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This week has been all over for me. It started on such a high note, I was able to hold the babies skin to skin for the first time (not at the same time). Then it went downhill. My Grandfather passed away. The next morning I woke up with a sore throat which freaked me out as I had been holding the twins and kissing their head the day before. I went to Urgent Care to make sure it wasn’t strep but it is just a virus. Tuesday was the first time I didn’t go see them. I missed them so much but would feel awful if I exposed them to something. Looks like I may have done that. Loen’s labs started to show she was getting sick. Twice they have run a series of workups to test for infection. It looks as if it is viral and not bacterial. She looks great and is being my little wiggle worm, but I still I felt so bad that the virus may have come from me. The nurse said half the babies in the NICU had a viral infection, it doesn’t mean I gave it to her. Wednesday the Doctor said I could come see them if I wore a mask and did not touch anything. I went in for 20 minutes and looked at them. I had to put my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach out for them. They both were resting and looked so cute. So that is how the rest of my week has been. Wearing a mask, not touching anything, only staying for a few minutes.

My kiddos are growing by leaps and bounds. Loen has grown out of her little clothes. She was wearing her princess shirt yesterday and it was looking a little snug on her. She NEEDED new clothes, I HAD to order her some. Tadd thought that sounded a little excessive but she looks so cute in them. When he asked if I ordered any for Derby (which I hadn’t because of the ostomy bag) I said he is a boy and boys like to be naked.

UPDATES:

• Loen weighs 3 whole pounds now and her length as of last week was 15 inches long. She is getting 24 mL’s of breast milk every 3 hours. Almost a whole ounce. She loves to stretch out her arms and legs. She is much more alert than Derby. When her eyes are open and you talk to her she will turn her eyes to where you are. Not that she can see anything right now. Her ventilator settings are low so she may be tried on CPAP again in the next couple of days. She has had 2 eye exams so far. Preemies eyes are one of the last things to fully develop, that is one of the reasons why you see babies with glasses. They will check them periodically for ROP. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is when the blood vessels in the back of the eye grow abnormally and can disrupt vision. It is staged by 0-5. Stage 2 or less can resolve on its own without treatment. Stevie Wonder is an example of a worst case scenario of blindness with ROP. Right now Loen has stage 0 on her right eye and stage 1 on her left. They will just keep checking her to see if it progresses.

• Derby: After missing one day of seeing the twins I was shocked at how big Derby looked on Wednesday. He weighs 4 pounds 2 ounces and is 15 inches long. He is getting 11.5 mL’s of breast milk every hour. They have Derby on continuous feeds because it is easier for him to digest than to get it all at once like Loen does. The nurses said he is big enough to be put in a crib now. I dont want him a crib and I KNOW he wouldn’t like it. He loves when it is quiet and dark, I cant imagine how he will take all the lights and beeping of the real world. He opens his eyes more but you have to be quick or you will miss it. He is getting so strong too, when I put my finger in his palm he will squeeze very tightly. Derby’s eye exam shows stage 0 for both eyes which is great. He has been doing really well with his vent settings and his chest xrays have looked good. He might try out CPAP in the next day or two. His nurse said she has a good feeling about him. We cant wait to hear his voice again. He is such a boy. I want to just kiss them both all over.

I will add pictures to this post later.