Bottle Feeding

Addison is doing really well with her feeding which, for this little one is what it is ALL about. The boys had more issues than we could keep track of but she is there to pretty much feed and grow. Yesterday they started doing 3 bottle feeds (the rest are gavage feedings, which is why she has the tape "moustache" it helps hold the tube in place) and today they are going for 4. She will need to do all 8 feedings from a bottle before coming home. I can't believe how fast this is all moving. She is, however, still only about 2lbs. 5 oz. so we have some more time because the Dr. that I spoke with today said they like them to be closer to 4 lbs before discharge. She is taking 20 cc's and still has not had a distended tummy again which is wonderful.

This picture is of the first time Jared fed her. I am so proud of him. He's such a great Daddy. AND without going into great detail he has been a wonderful husband. I had some incision issues (from the C-section) and the Doctor showed Jared how to take care of the wound. Yikes, poor guy! Oh the joys and realities of married life.

"Binoculars"

I would never argue that NICU life and keeping up with Alex and Eli is easy but thankfully the boys offer quite a bit of comic relief. Yesterday that came in the form of their new "binoculars". I am telling you if you ever need to laugh borrow a 3 year old or two!

I laugh when I think about how horrified they will be when they look at these photos as teenagers. :)

Clothes and 2 weeks old!

Addison is 2 weeks old. Jared and I had a date with our daughter last night. She is doing well. She no longer has an IV and she is off the photo therapy which means....CLOTHES!!!! I am of course thrilled that she is doing so well medically but the girl in me has been anticipating the clothing thing for about 2 weeks. Actually I have probably been dreaming of dressing a little girl since I myself was a little girl dressing my dolls. Don't worry you will not be seeing me on "Toddlers and Tiaras" but girl clothes are certainly fun!

Addison weighs 990 grams which is just about 2 lbs. 2 oz. She is finally back at birth weight! She is taking 2 feeds per day from a bottle and she is doing well with those. Her stomach remains soft which is great. She is up to 17 cc's/feeding. Those are all the facts. Daddy and I are ready for her to grow and come home but the boys like things they way they are. When I asked Alex yesterday if he wanted Addison to come home soon he said "No". Eli responded the same way. I guess we should be thankful that it is not up to them. :)

a little alex & eli love

It's been so nice to be home & enjoying sweet moments with the boys. They are lovin' life like only 3 year olds can. As an adult it is so fun to "tag along" for the ride.

Mommy's turn!

Last night Jared came home from work exhausted. His usual routine is he heads to work in the morning and once he gets home we quickly grab dinner, play with the boys, put them to bed and he heads up to the hospital and stays for a few hours. It makes for a REALLY long day. I am always a little bummed at night when he heads to the hospital because I am really missing Addison by then and I miss just hanging out at home with my husband BUT last night I got to go up there again and I was SO excited.

The below picture is of her weigh-in. Every night they take her out of her isolette and weigh her and then they change her bedding. Last night she was wide awake and alert so I snagged some great pictures. Unfortunately after this the nurse noticed that Addie has kicked her way out of her IV and needed a new one. I am not squeamish about needles or my kids being stuck with them. I am a NICU mom and shots/needles are nothing compared to vents and desats. I stood there patiently waiting for my turn to hold my girl. I was calm during the first 2 or 3 IV attempts but on about the 4gth attempt, when they tried the vein in her head and that didn't' work either I was done. I told them I needed a break and went and had a breakDOWN. I prayed and prayed that they would get the IV in and when I returned they had been successful. My baby however was exhausted. It was pitiful. She sobbed during the first few attempts and then just laid there. I think that is what got to me the most. She had no energy left to even cry.

The nurse suggested that she stay in her isolette for her feeding since she was so exhausted so I "held" her again with my arms through the holes in her isolette cradling her head in one hand and her feet in the other. As horrible of a night as it was I was still thankful that I was there for her as much as I could be. I am looking forward to seeing her again today and praying that I get to hold her for a while.

Here she is being weighed. She weighed in at 940 grams which is almost back to her birth weight!

She was SO awake and alert.

Big news!

I fed Addison a bottle! Her nurse tried yesterday and she took the whole thing. Today I asked the nurse whether she would be doing a gavage feeding or from a bottle and she said "we could try a bottle again if you'd like" and then she said "are you ready?" To which I replied "No, but I know I need to be." I had flashbacks to feeding the boys for the first time and due to their breathing issues it involved a LOT of desats, choking and spitting up. I remember the first time I fed Alex I just wanted to quit and go cry in a corner. It was traumatic and nothing like what a child's first feeding should be. I braced myself for this experience again and Addison decided she would take it easy on me. I am telling you we women stick together from the womb. :) She also has not had one big nasty diaper for me however she gives Jared quite a mess to clean up on a regular basis.

She took the full 9 cc's which is her new feeding amount since her belly was distended. She didn't choke or desat or spit it back at me! It was a truly a beautiful experience. It tired her out completely though and she had to be put right back in her isolette. I was bummed not to be able to hold her longer but I knew she needed the rest. I "held" her in the way any preemie parent is used to doing. I had my hands in her isolette one on her head and one on her little butt. I would love to show you pictures of the feeding but I completely forgot to have the nurse take one. I will try tomorrow. I am hoping we will move up to 2 bottle feedings a day so that Jared can give her one at night when he visits. As I fed her it all kind of came back to me except the burping part. I had to call a nurse over and have her remind me how to hold a 2 lb. baby and burp her. I have burped the boys a million times but something about a "fragile" preemie makes you question pounding on their back for a burp. I did fine after a brief reminder and she burped like a good girl. Mission Accomplished!

It is getting hard to just see her once a day but we want the boys to have a somewhat normal life at home too and that is a sacrifice Jared and I are both making. I hope to see her more this weekend and I think Nani and Papa will come so that we can both go together to see her a couple of times. I miss her the moment I hit the elevator each day and from that moment on I want to go right back to the NICU but when I am there I am thinking of the boys and what they are doing. I hope this goes by quickly so that we aren't quite as torn but in the mean time I am SO thankful that she is doing so well again and that is what I will try and focus on.

Party of Five, Please!

I cannot tell you how nice it was to have my entire family all in the same room yesterday. Jared and I have been looking forward to this day since we first heard that it was a possibility shortly after Addison was born. Well, I was kind of in a drug induced state and thought I dreamt it but Jared assured me that it was true that the boys would be allowed to see Addison. It is only on weekends during two specific time slots for 15 minute visits. We were thrilled!



We got the boys up from nap and put on their "I'm a Big Brother" shirts and rushed them up to the hospital. We were so excited that we forgot to even give them a drink or snack. Poor kids! Jared went in and "warned" the nurse that we were there and I attempted to wash them up. Neither of them would put their hands in the water however because it is a loud scrub sink and it scared them both. This definitely made things interesting but we headed into the NICU video camera in hand to go see Addison.



I think the most precious moment was when I asked Eli if he wanted to sing her a song and my son who normally answers everything with a "NO" before he even considers it started singing "twinkle, twinkle, little star". Somehow this currently hormonally imbalanced :) mama managed to keep it together but even now it brings tears to my eyes. Alex was not to be outdone and sang to her also. He of course chose "Into my heart, Lord Jesus" which continues to be his favorite. They told her they loved her and talked about her tiny feet. They brought her stuffed animals and books. We told them that they lived there also just like Addison. Eli was quick to say "I not stay". I think he was a bit concerned that we were dropping him off or something. We introduced them to the nurses that cared for them. The nurses "oohed and ahhed" over the boys and it was just a beautiful day for us.

So thankful!

Just got back from visiting Addison and her blood results were negative. Her abdomen x-ray showed that she was still a bit distended but it had improved. I cannot tell you how thankful we are that she is doing better. Today was also her head ultra sound which is performed on all preemies approximately 7 days after birth and it screens for brain hemmorages and other abnormalities. Addison's was absolutely clear. She did not have any bleeds at all. Again we are in awe of God as he continues to protect our baby.

They started feeds again today at 10 am but they are about 1/2 the amount that she was previously recieving. I called to see if she digested that feeding well and she did. Our nurse said that she was so awake at her 1 o'clock feeding that she bottle fed her for the first time and Miss Addison took all of her feeding from a bottle. You've got to be kidding me. The child takes us from pure hell last night to drinking from a bottle for the first time today. Isn't that life, though? I am thankful that we have God to cling to during both the good and the bad because I know I couldn't have made it through last night without Him.

I wasn't able to hold her today because they wanted all of her energy to go into her feeding but I did take her temperature and change her diaper. I am praying that Jared will be able to hold her tonight when he visits. I will head back tomorrow to see my girl and hopefully she doesn't have anymore tricks up her sleeve. Well, not any bad ones anyways. She can surprise me with a good feed and weight gain any time she wants!

I am so emotionally and physically exhausted after last night that I am off to nap while the boys do. Pray for Jared who went back to work today. I know that he will feel torn between all of these different responsibilities (NICU life, work life and home life). Good "night"!

Rough Night for Addison

Update @ 12:00am : Jared just spoke with Dr.'s they are not overly concerned but will keep a close eye on her tonight and order more x-rays in the a.m. If they were nervous about it they would have done more tests tonight. Praise God. This is one step in the right direction. Jared is coming home. It will be a rough night and we covet each and every prayer! Thank you! I just read Ephesians 3:20 "God is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope". I am asking and hoping for BIG things tonight and for Addison's recovery! Please join me! Thank you!

Original post:
We would appreciate your prayer. The NICU called us tonight after noticing that Addison's belly was distended. They are concerned that it could be an infection. They ran bloodwork that came back negative which is good but they are still concerned. She is having apneas and bradycardias which is not like her at all. The nurse said she seems very uncomfortable. The x-ray of her abdomen shows a lot of gas which could be the primary cause but they have discontinue feedings for now and she is back on the IV which she was just taken off this morning. They will test her blood again and do another x-ray in the morning if everything goes well through the night. Jared is there now and we are scared for our little girl. We trust that God is in this but we are shaken as this is our first big setback.

One Week Old

I didn't realize that it has been 3 days since I last posted. It has been kind of emotional around here. I think there was this state of euphoria following her birth and my homecoming that kept us from realizing the enormity of the situation. The reality is she is doing quite well however we are leaving our daughter at the hospital to be cared from when we long to have her in our arms. This reality kind of hit me like a MAC truck the last couple of days. Thankfully we have our visits with her and our boys at home lovin' on us and each other which is making it all more bearable. God is definitely sustaining us.

OK back to Miss Addison and her progress. First of all, Happy One Week Birthday to our sweet girl!!!! She is up to 12 cc's a feeding! So far she has had little residuals (Residuals are food remaining in her belly that was not properly digested. This is checked before each feeding and will tell them how the previous feeding went.) She has not had a big loss in days and last night she was 915 grams (just over 2 lbs). We thought she would have to be 5lbs to come home but apparently this is no longer a policy and hasn't been for quite some time. We have been told by several nurses that she will probably be smaller and will require a car bed (an infant "seat" for babies under 5 lbs). I won't even tell you how nervous the combination of twin 3 year old boys and a 3 or 4 lb baby makes me but I will welcome the challenge! :)

Yesterday I had the best day playing in the backyard with the boys. I laughed so hard and am surprised I didn't hurt my incision. We also visited the NICU with them and I plan to post about that with pictures but Jared is currently sleeping where my camera cord is so I will have to wait. I will however say that it is a sweet memory that I will not soon forget AND they managed not to push any buttons that would harm their sister. Hallelujah! Jared and I also shopped for our girl last night and got her some preemie outfits because they have started to put clothes on her. I will try and add pics of that too.

Thanks so much for all of the sweet comments and prayers. Each one of them encourage us on this journey.

The Latest NICU Fashions

Addie and the NICU girls are at the cutting edge of fashion.

Here's Addison wearing her Daddy around her little finger. I expect this "style" to be timeless and last for years. She is also wearing her pink hat, despite it being July. She is fearless in her fashion choices. Am I right, ladies?

Another look, this newcomer to the fashion world, is sporting (and this is Mommy's favorite) is her pink hair bow. Isn't she precious?

Jared and I went during the boys nap today and visited with Addison. She continues to breathe on her own and had a huge weight gain last night. She is just under 2 lbs again so thanks for the prayers. She is up to 9 cc's for her feeds now which is great after being lowered to 3 because she wasn't digesting 6 well. She is having some bradycardias (lowering of the heart rate) which is a typical preemie thing but she has been spoiling us so much with no monitor noises that this kind of freaks us out. The nurses reminded us that this is typical and we are trying to rest in the fact that she is truly doing well.

Jared is at the NICU now and I am home (did I mention that?) trying to rest and recover from the c-section. It is so amazing to be home and with Jared, Alex and Eli. I miss my Addie girl but she is in good hands and we cannot wait to have her here making our family of 5 complete. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. We miss our tiniest new addition quite a bit when we are not with her so we hope she gets big soon and stays "healthy".

3 days old

Addison is 3 days old and doing well. She is having typical preemie setbacks but is still not on oxygen. She is down to 1 lb. 13 oz. from 2 lbs. 2 oz but this is not of huge concern. All babies lose weight after birth and losing some of the fluid from birth is desired. Last night I knew she had lost more because she looked more wrinkly which earned her the temporary nickname of Grandma Wrinkles.

I held her for quite a while last night and it felt so nice. I wouldn't even give her up to Jared when he asked. I eventually relented but sharing a newborn is not something we have had to do in the past. :) He would like to stand guard over her like the good Daddy that he is 24 hours a day so it is a challenge for him to balance time with the boys and being here. He is doing a great job though and as I may be going home today I too will have to try and maintain that balance of home life and NICU life, Addie and the boys.

I checked on her this morning and she had an O.K. night. She is jaundice now and is under the lights rockin' her shades. Her blood gases weren't great last night so she is on a bit more IV fluid and she didn't digest about 1/2 her food so her feeds have been decreased from 6 cc's to 3. So when asked how she is doing I would say well but all of these little components are par for the preemie course and not to be taken lightly.

Prayer requests right now are that she has more stool, which, would help rid her body of the jaundice, gains weight and does well with her feeds. Thanks for continuing to pray with us and our family. We feel so blessed to have her here.

The boys were able to see her last night through a window in the NICU. Jared wheeled us up there and the boys sat in my lap waiting for the big moment. He had the Nurse get Addison out and the boys smiled and waved to their little sister. They were so excited. It was a really precious moment. The boys were sitting in my lap holding each others hands and Alex said to Eli "that is where we lived, Eli". They get to visit her on weekends for 15 minutes so that will be an emotional ride for us. We plan to video and take a ridiculous amount of pictures I am sure.

Addie and Mommy

Becky was able to hold little Addie for the first time this afternoon. It was great to see them together, she hadn't seen her since she delivered yesterday. Both Becky and Addie enjoyed it very much.

Becky has done such an amazing job the past eight weeks on bed rest and five weeks in the hospital. I am very proud of her and can't wait to have her back home. The boys are also very excited to have their mommy back home. Hope fully one day Addie will understand what her mommy went through for her.

Jared

Little Addie

Just a few pictures from this morning. Addie is still doing well and Becky is staring to feel much better.

Jared

Addie Update

Addie is doing very well. She is still breathing room air, no tubes, and has remained stable throughout the night and morning. I was able to hold her for about an hour earlier this morning. That fact alone gives us a glimpse of how well she is doing. It was several days before we were able to hold the boys and that was only for a few minutes at a time. The doctors have put the orders in to begin her feeds, only a few cc, because of her size and growth restrictions while still in the womb.

Becky is doing ok, but still feeling rather sick. She will come of the meds today around 1:00, hopefully bringing and end to the nauseau and headaches. She will then be able to go see Addie around 2:00.

It is amazing and humbling to see how God has orchestrated things. From Beckys time in the Hospital, the many friends and family who have jumped in to take care of us and the boys, and now Addies stay in the NICU - Please continue to pray for our family.

Isn't she adorable!!!

Thank You!!!

Jared

Addison Lily

Addison was born today at 2:00 P.M. She was 2lbs 1.7 oz and 14 inches long, same size as Eli. She is breathing on her own, which is huge, and the Neonatoligists says she looks great. Becky is doing well, but very tired and sick from all the meds. she is taking. Continue to pray for Becky, thats she gets the needed rest and that she recovers quickly. Pray that Addison will continue to breath on her own, begin gaining weight, and have no other complications.

Thanks

Jared

No Addison Lily Today

She passed her BPP with flying colors as usual. We will press on to tomorrow and do the same drill. Wait to pass BPP and then move onto Monday. I feel like we may find out more then.

Friday's Update

Today's doppler and BPP were both fine and my tests regarding the pre-eclampsia are still mild as they were 8 weeks ago. The biggest issue we have now is growth. She definitely has IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction). She remains 960 grams which is just over 2 lbs. and the average baby at this gestational age weighs about 3 and a 1/2 lbs. This is a big concern yet she continues to have amniotic fluid and still has great tone and movement.

My Dr. last week indicated that if she was below the 10th percentile they would consider delivery and she is currently at the 5th percentile yet the doctor that is on does not feel that we need to deliver at this point because she is not showing signs of distress. Jared and I are feeling confused and a bit discouraged because we feel like we are waiting for things to get "bad" and as a parent that is scary.

The plan is for me to be NPO (this just means I won't eat) after midnight tonight and then I will have my BPP in the morning. If she does poorly they will deliver. Sunday we have the same plan and then the doctors will re-assess things on Monday. I don't expect her to do poorly because she continues to get 8/8 and she would have to get 2/8 or worse. He predicts I will deliver next week. We have heard this before and just continue to question her safety in the womb if she is not being properly nourished which is due to the SUA. As I write this I know that they are doctors and they are the ones that God chose for us but at the same time I will be honest and say it is difficult and right now my confidence is wavering. We are also not just blindly following. We raise our questions and concerns regularly and the doctors are able to answer our concerns as we try to reach the common goal of a healthy baby.

Please keep us and our doctors in your prayers.

Wednesday's Update

Tests went really well again today. She got 8/8 for her BPP and the doppler's once again showed blood flow. We press on until tomorrow! I am being re-tested today for signs of pre-eclampsia but I have no physical symptoms that would indicate that is has progressed at this point although we will find out more tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers.

Apparently the boys are having a cranky day and Briana is the lucky one who gets to deal with that. Please pray for them as they continue to adjust to their current life. It is hard on a 3 year old to not be with Mommy. As you know it is also hard on Mommy.

Another Milestone

Today I am 30 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I have never been this pregnant. I am officially 3 complete weeks past when I had the boys. I have also officially been in the hospital for a month. 4 weeks and on bedrest for 8. I cannot believe it. I cannot wait to resume normal life BUT (there is always a "but" attached) I am in awe that I am still pregnant with the crazy Addison.

She did well on her tests again today and it continues to be a day to day pregnancy. Every day I come back from testing and the nurses ask how it went. They are secretly asking "Is today the day?" and I know it. It is definitely the question in everyone's mind including me. Today however was not the day.

I did get a 3D ultrasound of miss thing and it is "cute" I guess. I kind of think all 3D u/s look a little weird but it is an amazing thing to see her features. I think she will definitely get our big lips, as did our boys and it was fun to see that.

Their continues to be an outpouring of love on us from our friends and family. I have had visitors who always offer to bring lunch, starbucks, movies, books and just pray with me. I am enjoying passing the time with them. Briana and I worked on Addison's NICU card yesterday and that was fun. She made cards for the boys isolettes when they were born so we HAD to make one for our Addie Girl. I cannot wait until it is done and I will most definitely share a picture with you. A blog friend (who has never met me) sent me books to read. Isn't that sweet? Thanks Janna! It really does blow my mind and make me think about how I will help others in the future. People continue to make dinners for us and watch our boys throughout the day. We are so blessed!

Thanks to all who are continue to pray for us and support our family the way you have. We are humbled by it. I feel forever changed by it.

I got out some of the things for the boys baby books and took a picture of them My thumb is covering Eli's entire foot print at birth. Now he wears a size 9 shoe and we weighed him a few days ago and found that he weighed 38 lbs. Yikes. He at one point was down to 1lb 14oz. Alex is 28 lbs right now which is still a great weight and we feel amazed by it all.

When prepping the things for the baby books I found the verse that I had on my wall when Alex and Eli were in the NICU. I didn't know I'd kept it so it was a great and encouraging surprise. I put it up on my hospital bulletin board and it is a great reminder. (Pictured Below)

It doesn't get much more simple than that. Don't Worry, Pray!

A Good Day

Let me just tell you this little girl of ours is a scrapper. She had a 10x10 on her NST this morning. They like to see some variables during this test and 10x10 means that her heart rate accelerated 10 beats higher for 10 seconds. Yay! She doesn't do this often but hopefully she will start making it a regular thing. She also passed her BPP like a champ and breathed way longer than the 30 seconds that the test requires in order to pass. She is determined to keep me in the hospital and her inside. So that was a great start to my day.

The other bright side was that Jared and the boys came and visited for 2 hours. This is not the norm because twin 3 year old boys aren't always calm enough for a hospital setting. Today was perfect and we took a nice wheel chair ride to a courtyard with some pretty flowers and fresh, 90 degree air. There is not a cloud in the sky but there is a beautiful breeze in the air to offset the heat. The boys happily licked blue Popsicles (from the nurses of course) and had great dark blue mouths. They looked quite patriotic for this lovely July 4th. Jared impressed the boys with his wheelchair tricks that make me crazy. All I can see every time he does a wheelie is him falling backwards and bashing his head open. I am not sure when I became "such a mom" but it has happened. :)

Jared also brought me a few projects that I am looking forward to working on. I plan to label all of our home dvd's of the boys and finish their baby books. Yes, they are 3! I figure if I don't work on this before Addison is born I will NEVER finish them. Speaking of which I should probably start working on one for her too. I guess procrastinating for 3 years wasn't the best idea!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Here is a link to July 4th 2009 and 2008. As is mention in those posts yesterday was Eli's 3rd anniversary of independence from the NICU and Alex' was on June 13th. We visited the NICU on our tour today and it is so weird that we will be beyond those doors again but we remind ourselves of all that God brought Alex and Eli through in order for them to be the crazy 3 year olds that they are and we are hopeful and thankful.

30 weeks (tomorrow)

Weekends at the hospital are LONG. There isn't much of the usual routine. I don't go down for testing. They do everything bedside which means little time out of my room. Weekends, even when I was at home on bedrest, were always the hardest. I think because when life was a bit more normal I always knew that Jared would be home and we would plan fun things to go and do and right now that is not reality.

Jared and the boys aren't coming up today. Jared took them to see Toy Story 3. We have been looking forward to taking them to their first movie for quite a while and we thought this movie would be the best to start with. They had fun. Eli was mesmerized and anyone who knows him will not be surprised by this. He is an avid tv watcher and if I'd let him he'd watch it all the time. Alex got a little antsy and told Jared he wanted to leave and come see me. :) You gotta love that. They went to church tonight which makes for a full day for a couple of 3 year olds.

I filled my day with some movies and magazines and a shower. Now I decided to make a video of the boys trips to the "hos-a-bull" as Alex calls it. Enjoy!

Oh as far as me and Addison. We continue to do well and they watch her closely. The doctor who rounded today said that their written goal continues to be 34 weeks. YIKES! That is another month but I am thankful to continue to carry her. I really am. It is just difficult to wrap my head around 4 more weeks without my husband and boys. I will do what is required of me but this is a whole new challenge I must say. Jared and I have always said that the boys being in the NICU and born at 27 weeks was the most difficult time in our lives but I think we have a new standard. This is tough but I first started having trouble at 22 weeks and here I am 8 weeks later. I find myself saying "Thank you Lord but how in the world am I going to handle this?" As is the theme for this current challenge I truly can't think of more than today. And today, I am pregnant and safe, Addison is safe, Jared has managed to keep his sanity and Alex and Eli are healthy 3 year olds.

Enjoy the video. Alex is front and center for most of it. He just tends to cooperate with the camera a bit more while Eli will just tell me "no" when I ask him to sing or talk. It all depends on his mood. :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Still pregnant over here!

I continue to keep this little stinker inside. She is a feisty thing and still passing her tests. She just needs to fatten up a bit. Who would have ever guessed that Jared and I would have trouble making big babies?? No ONE! We head towards the long weekend so unless something goes crazy this weekend I should make it passed the 30 week mark which is great. This is such a roller coaster and I am only just now feeling a bit renewed after Wednesday's "we may deliver" fiasco.

I wanted to share some of the pictures from the boys' visits. Jared is so wonderful to come and see me so often. It makes for REALLY LONG DAYS for him and yet he doesn't complain. I take a lot of pictures and video while they are here and then at night before I go to bed I watch them. It is so ironic because when they were in the NICU I did the same thing. I would video them and then go home and watch them before bed. The difference obviously being that they were the ones in the hospital and I was at home. It brought comfort then and it does now.


Their favorite thing to do is go to the fountain and throw pennies in. They also love their wheel chair rides. They are spoiled rotten by the nurses who adore them and the boys have gotten used to getting a sucker each time they leave the floor. The nurses also think my husband is the best thing since sliced bread. Luckily for me they are all about 20 years older than him so I think I am pretty safe. :) I am swallowing my pride and even posting the picture of me with the boys. It is definitely not the greatest picture but it is the reality of hospital living. ;)