and they slept most of the day. When they were awake they were a little cranky but not the 2 screaming, hurting children I had imagined! Braden is growing like crazy and doing great. Addyson isn't gaining as much weight as they'd like so she gets more MCT in her milk and we go back next week for a weight check. We will have to do something more for her if she doesn't gain well again this week so you can pray that she would pack on some pounds! She is eating plenty as far as actual ml's so that's not a concern - it's just not showing weight gain so we'll see what this week brings.

So far there have been no apnea's since the shots. There was a good chance the stress of the shots would make the monitors go off a lot but so far none! And the pediatrician says we'll reevaluate in 2 weeks and see how the kids are doing but we might be able to get rid of the monitors. We are looking forward to that day!

We are so thankful that we are all doing so well - we couldn't have imagined that Addyson and Braden would be so healthy by their due date back in January when the complications first started showing up. God is definitely good!

Crazy!

Life at our house is crazy these days! Addyson and Braden are a lot of fun but so much work! They eat every 3-4 hours and if I am feeding them both on my own the entire process takes between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Lately we've been closer to the 1 1/2 instead of the 2 hours so I get a few extra minutes for laundry or napping! If Ryan is around we each take a baby and it speeds up my process by about 30-45 minutes so that is nice! Braden is still on oxygen when he eats and they both still have monitors. Addyson's monitor has never gone off - Braden's goes off for apnea about once every other day. But by the time you can get to him he is breathing and doing fine so they're not true apneas that require any intervention so it's really nothing to worry about. They are getting to be a nuisance to lug around when moving about the house and they beep a lot because of loose leads which means you get to unwrap and undress the baby and wiggle things until it stops so that is getting old. We are looking forward to the day that we are wireless!

We had our weekly checkup at the pediatrician on Tuesday and Braden weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces! He gained 11 ounches in 8 days - he is growing like a weed and starting to feel heavy!!! Addyson weighed 4 pounds 10 ounces. She gained 4 ounces in 8 days or 1/2 ounce a day. The doctor would like to see her gain more like an ounce a day. She spits up quite a bit so we got some medicine to give her to see if that will help with the spitting and help her weight gain. They have also been getting some MCT oil mixed in with their milk to give them extra calories and we doubled the amount that Addyson is getting of that in hopes she'll grow faster!

We are realizing how fast we can go through diapers and wipes and how good we are at making burp rags, blankets, and clothes dirty!

Although we have some work to do on eating, Addyson and Braden are really pretty good sleepers. At night they go 4 hours at a time without much fussing at all. And during the day they're pretty easy to get along with. They are more patient than I ever thought they could be while the other kid is eating. We have our moments where there are 2 babies screaming but they are few - they really are great babies!

So although life is crazy busy and during the 3 a.m. feedings we are feeling exhausted, we still are really enjoying the kids and getting to know them better and better. Addyson has the most beautiful big blue eyes. She eats when she wants and she won't open her mouth if she's not ready no matter what you try! And then will give you the funniest smile when you're the most frustrated with her. Braden loves to sit in the boppy while he waits for his sister to finish eating. He just hangs out looking at the world and giving the biggest smiles. He is so noisy whether he's eating, burping, or farting - he's all boy!! And they both love to be held and will cuddle up to you. We are so blessed to have them. If you're looking for things to pray for - you can pray that Ryan and I would have patience - with the kids and with each other, this becomes more difficult the more tired we get! The biggest challenge continues to be to teach them to eat better and consistently gain weight; we're on the right track but just have a long way still to go!