One week later....

Kyle, Landon & Piper

Okay, so this is going to be a little more challenging than expected! Our new schedule (if you can call it one) of going back and forth to the hospital to see our new trio and keeping up with Owen here at home is quite a task. So I apologize now for not getting the blog updated sooner.

I was actually discharged from the hospital on Saturday, but our hospital has a hotel on the fourth floor and they offer a free nights stay to all new mothers/fathers. So we decided to take advantage of that and bring Owen up to stay with us as a special treat (plus we got to be close to the babies for one more night). Owen had a wonderful time enjoying one on one time with both mommy & daddy and being able to sleep in his "special bed"(couch cushions on the floor). So we actually came home on Sunday and have had a good time at home ever since.

We have been very blessed since the babies birth to have Mamaw Wendy(Nate's mom) here with us. She has been taking care of Owen and keeping up the house and laundry to name a few things. So this first week home has been considerably easier with her here. Not only has she continued to take care of Owen and the house, she has been able to be my personal chauffeur on top of all those things! Thanks Mamaw Wendy!

My mom and Rich also dropped in for a visit this week on their way home to Northern Illinois. It was good to have them here for a few days and it gave my mom a chance to see her new grandchildren for the first time.

Owen is happy to have mommy home and for the first few days was pretty attached to me wherever I went. He was also showing some new Big Brother behaviors, making sure he was not forgotten in all the new mix I'm sure! But he's getting better everyday - now whether we'll have to face them again when babies come home is yet to be determined. Since I have been home Owen has not asked about seeing the babies. I don't think he's forgotten about them b/c we still show him pictures and talk about them, so maybe he's just given up and accepted that he will see them when they come home.

So now to the babies (what most of you are most concerned about most anyway)!

All three are fantastic! Kyle, Landon and Piper are all breathing strictly room air and the only thing left attached to them(besides their heart and breathing monitors) is their feeding tube. That's a huge PRAISE considering they are only a little over a week old and not even to 36 weeks gestation yet!

They are all in open cribs - the last step before coming home!

The only thing that we have to work on right now is mastering the nipple feeding. It is quite a challenge for them to continue sucking through the entire bottle (which for each of them is between 50-55 cc's per feeding - 30 cc's is one ounce). They get eight feedings a day, which is every three hours. At first they did great, I think they were excited to be getting something new! And some of the doctors and nurses thought they'll be home in no time. But as it turns out they realize that it's hard work to get through the whole bottle and tucker out after only 15-20 cc's. Then they get the remainder through their feeding tubes.

So the doctors have dropped them down so that only 2 of the 8 feedings per day will be bottle feedings. We will work on mastering those two feedings (with the help of the occupational therapist) and then move up the feedings from there. Once they are able to take all eight feedings by bottle without trouble they will be able to come home. So there's no date that we have in mind and we will just have to wait and see what they are able to accomplish in the next few days/weeks. I've been told that for most babies nipple feeding is like a light bulb going off - it's like all of a sudden they get it and take off with their feeding. It's a definite maturity thing and it will happen before we know it.

Daddy feeding Landon

Pat (occupational therapist) trying to get Kyle to eat

They all continue to gain weight every night - which is a good sign of their sleeping and growing. We need them to keep gaining weight so that they get stronger and in turn are able to increase their bottle feedings.

So this is where we are going to ask for your prayers now. Pray that Kyle, Landon and Piper continue to gain weight and grow stronger every day. Also pray for increased endurance through their feedings and for the doctors/nurses who take care of them every day. We long for our new babies to be home with us, but are understanding that they need the constant care of the NICU right now to be as healthy as they can be before coming home to us.

This is where I will leave you all for now. It has been wonderful being home and I thank you for your continued care and concern. We will keep you updated as new developments with the babies come up, although I can't guarantee a definite schedule on this blog as my time will become shorter and shorter in supply!

Love to everyone!

Nate, Mindy, Owen, Kyle, Landon & Piper