First Family Photo - 4/27

It started with Sister Reunion part 2 and turned into our first ever family photo. Every step of this journey had provided us an opportunity for some form of denial as to what we'd gotten ourselves into but, at least for Danny, putting them together and seeing the four of us together made it as real as its been so far.

(Madison with Danny and Brooklyn with Lindsay)

It's hard to believe they're 3 weeks old tomorrow. Despite a lot of routine every three hours when they're fed and have their temperatures taken, each day holds new adventures and exciting news. They are both having fewer Brady episodes and are consistently putting on weight. Brooklyn is past her birth weight and weighs in at a hefty 4 lbs 5 oz. Madison now tips the scales at 3 lbs 12 oz and continues to close the weight gap as she gets better at bottle feeding.

(Madison bottle feeding)

In fact, Madison has graduated to a crib effective today! Pictures to follow. Brooklyn was nervous when first hearing about Madison's transfer to a crib but calmed when realizing she would have her own crib as Madison recently tried reliving the karate match that played out during pregnancy. Brooklyn handles it all with class as seen by the nice block she put up. (Don't be fooled by the closed eyes as Madison was demonstrating black belt caliber techniques at the time of the photo)

(Brooklyn putting up some very intentional defense)

Oxygen, Bottles & Cribs, Oh My!

Sorry in advance for some of the poorly lit pictures.  The NICU doesn't have much bright lighting and, despite being quite photogenic, the babies don't love flashes.

Yet another event-filled week for our lovely ladies. As a result of her weight (back up to 4 lbs 1 oz on 4/21) and proving she can maintain her own body temperature, Brooklyn has graduated to a crib! We've warned her to be careful not to grow so quickly as to exceed the weight limit specified on the crib as seen below though.

(Brooklyn's new crib)

(Brooklyn's new crib)

It's Madison we should watch out for though as she's already at 3 lb 8 oz, 6 oz more than her birth weight, and growing quickly. Much of this may be attributed to the girls' newly acquired (almost) skill...bottle feeding. They are practicing remembering to breathe while taking their feeding, an important element as one might imagine.

(Feeding Madison)

The girls held strong for almost 2 weeks without oxygen but eventually succumbed to their "Thanksgiving dinners." The medical staff says that these large feedings they receive every 3 hours not only push the limits of the belly but also leave less room for the diaphragm to breathe. This was basically expected and is no big deal as they receive a very small amount of supplemental oxygen and aren't expected to be on it for all that long.

(Madison on oxygen)

(Don't forget to "subscribe" our blog so you can get emails to update you when new postings are added!)

Sister Reunion - 4/16

These first ten days have been crazy and have shown us an amazing evolution of progress for Madison and Brooklyn.  One thing hadn't happened in those first ten days though...a reunion. The girls have their separate "homes" about 15 feet apart, and considering a baby's very limited sight, they almost surely missed each other.  They have graduated from their IVs and a couple other probes and monitors to where a reunion was quickly becoming possible. We performed our usual routine of diaper changes and taking temperatures before the nurse took their daily weight figures. They are growing but you almost wouldn't know it.

We each picked our favorite child and let them feast. Our notably feistier child, Madison, won't miss a blink and kept with me through her "Thanksgiving dinner" (the term the nurses use since the feedings push their stomachs to the limits).

Almost time to retire...but wait! Not until they have a reunion. Brooklyn clearly wasn't willing to wait up but Madison was happy to let her know she was there.

First Baths and First Clothes - 4/15

Monday was a big day! First baths and first clothes! Amazingly there wasn't a peep from either of our girls during the entire process. The nurse led the charge for the most part this week (we're up next week). Each got swaddled up and power-washed under the sink for a nice shampoo and head scrubbing that seemed quite enjoyable to both of them.

After that, it was time for a scrub down everywhere else. They remained swaddled in their blanket while getting dunked in the tiny "tub" and each limb was unwrapped and washed one at a time with a few bonus area cleanings. Brooklyn clearly wasn't so sure about the ear part.

After the wash came the dry, then a nice baby massage with lotion under the heat lamps. Finally, it was time for the babies first clothes! They tried on their camouflage in an effort to hide from further poking and probing but we spotted them anyway and snapped a few pictures at which point it was obvious...they gave up from exhaustion. Back to bed!

One Week Old - 4/14

The girls are one week old today and are doing very well in the NICU. They have been on an IV since birth to receive extra nutrients.  Brooklyn managed to pull out her IV last night and they decided to let her keep it out and Madison will get hers removed today.  The doctor believes they are getting enough nutrients from their feedings. This is a huge milestone and it will be one less cord hooked to their little bodies.  Brooklyn seems to be responding well to the caffeine and has had very few bradycardia episodes. Madison must have been jealous because she is now on caffeine also for bradycardia episodes. 

Here is Brooklyn before her IV was removed from her arm.

Madison all wrapped up in her incubator. She seems to love her hands by her face.  

We have been able to hold to their girls twice a day! It has been wonderful to cuddle with them and they both seem to calm down when in our arms.  Each time we visit we get to take their temperatures and change their diapers.  Day by day we are starting to feel a little more like parents. 

The First Days

Madison was wide awake from the minute she arrived that night.  This trend continues (day 4) and isn't surprising as we labeled her as our gymnast before she even arrived.  We are convinced she's the reason for the early delivery as she kicked her way out, demonstrated daily as seen below....  

Despite being the smaller sister, she's no pushover.  In fact, she's quickly earned the reputation with the nurses as our girl with an attitude.  She's giving those vocal chords an early test run too.  Like her sister, she's been on "room air" (no oxygen) since birth which is great, especially since it's one less cord for her to pull out.  As feisty as she is, she has no qualms about settling down to be held by Mom or Dad...

Brooklyn is tame, as least that's what she'll have us believing for now.  We even called her our "lounger" during the pregnancy.  She's wide-eyed and curious when being held though.  

There have been a couple medical "events" to speak off but nothing significant or unexpected.  Brooklyn has had a few bradycardia episodes, where her heart rate rapidly drops, so she is being put on caffeine (sounds like Dad).  Both girls have elevated levels of hematocrit (lots of red blood cells) so they've been catching a tan under the bili-lights for a couple days and will probably finish tomorrow.  

Meet Our Girls

We fell in love immediately! We are excited to announce the birth of our twin girls. 

Madison Elizabeth 

aka "Baby A"

April 7, 2013 at 9:51 pm

3 pounds 2 ounces 

Brooklyn Estelle 

aka "Baby B"

April 7, 2013 at 9:52

4 pounds 3 ounces

Dad's perspective on "Birth Day" - 4/07

The hospital was starting to feel so much like home by day 23 that even nights on the hospital couch were becoming an afterthought.  Joyce's dinner was great and it was time to settle in for a little studying next to Dave reading the newspaper.  Minutes after dinner, Lindsay complained of increasing cramping.  With all the pains and issues to this point, it was hard to take one symptom more seriously than the last.  Joyce's motherly instincts kicked in though and she helped calm Lindsay while Dave and I retreated to the corner.  After the pains persisted, I grabbed the nurse that had just checked on us from down the hall and she already seemed one step ahead of me (my first clue).  One more visit to the nurses station 10 minutes later resulted in a call to the doctor (my second clue).  Dr. Kahn entered the room and took all of 15 seconds to make her evaluation and next stated what I'll never forget..."3-4 centimeters dilated and I see baby parts, it's time for a C-section!"  I was even surprised by the doctor's sense of urgency but more impressed with the series of events that followed as Room 308 quickly came to life with more medical staff than I knew existed in the hospital this time of day.  Lights outside the room were flashing and it was "go time."

I informed Dave & Joyce who were standing outside the room at this point, waiting for the results of the Doctor's visit, and fired off a few text messages to the rest of the family as I jumped into my scrubs and paced anxiously to be called into the OR.  

Lindsay was long gone and getting her "margarita" compliments of the anesthesiologist.  No more than 20 minutes lapsed since Dr. Kahn's first judgement to the time I stood next to Lindsay and a team of specialists and on-call doctors, many of which had amazingly just arrived from a night at home with their own families. 

The C-section itself was basically uneventful as I literally watched Lindsay "loose" almost every ounce of "baby weight" she put on over the last 7 months in about 10 minutes.  The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staff took our girls in a handoff as Lindsay was stitched back up.  I guess the names we had tentatively discussed were about to stick at this point.  I cut the umbilical cord on each of our girls and followed them down the long hall in their incubator to their new home in the NICU.

The Beginning...

The pregnancy had begun as of September 2012 and our excitement and anticipation grew everyday.  Just a few short weeks in, a blood test hinted we may be in for a fast start to building our family.  An ultra-sound soon detected what we'd suspected....TWINS!

We snapped weekly pictures to capture Lindsay's progressively "rounding" stomach, but even as late as week 18, someone who didn't already know would be none the wiser to the pregnancy. 

As December rolled around, Danny's sister, Jamie, put on a wonderful "Gender Reveal Party" where no one in the family, not even Jamie, knew the results as we cut into the two separate cakes to reveal, blue, pink or one of each.  Wagers abound, Danny and most of the guys had lost their bets already after cutting into the first pink cake.  The picture below captures the instant cake number two was sliced.

Time flew by and these little girls were determined to come early.  They had packed on a couple pounds itching to come by March, sending Lindsay (& Danny) to the hospital for 28 days.

This began the journey that is still truly just beginning.  The girls are well loved already and this is hopefully a great way for those in their lives, some at a distance, to follow their paths and still be close....