10 weeks old... 41 weeks gestation

Ok, I had to look back at my last post to see what their gestational age is... so, since they're at term now, we're just going to go with how many weeks they are... You know how many 'ages' preemies have?? There's an actual age (10 weeks), gestational age (41 weeks), and adjusted age (one week) for preemies. Adjusted age is how many weeks past gestation.  Milestones are based off of the expectations of their adjusted age.  So right now, milestone wise, they are one week old.

BUT... have you ever seen a 'one-weeker' roll over??  That's why I'm a little hesitant about the 'adjusted age' thing...

Johnalyn can roll over from tummy to back!!  She rolled over at 8 weeks, but we chalked it up to being gassy and thrashing.  She did it twice on Monday, and I felt like it was becoming more intentional... and then she finally did it for the camera yesterday!  I started the video about half way through the roll over, but here's the proof!!  Click the hyperlink for the You Tube video!

Johnalyn rolling over

They are both 7 lbs 6 oz, and they're both taking in almost 2.5 oz of milk every 3 hours, and have both started to put their hands on the bottle while being fed.  This week, they're both becoming more awake between feedings, so we're taking advantage of that and doing tummy time as much as possible.  They're starting to give us little facial expressions, too.  Johnalyn is having a hard time at night.  She likes to scream... a lot.  I don't know if I should consider this colicky or gas to the extreme.  She's content as could be as soon as the sun comes up, though!  It'll get better... It'll get better...

Danika has been the perfect baby this week.  She sleeps when I need to get things done, and she's awake when I'm ready to play with her, and wakes up right on time for feeding... and when I accidentally feed her sister when it was supposed to be her turn, she just waits as patiently as she can!

We won't see the doctor for another two months (which surprised me)... but the public health nurse comes out to our house once a week for weight checks... which I prefer because then I don't have to go anywhere!  It takes us two hours to leave the house... Anyone who has watched Full House... I feel like the scene where Jesse and Becky decide to go visit her aunt and it takes them three hours from feeding, diapering, packing, spit up, re-packing, diapering again, and another feeding... and THEN we're ready!  It's easier to just stay home!  

These two pictures I think are my favorite so far!  Grandma Cindy was quick with the camera for these shots!!

9 weeks old (40 weeks gestation!!)

We have term babies!! We look at these last nine weeks as 'bonus' weeks in a sense that most parents don't get to meet their new addition until this week.  :-)  9 weeks!  Wow.

Things are still going well! On Tuesday, we took a road trip to Waseca for their big photo shoot (newborn pictures).  I was soooo nervous. I just wanted things to go flawlessly... and did they ever!!  I'll have a full post on this experience later on when I have more pictures to share!! 

They had a doctor appointment on Thursday, and we survived shots!!  Man those aren't fun to watch!  BUT, I'd much rather watch that than another ROP eye test!!  They're both 7 lbs 2 oz!!   The doctor is happy with how they're doing, but wants to see more of a rapid weight gain from Danika.  They've both been fighting gas... so they're both pretty uncomfortable at times and fussy... they like to pick night time to be fussy.  :-)  I'm blaming the fortifier that we add to the milk.  The pediatrician requires us to add this to breast milk to bump up the calories and added "nutrition" because of being preemie.  I'm not a fan of this... but I want to do what's best for the girls, and I'm certainly no expert on this parent thing, let alone the preemie thing, so I count on the doctors to tell me what the best thing is. 

On Friday night, I had Danika on her belly and donny was feeding Johnalyn and told him to watch Dani... so I went in the kitchen to work on our never-ending task of cleaning bottles, and I come back and Dani is on her back!!  I'm so bummed I missed it, but I got a pic of the end result!  Still not convinced it was an intentional roll over... more likely gas induced... but still way cool!! 

We had an awesome and busy weekend... on Friday my friend and co-worker came over with her little one, Adeline.  She's three weeks younger than the girls, but she was term, hence why she looks older.  So fun to see the girls together! 

On Saturday, my coworker Debbie and her daughter stopped by and Donny's brother, Andy, spent the evening with us. 

Today, our friends Shawn and Crystal stopped in to cuddle the girls, and my mom, sister,and niece came and spent the afternoon... I never imagined how much an 18 month old would LOVE babies so much!  Jojo absolutely adores her cousins.  She couldn't even finish one chicken nugget before running over to check on the girls!  Such an awesome weekend!!!

We, again, are so thankful for all of the love and support... i love seeing our friends and family to finally share in our joy and be able to enjoy them as much as we do. 

Pictures!! 

Eight weeks old!! (39 weeks gestation)

We're surviving!  I always loved my sleep... pre-babies, I was in bed by 8:00 most nights...  groaned when Shadow needed to be let out twice a night... and slept to my alarm.  People say "I don't know what I did before kids..."  I know what I did!  Sleep!!  It's all good.  I feel that the night time feedings are the most peaceful... and after their feedings, I have a little time to myself and to blog!  :-) 

We had doctor appointments last Wednesday and they both gained!!!  Danika was 6 lbs 12 oz and Johnalyn was 6 lbs 10 oz!  I have a secret fear (petrified, actually) that they'll end up back in the hospital... so the weight gain was an awesome feeling!!  We are actively transitioning to every 3 hour feedings, at 60 ml per feeding. 

While in the waiting room for our appointment, unknown to me, the front desk receptionist called Dr Larson's nurse (peds and OB share the same check-in desk).  Dr. Larson's nurse, Dora, came out and just loved meeting the girls.  Next to Dr. Larson, she was a huge encouragement for me thru the pregnancy, even calling me from home while she was on medical leave.  Then she went back to get Dr. Larson... the moment I've been waiting for... and I didn't get a picture!!  He came around the corner, he saw the girls in their car seats, and got right down on his hands and knees and marveled at them.  He just stared at them and said "Complete miracles".  He will never take credit for everything he did to make my pregnancy successful... but he seriously deserves it.  That man was next to me day in and day out starting at week 6.  He dealt with me on my worst of the worst days and he kept me going and kept giving me the the "can do" attitude. 

The public health nurse was here on Monday to do a weight check.... and... Danika is 7 pounds!!  Johnalyn is close behind at 6 lbs 14.5 oz. It's hard to fathom they were half that when they were born! 

Johnalyn did give us a surprise the other night, and of course we weren't quick enough with our camera to prove it.  She rolled over from tummy to back!  She did it twice... once rolling into her sister.  Obviously, it wasn't an intentional roll over yet, but that girl is strong! 

They both love tummy time, and it's so awesome watching them get stronger every day...things like a full term baby do!! 

Everything is going very well for us.  Obviously, sleep is scarce but everything is going smoothly. They let us sleep between feeding at night and sleep long enough in the day so I can get things done.  I'm definitely not a homemaker by any means, but I'm doing the best I can.

My coworkers are amazing and are bringing us dinner twice a week... huge, huge help!!  Our moms are coming, too, to help us out and keep things straight around here, and making sure donny and I have clean clothes too!! 

That's all I got for now!  It's still surreal to me at times that we're home... with our two amazing miracles in their cribs that we were SO afraid to put up not that long ago...

Seven Weeks Old! (38 weeks gestation)

I'm a bit late on this! For a good reason though... right now, I'm in our bedroom listening to whimpers and fussing next door. 

We were discharged on Thursday after seven long, stressful, and blessed weeks.  The girls' first seven weeks of life consisted of temperature - controlled isolates, monitors, feeding tubes, medications, and the constant love and care by amazing nurses.... not quite the life a newborn should experience... but modern medicine is a miracle!  We have two beautiful, healthy 6-1/2 pound girls home!! 

I don't think anything or any one could have prepared me for that moment of leaving.  Moving out of the Ronald McDonald House, packing up the girls' hospital room, and officially leaving Rochester was overwhelming.  I came to Rochester January 21st... pregnant and terrified and left Rochester April 2nd... not pregnant, with two healthy girls, and still terrified!!  I grew attached to Rochester and Mayo.  I'm a proud Mayo employee... and now a very proud patient and mother of patients there.  The care we received for the past 11 weeks was more than I ever expected... I will miss that (and the nurses... which I tried to bring one home with me!)

We are doing well at home.  I'll be honest,though, we're exhausted.  Partially self-induced.  I'm hovering over the cribs with any noise they make... and petrified something is always wrong.  Rookie mom here!!  Please tell me it'll get better?? 

We have appointments tomorrow to make sure they're gaining adequate weight.  They're having a bottle every two hours, so I hope there's a gain! 

Anyway, we are doing well, surviving, and kissing these girls constantly!  God is good...and power of prayer is awesome!!    :-) I'll update as much as possible... but expect shorter posts, and more pictures... if I have long posts, please ignore the nonsense jabbering and influx of grammar/spelling errors!! 

Think he misses his 20 hour a day naps?? It's a tough job to keep mom and dad company through the night!

We're HOME!

Small post... but we're home!  We're so happy and so tired!  The girls are adjusting to their 'new' home and we're adjusting to them eating every two hours!  :-)  I'll post more later but here are some pics of discharge day and today, Easter!