Day 20!!!

Wow, I'm not sure about anyone else, but my chest is not liking me right now!!!  At the gym this morning we were discussing the choice of push ups, which I'm sure I'll regret at some point, but as long as those boys are in there I'm not going to make it easy!!!  I won' t be able to see the boys today until this afternoon so there won't be any pictures until tonight, when hopefully my Wife and I will be able to have both boys out at the same time!!!

The boys had a great night according to their nurse.  The blood transfusions completed and she said they both look really good, but they won't have an update on the numbers until later today.  The nurse assigned to them this morning told me that she just drew the blood at about 6:00 am.  We also hope to have an update on Joseph's echo, and we of course hope it shows his heart is improving even more!!!  Not too much news to report on the boys, both of them are remaining stable at their numbers from yesterday.  The doctors may want to increase Nicholas' feedings today, and at the rate he's gaining weight he might pass Jr. soon!!! I'm sure now that they are in the same room, they'll be keeping a close eye on one another, and will have a competition to see who can out gain who on a daily basis!!!  We hope Joseph is able to get to 10ml of breast milk every three hours today, one step closer to the goal of 22ml!!!  It's amazing to see these boys continue to fight and progress each day, and we know there will still be bumps in the long road, but we take each day at a time, and are so thankful that we have been blessed by these two little boys!!!

UPDATE 8/30/2013 9:00 PM: So of course after I updated everyone this morning, our little trouble maker was up to it again!!!  Not anything to really be worried about, but Joseph's oxygen level seems to be creeping up again.  The doctor was going to take an x-ray of his chest this evening to see if his lung had collapsed again, if his oxygen level kept going up.  In a normal x-ray of the chest the lungs will appear translucent or almost black which means they are healthy and properly inflated.  In premature babies the air sacs (alveoli) are developing so quickly that the baby cannot keep them inflated and the x-ray will show white clusters where the lungs are instead of the translucent black that you see in a typical x-ray.  These air sacs are what allows for the gas exchange to take place in the lungs, and oxygenate the body, so if the air sacs are not working properly the gas exchange is failing to take place,  therefore the oxygen going into the body isn't being properly utilized.  Joseph's doctor stated that every day he is off of the ventilator is a good thing, but also said he may have to go back on tonight if she can't get his numbers to stabilize.  This again is nothing unusual for preemies, and again, they prepared us for this many times over during the days leading up to the boys births.  I asked in her professional opinion if she believes there may be long term issues with Joseph's respiratory functioning, but she said she didn't believe so, and everything she is seeing is pretty common. 

The doctor was able to provide us with some good news today regarding Joseph as well!  She reviewed his heart echo and in consultation with the cardiologist they said that Joseph's heart was looking "Super Good" and in fact said that only some residual is left affecting the heart.  We were told that residual in this case means a little bit of left over swelling of the heart, but basically it looks like a normal size now, and his heart is functioning great!   This was what we had hoped would happen, and the doctor seemed a little shocked that his heart has come down in size so quickly, but she was really happy and reassuring tonight!!!  Joseph also put on some more weight and now weighs in at 2lb 12oz!!!  He is up to 10ml on his 3 hour feeding schedule, and we're hoping that within 10-14 days the doctors will be able to remove his PICC line, and begin feeding by mouth!!!  The quicker they get the PICC line out, the less chance he has of any type of infection related to the line.  The NICU is proud that for over 700 days they have not had any infections due to the IV's, but as the doctor explained, it's still a piece of plastic in the body and there is always the potential for an infection, so the quicker that line comes out the better!!!  Joseph's blood levels were back to normal right in the upper 30's, so he was looking pretty good when I visited with him tonight!  He's also remains very active which is a positive sign too!!!

Nicholas is being typical Nicholas!!!  We've come to expect him to keep cruising along, but we have to remember that there is always a possibility of him taking a little step back from his progressions, but for now, we're enjoying each day and loving the progress!!! Nicholas is now weighing in at 2lb 9oz, and catching up to his brother very quickly!  His oxygen levels remain relatively low, with a little fluctuation, but the doctor is extremely happy that Nicholas has been able to remain off of his ventilator since the day he was born.  She said that if he can make it a week or so more without having to go on the ventilator that his respiratory development would be ahead of schedule.  Nicholas blood levels like his brother's are very good, also in the upper 30's!!!  He has been very comfortable every time we visit him, and as much as we want to hold him, we've let him rest, instead of disturbing him!  The doctor said that she would increase his feedings as well this weekend, so we'll hopefully see a step towards getting his PICC line out as well soon!!!

I stayed a little while longer than I normally do today, and I really enjoyed the quiet time I had with just the two boys. Prior to my alone time with them my Wife and I were there together enjoying the very relaxing and comfortable chairs in the boys room!  These are super recliners that are made for parents to sleep on if they choose, so of course me being the big kid that I am reclined the chair to a full flat position, but apparently this chair wasn't made for that!!!  I spent the next 10 minutes trying to get the chair back upright, but it was useless!!!  My Wife quickly left after that, as she didn't want to be a part of the circus that was going on in the room, and after 3 nurses came in to try and help, that chair is still lying flat in the room!!!  I only asked that if it gets put on my bill that they deliver it to my house, because it's very comfy!!!

I was reflecting on this experience (no not the chair!!!) and as long and hard as it has been, it has gone by fairly quickly so far.  I know that sounds crazy, but it's true, and I really believe it's from all of the love and support we have received from all of you!  I also walked around the NICU today, which is now completely full, and I thought to myself just how lucky these babies are to be in the care of these wonderful nurses and doctors, who genuinely care for the children.  I also took the time to thank God for my two boys, who although are still very premature and are not out of the woods by any means, but are progressing every day.  I overheard the doctor speaking to a surgeon about a "Micro Preemie" who was 700 grams or about 1lb 3oz, also born at 26 weeks. As much as I didn't want to listen in, the conversation took place 10 feet away from me, and the doctor was saying how they have to speak to the parents of the baby because he needed some sort of high risk procedure, but she refused to send him elsewhere for the care, and wanted it done there.  One of the things that I thought of was if that was my Wife and I, how would we handle it?  We received some consultation from the neonatologists before the boys were born about the different possibilities ranging from the worst of the worst, to the best of the best, but we also have been extremely lucky to have only the few scares so far, and haven't had to have any difficult decisions to make, other than to consent to blood transfusions.  I prayed for this little boy, especially after hearing that the doctors would have to discuss the possibility of death with his parents.  It made me truly realize just how lucky and blessed we are to have the boys in the condition they are right now, and that other families may not be as lucky, and I can only hope that they have the strength and support that we have received to help them through this difficult time.  The good news about this little boy was that he is stable on his ventilator, and the doctor was optimistic, but she was obviously very concerned too!!!  I know I have been asking for a lot of prayers from all of you, and believe me they are being answered, but if just for tonight please say a prayer for not only this little baby boy, but all of the babies in NICU's who are literally fighting for their lives on a daily basis.  This experience truly puts things into perspective, and makes you realize what is really important in life.  I apologize if this last part came off a little preachy, that's not my intention with this blog, but after my visit today I thought it might be nice to share with all of you who have been so wonderful!  Goodnight to you all, and thank you for your continued love and support for our family!!!

Joseph, judging by his fingers this time, he's a lot happier!!!  Goodnight Joseph!!!

Nicholas, being the cool cat that he is!!!  Goodnight Nicholas!!!