While I sit here and drink my afternoon cup of tea. The boys are resting in their crib and my handsome hubby is taking a nap. Yesterday would have been my due date with Jacob and Joe. They have come a long way in such a short time. Yes, we have had a few setbacks with Jacob but we have gotten thru them with the help of our amazing medical teams. I seriously believe the boys have the best ped's doctor. Just last week after Jacob's follow up from getting home he prayed with us and told me if I needed anything to not hesitat to call him. This is the doctor that was suppose to deliver our miracles. I remember the day I had them he wasn't on call but called the hospital to check on us. I seriously believe this man was one of our angel's during the right time.
Jacob: has set off his apnea monitor several times and is constantly spitting up from acid reflux. Dr. Robinson said that he probably will order an upper GI to be done to make sure we aren't missing anything. Jacob got to go and visit my work this past week. He also got to meet his new cousin Desley.
Joe: is doing good and enjoy's being held. Joe also got to visit my work and got to meet his new cousin Desley.
Life is crazy busy but we are loving being home with our two sweet boys.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
new born pictures
This week has been a crazy week. Last Saturday morning when Bob and I got to the NICU with Joe we were told to go and get Jacob's car seat :) We went and picked it up and then headed back to the NI and they were giving him his two month immunizations along with his RSV shot. The doctor rounded around 2 or so and he was like if things go well then we can plan for the discharge on Wednesday :) Bob and I got to visit with a few of the nurses from the very beginning. Then we met up with a friend for dinner and after dinner went back to the NI to say good night to Jacob. On Sunday when we arrived everything was good and they didn't make any changes. My mom arrived around 2 ish and we went to dinner and then headed to the NI. My mom got to feed and love on Jacob. Then we headed back to the hotel and rested for the night. On Monday, I arrived early for rounds and they upped Jacob's caffine and then started discharge paperwork. On Tuesday we took newborn photo's and this is one of them and then went to lunch with my sweet NICU friend Melanie. Wednesday morning I arrived plenty early for rounds and got to thank our medical team and give them a huge hug. They finished the discharge paperwork around 12:30 and we were on our way by 1:00. It was so nice leaving the hospital with both of my handsome boys. Yes, I cried tears of joy. Joe is doing well and getting bigger and stronger. I imagine in the next month that both boys will be rolling over :)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
2 month update :)
Wow, I can't believe our boys just hit the 2 month mark in the NICU. The past week or so has been amazing. We have kept plenty busy.
Joe~ has been home a little over a week now and has kept us plenty busy. We have been staying in Little Rock for the most part to be with Jacob. Joe had his 2 month appointment yesterday and weighs in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces. He also got his 2 month shots and got an eye exam. He has an appt at Children's on Thursday for his finger. He is a pretty good sleeper and only wakes up every 3-4 hours. He enjoys sleeping in his pack and play or his car seat.
Jacob~ is doing great and as of 2 this morning he got his feeding tube pulled. If all goes as planned this should be our last weekend in Little Rock. He is getting to be a big boy :) He weighs in at 6 pounds and 1.9 ounces. Jacob's bleed seems to have disapated but he still does have a Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).
Bobby and I have been doing good and trying to get adjusted to the roll of being parent's. Today we are taking the first pictures of becoming a family of four.
This journey has not been an easy one, in fact their are many times just walking in to the NI to see our boys that I have shed tears, while I am thankful that we have an amazing medical team their have also been many times I have gotten frusturated with their some what lack of communication. As this journey being a NICU family comes to an end and as we take our sweet and handsome boys home please continue to pray for all the other NICU families and their babies. As I have said many times before and as my medical team has said this journey isn't a sprint it's a marathon that saying is so very true.
Joe~ has been home a little over a week now and has kept us plenty busy. We have been staying in Little Rock for the most part to be with Jacob. Joe had his 2 month appointment yesterday and weighs in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces. He also got his 2 month shots and got an eye exam. He has an appt at Children's on Thursday for his finger. He is a pretty good sleeper and only wakes up every 3-4 hours. He enjoys sleeping in his pack and play or his car seat.
Jacob~ is doing great and as of 2 this morning he got his feeding tube pulled. If all goes as planned this should be our last weekend in Little Rock. He is getting to be a big boy :) He weighs in at 6 pounds and 1.9 ounces. Jacob's bleed seems to have disapated but he still does have a Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL).
Bobby and I have been doing good and trying to get adjusted to the roll of being parent's. Today we are taking the first pictures of becoming a family of four.
This journey has not been an easy one, in fact their are many times just walking in to the NI to see our boys that I have shed tears, while I am thankful that we have an amazing medical team their have also been many times I have gotten frusturated with their some what lack of communication. As this journey being a NICU family comes to an end and as we take our sweet and handsome boys home please continue to pray for all the other NICU families and their babies. As I have said many times before and as my medical team has said this journey isn't a sprint it's a marathon that saying is so very true.
This photo is from last week when I got to snuggle with both boys together :) Joe is on the left and Jacob is on the right.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
update on Jacob and Joe week 7 :)
I wanted to post an update on Jacob Alan and Joe Robert. I probably will do one major update a week also I have created a facebook page for our sweet boys on facebook under the name of J and J 2013.
Jacob: weighs in at 5 pounds .2 ounces. He received 2 blood transfusions on Sunday and Monday. We are so thankful for people that donate blood. He got baptized on Monday by our pastor. He also gave me a very huge scare on Tuesday, the doctor's decided to lower his oxygen rate and he has been having heart rate declerations and he decided to lower his heart rate to 70 for a few minutes, they ended up having to bag my sweet boy. I was holding Joe during this time and so all I could do was look at Joe and wipe away tears from my eyes. It was a very scary few minutes. We have already been told that Jacob will be coming home on oxygen and monitor's, I also have to learn how to bag him should the need arise. As many aren't aware Jacob suffered a brain injury right after birth. While we don't know the prognosis of how normal of a life he will have we celebrate each day. He has a grade 1-2 brain bleed.
Joe: weighs in at 5 pounds 7 ounces. He is taking majority of his bottles by mouth. He just has to pass a few more steps and then we can bring him home. If all goes well he may be able to come home towards the end of the week. He will also be coming home on monitor's. He also got baptized on Monday :)
I am doing pretty well, just been trying to keep busy. Life is going to get pretty busy once Joe and Jacob are home with many appointment's in Little Rock. The big news from this week for me is that I got to room in with the boys on Monday night. It was great getting to see them for 24 hours.
Bob and I are so blessed by so many during this difficult time. I can't believe our boys are 7 weeks old today. I can say this journey hasn't been easy and their have been many tough decisions made but we are so thankful for all the prayers and support.
Jacob: weighs in at 5 pounds .2 ounces. He received 2 blood transfusions on Sunday and Monday. We are so thankful for people that donate blood. He got baptized on Monday by our pastor. He also gave me a very huge scare on Tuesday, the doctor's decided to lower his oxygen rate and he has been having heart rate declerations and he decided to lower his heart rate to 70 for a few minutes, they ended up having to bag my sweet boy. I was holding Joe during this time and so all I could do was look at Joe and wipe away tears from my eyes. It was a very scary few minutes. We have already been told that Jacob will be coming home on oxygen and monitor's, I also have to learn how to bag him should the need arise. As many aren't aware Jacob suffered a brain injury right after birth. While we don't know the prognosis of how normal of a life he will have we celebrate each day. He has a grade 1-2 brain bleed.
Joe: weighs in at 5 pounds 7 ounces. He is taking majority of his bottles by mouth. He just has to pass a few more steps and then we can bring him home. If all goes well he may be able to come home towards the end of the week. He will also be coming home on monitor's. He also got baptized on Monday :)
I am doing pretty well, just been trying to keep busy. Life is going to get pretty busy once Joe and Jacob are home with many appointment's in Little Rock. The big news from this week for me is that I got to room in with the boys on Monday night. It was great getting to see them for 24 hours.
Bob and I are so blessed by so many during this difficult time. I can't believe our boys are 7 weeks old today. I can say this journey hasn't been easy and their have been many tough decisions made but we are so thankful for all the prayers and support.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Update on the boys
Life in the NICU:
Jacob: has had a pretty good few days along with snuggle time with grandma and my self. He now weighs in at 3 pounds and 12 ounces and loves his pacifier
Joe: is doing well also and has got his oxygen lowered this afternoon :) He now weighs in at 4 pounds and 4 ounces and loves his pacifier also.
A few of these photo's are from the morning of my emergency c-section, from my babe and I right before they took me back and from the first time of seeing and touching my boys.
Jacob: has had a pretty good few days along with snuggle time with grandma and my self. He now weighs in at 3 pounds and 12 ounces and loves his pacifier
Joe: is doing well also and has got his oxygen lowered this afternoon :) He now weighs in at 4 pounds and 4 ounces and loves his pacifier also.
A few of these photo's are from the morning of my emergency c-section, from my babe and I right before they took me back and from the first time of seeing and touching my boys.
Friday, September 27, 2013
the last few weeks.
Wow, were does time go. The last month has been a emotional, mentally and physical roller coaster. But it has also changed the way I view life. Let's start with the week before we became parent's.
The 25th of August I had been having contractions all morning and wasn't feeling well and was timing my contractions so I had gone to Labor and Delivery at 5 that morning. They kept me for a few hours and then sent us home with me on strict bed rest. They told me to call and make a follow up with my OB and so I made it for the next day. I had been having upper right quadrant pain and so since I was already spilling protein in my urine they decided to check my liver functions. They drew blood at my appt and sent me on my way. I got a call that afternoon from my nurse and she said my liver enzymes were high and that my OB wanted an ultrasound done of my liver and then after my ultrasound I was to go back to L&D for my FFN (Fetal fibronectin) screen and lab work. Both my FFN and lab work came back good and they sent me home. I went home and relaxed afterwards. The next day my BP was rising even higher and I put in a call to my nurse and she wanted me to come in so I did. My liver functions were continuing to go up. My appt that day was at 3:30 and so my mom went with me. By 6:45 that night I had received a call from my OB and he said to stop the procardia that night and he was going to call the high risk OB the next morning. I got up the next day and was still having right upper quadrant pain and so I had a few things to get done and so I went and got my errands done. I got home and was about to relax when my OB called and he was like we need to admit you and so I called my mom and had her go to the local hospital with me. They admitted me got an IV started, got blood work done and made sure the boys weren't in any type of distress and had me on monitors for a few hours. They sent me to the other floor to keep me on hospital bed rest. By the next morning my liver functions were still rising and the plan was to just watch me. Around 5:30pm they came and drew more blood and my OB called the high risk and he didn't answer his phone or texts from my OB. My OB decided to call the hospital my high risk is at and they said since I was in such bad shape to send me down, They sent me down at 10:30 that night. I got to the hospital at around 1:30am and was put on contraction monitor's and then my angel Dr. Breniman came in and checked me and I was in active labor. That Saturday morning August 31st, 2013 our boys entered the world via emergency C-section. Jacob Alan entered the world at 5:14 am and Joe Robert entered in at 5:15 am. Both boys weighed in at 3 pounds and 1 ounce each. They have come along way and still have quite a way to come before we will take them home. Some thing I have learned about being a premie mom is that this isn't a sprint it's a marathon. Some days are better than ever.
The 25th of August I had been having contractions all morning and wasn't feeling well and was timing my contractions so I had gone to Labor and Delivery at 5 that morning. They kept me for a few hours and then sent us home with me on strict bed rest. They told me to call and make a follow up with my OB and so I made it for the next day. I had been having upper right quadrant pain and so since I was already spilling protein in my urine they decided to check my liver functions. They drew blood at my appt and sent me on my way. I got a call that afternoon from my nurse and she said my liver enzymes were high and that my OB wanted an ultrasound done of my liver and then after my ultrasound I was to go back to L&D for my FFN (Fetal fibronectin) screen and lab work. Both my FFN and lab work came back good and they sent me home. I went home and relaxed afterwards. The next day my BP was rising even higher and I put in a call to my nurse and she wanted me to come in so I did. My liver functions were continuing to go up. My appt that day was at 3:30 and so my mom went with me. By 6:45 that night I had received a call from my OB and he said to stop the procardia that night and he was going to call the high risk OB the next morning. I got up the next day and was still having right upper quadrant pain and so I had a few things to get done and so I went and got my errands done. I got home and was about to relax when my OB called and he was like we need to admit you and so I called my mom and had her go to the local hospital with me. They admitted me got an IV started, got blood work done and made sure the boys weren't in any type of distress and had me on monitors for a few hours. They sent me to the other floor to keep me on hospital bed rest. By the next morning my liver functions were still rising and the plan was to just watch me. Around 5:30pm they came and drew more blood and my OB called the high risk and he didn't answer his phone or texts from my OB. My OB decided to call the hospital my high risk is at and they said since I was in such bad shape to send me down, They sent me down at 10:30 that night. I got to the hospital at around 1:30am and was put on contraction monitor's and then my angel Dr. Breniman came in and checked me and I was in active labor. That Saturday morning August 31st, 2013 our boys entered the world via emergency C-section. Jacob Alan entered the world at 5:14 am and Joe Robert entered in at 5:15 am. Both boys weighed in at 3 pounds and 1 ounce each. They have come along way and still have quite a way to come before we will take them home. Some thing I have learned about being a premie mom is that this isn't a sprint it's a marathon. Some days are better than ever.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
week 28 update
Week 28: Eggplant
Average size: 13.6 -14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Immune system is preparing for the outside world...
How far along are you? 28 weeks
Total weight gain? 16 pounds
Maternity Clothes? yes, all the time
Stretch Marks? yes
Sleep? tired all the time
Best Moment of the week? taking our maternity pictures
Miss anything? Nope
Movement? Yes, their constantly active
Food Cravings? cheese, fruit and water
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
Gender prediction? 2 happy and healthy boys
Labor signs? a few contractions here and their
Symptoms? exhausted, breast soreness, back pain, swelling
Belly button in or out? out
Wedding rings off or on? off
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy
Looking forward to? my 1st baby shower this weekend.
Next Appt? today in about an hour or so.
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