Back to work and back on the joe.

Lance is back to work today so I am holding down the NICU. Isaac started having apneic spells again so he is back on caffeine-guess he needs his joe. He will be on it for 5-7 days and they will try to wean him off it again before he goes home. If he still needs it, he will just need to go home on an apnea monitor. Both babies are at their full feeds and have their PICC lines out. Erik is maintaining his temperature so they turned off the warmer in his isolette. If he continues to maintain he goes to a bassinet tomorrow. We started breastfeeding last night and both did pretty well. Will do that once/day for now as they need to get the hang of it but the nursing/medical staff need to have a good idea of how much they are getting. It's amazing how many of the nurses have connections either to Chester or Shelby or know people we know. It's a small world. And they are doing a great job of taking care of our little men.

Isaac hits 3#!!

Here are some little pics of Ivan before the twins were born. His great grandparents Wickum gave him the tractor for his 2nd birthday. He said, "Drive it to field" and off he went. He is having a great time with his Benjamin grandparents while we are with the babies and I think keeping them very busy.

I know that 3# is still small but we think it's great:) Both babies are over their birth weights now. Isaac is 3#2oz and 16" (he grew over an inch!) and Erik is 4#5oz and 17 3/4". Their feedings are increasing every 3 hours. Isaac is actually at his full feeding now. Erik is bigger so he will reach his full feeding by tomorrow. Then we will start working on bottle/breast feeding. They are turning down their little warmers every day and they're doing great with maintaining their temperatures. Should soon be able to move to a crib. Isaac is off caffeine and not having any apneic spells. The ones he had at first he self recovered. So they are making progress every day:) Lance and I are holding them every care time now-every 3 hours.

Mom brought Ivan down to see us yesterday. It was so fun to see him and he looks so huge after taking care of these tiny babies! I do think he has grown in the week and a half that we've been down here.

So many people have asked what they can do to help or what we need. We really have everything we need at the moment for preemie things and for boys. We are staying in a Gift of Life apartment for free that is available to us for as long as we need it. We are so thankful to be able to stay here with our babies. So for those of you who have asked, we would like to suggest a donation to the foundation. The address is:

Benefis Healthcare Foundation

PO BOX 7008

Great Falls, MT 59406-7008

Thank you all for your care for us and your prayers. It means so much!

One week old!

Erik and Isaac are 1 week old today! Not much new to report-both still doing well. Lance and I are holding them 2x/day now. They are getting 8ml of milk or formula every 3 hours. They are very close to being back to their birth weights.

In our Gift of Life apartment

I was discharged yesterday. Lance and I picked up Ivan and went to our very own house for the night. It was hard to leave my little guys but, of course, they are in great hands. Today we dropped Ivan back off at his grandparents and got moved into our Gift of Life apartment. We are so fortunate to be able to stay in this free apartment while our babies are in NICU. It is funded by the foundation.
The babies are doing well. Isaac's got his PICC line now and is done with the bili light. Now Erik is under the light. I was glad to hold my sweet little babies again. They are both doing great with their feedings and as long as they keep tolerating it they will increase by 1 ml every 12 hours until they are up to the amount needed for their weights.
Ivan is having a great time at Grampa and Grama's. He is playing in the sandbox, running through the sprinkler, and loving every minute of farm life with the trucks, tractors, and combines. We miss him and look forward to having our new family all together someday. But for now, we are just very thankful for our babies doing well.

NICU news

The news on Erik and Isaac for the day: Erik got a PICC line yesterday-which means he won't have to get poked for a new IV every couple days. They attempted one on Isaac but weren't able to get it so a surgeon will put it in tomorrow. We had lots of visitors today-Grampa Cliff and Grama Jewell brought Ivan down to see us. He is having a great time with his grandparents and was full of words about the sandbox and John Deeres. Uncle Roy and Aunt Kaylee came to visit as well. Only grandparents are allowed in the NICU so they had to peek from a window. We did "kangaroo care" with the babies this evening. We do this about once/day and it is wonderful to hold them close against my skin and love on them. Isaac is under the bili light for jaundice, which is pretty expected. Erik's bilirubin level is actually slightly higher but since he is bigger, he can handle it for now. They are both doing better with their feedings. I had enough breast milk for both of them to have it for most feedings today. All in all, they are doing very well. Lance and I feel and appreciate all your loving thoughts and prayers. We feel so blessed by the support of our wonderful families and friends! God is taking wonderful care of our little family.

Happy Birthday Erik and Isaac!!

Our little twins were born on Thursday, August 20th at 32wk/6days. Isaac was running out of placenta and Erik was running out of amniotic fluid so the decision was made that it was time. We waited for Lance to get to Great Falls from Chester and then went to surgery. I felt right at home in the OR until they told me to get on the table:) They both cried right away and got great Apgar scores .(9/9, 9/10). We got to peek at them and touch them quickly, then off they went to the NICU. Both boys are doing very well. They're breathing on their own and haven't needed any supplemental oxygen or respiratory support. Feeding is going slowly. They are sweet and perfect. Their skin is so soft you can't even imagine. The medical staff here have been awesome. Isaac is the little Ethiopian with the white hat. Erik is the little peanut in the green hat.