This roller coaster ride is never ending...

I wish the "two steps forward one step back" was more like a dance then an amusement park ride. It's been a rough ride. Mom & Dad were awakened Tuesday at 2AM with news of a potentially very sick child. Kian had decided to follow his brother and stop tolerating feeds act funny and his belly grew 2 cm within 4 hours. So, the complete work up (like Ethan's) was done on Kian too and they were extremely concerned about him. They started him on 2 different antibiotics and watched him carefully. They stopped feeding him, put an IV in him and we waited patiently.

Thankfully, nothing very serious came about from it but lost sleep and some tears. They've taken turns acting up- first Ethan then Kian and we've just finished acting up round 2. I'm not ready for round 3. Is this any prediction of how the future will be??We're slowly going back to feeding both. They both have IVs. They're both doing well on the respiratory side. They've had more awake time and they're showing their own personalities. We are so proud and so exhausted all at the same time. Thanks for all the extra prayers. We're not quite out of the woods yet, but it's starting to clear for the moment!




Kian's favorite position with his tongue out and acting a fool. He's a goon!


Dad's hands holding Ethan. Do you remember the other photo with dad's hands and Ethan. He's growing like a weed!


Mom & Dad with Ethan in his isolet. We hate those isolets, but they're better for the babies.



Dad snuggling with Kian.


We are making remarkable strides in the growing department. Each was measured on Monday. Ethan is now 16.5 inches long and Kian is 17 inches. They were in the 15 & 15.5 inch range 1 month ago. We're inching closer to 4lbs as the days go on. Dad even is proud to say that he's become a professional diaper changer and his diapers look better than Mom's. We wonder if he'll still be boasting that loud in about 6 months??!!

We're a month old already!

Ethan without all his head gear on. He's looking mighty cute!

A lot has transpired over the past few days. Mom & Dad have had a few sleepless nights and Kian & Ethan aren't even home yet. That's what happens when they misbehave already.

Thursday Ethan decided to stop tolerating his feeds. Mom got the call Thursday evening from the hospital that Ethan was acting funny. Of course, with Mom's overactive mind, she started brainstorming all the possibilities of why Ethan was not eating. So, Mom & Dad headed to the hospital for a LONG night, went home and then returned very early the next morning.

Dad's holding Ethan. He's not his usual self since he's not squirming and trying to get loose. Dad talks to Ethan and attempts to comfort him.

Dad sat with the boys waiting for our doctor the next morning and Mom went to work. She checked in with Dad every 30 minutes. No, her mind was not on seeing her patients, but on how her sons were doing. The doctor was unsure of what was going on, and once again, we just had to wait it out. By Sunday, Ethan was eating again. However, he was almost up to an ounce of milk and now only 5-10ml (1-2 teaspoons) every 3 hours again. He lost weight on Thursday and Friday, but somehow managed to gain a little back on Saturday night. Ethan now weighs 3lbs 4oz.

Here's Dad snuggling with Ethan. We can tell he's not feeling well.



Although a long night with Ethan, we did spend some time with Kian. Mom got to give her first bath to Kian. It was not his first bath, and not Mom's first bath, but it was their first bath together.
It was fun but challenging in the isolet.
It will be much easier when we all get home together. Kian's lungs are sounding so much better. He's still taking the lasix (diuretic) every other day, but is managing to gain weight as well. Kian is now 3lbs 8oz.
HE'S GAINED 1 LB SINCE BIRTH! His lungs are sounding great and he's flirting with staying on room air with his CPAP machine.

Here's a pic of Kian squeaky clean after his bath!

We are cute!

We are cute...Mom and Dad say so!! We're 27 days old! Can you tell who's who? Hint...there are 2 pictures of each boy.

Another thing to be thankful for...

OUR DOCTOR IS BACK IN TOWN! Yes, this is very exciting for us. Our doctor (and his wife who's the medical director- who's now seeing us too) is back from Christmas vacation with his family! It's been a roller coaster ride since they left and we are thankful they're back in town. We've been seen by about 5 different doctors and practitioners, all who have been good, it's just not the same as our own and without any consistency.

While they were gone, one physician wrote to start weaning Ethan off CPAP to a nasal cannula. Although our dr cancelled that order, we were able to get a few cute shots of Ethan on his nasal cannula instead of CPAP.
Here's Ethan laying skin-to-skin with Dad without his CPAP mask.


Kian has hit the 1500gram mark in which they can start working on regulating their temperatures. We were instructed to bring clothes for him to wear. Here's a shot of Kian attempting to wear sleepers Mom & Dad brought in for him. And yes... they are preemie size sleepers. And we thought they'd be a tight fit!!





Our doctor has changed up a lot of things since she returned. Kian's lungs were a little "wet"- a little from birth, a little from the blood transfusion- so he now gets lasix ( a diuretic) every other day. The difference is night and day. Take a look at the pictures with him in his sleepers. The green outfit is the day before the lasix and the white/brown outfit is just the next day after his first dose. Look at the puffiness around his eyes- and that's just a little difference. You can really tell with his O2 sats and his puffy extremities/legs. It's amazing!

We've also increased feeds. Each is almost getting a full ounce of milk fortified with extra calories to help each pack on the pounds. We expect a rapid weight gain in the next 4 weeks- after all- that's what they'd be doing in utero too since they'll be 32 weeks next Monday.

Our breathing is getting better, we're tolerating more, and we have more awake time that mom and dad get to see our eyeballs. It's so fun to interact with them, touch them, hold them, and just simply watch them. Such a blessing!

It's a new year & we're 3 weeks old

It's been a long week for Mom & Dad. Mom went back to work, and we're not going to lie; it was extremely difficult. On New Year's Eve, both boys had to have blood transfusions for anemia prematurity. Basically, their bone marrow (not abnormal in premature infants) can't keep up with their need for making new red blood cells. They were having difficulty keeping their blood saturated with oxygen and struggling more to breathe. Both were increasing their need for oxygen and dropping their O2 sats. Afterwards, they both got really puffy and needed a diuretic to pull the extra fluid out of their blood. That night, we got news that both Kian and Ethan hit 3 lbs! Yay! That's a milestone for both.

----------------------------ETHAN LAWRENCE--------------------------------




------------------------------KIAN PETER-----------------------------------


As excited as we were for hitting that 3 lb mark, we had a scare with Kian. New Year's day, Kian struggled with his breathing. He was as high as he could go with his oxygen and just not tolerating anything. The nurses drew some blood & took xrays to check him over. We learned quickly that all results were normal and we would have to wait it out. This was extremely difficult but Friday was a new day. Kian's nurse on Friday was able to wean him on his O2 and helped get both boys comfortable. They are both in isolets instead of open stablets and it's harder for Mom & Dad to hang out with their boys, but it's better for the boys. It's more like a womb experience. We have to remember with preemies- it's 2 steps forward, 1 step back. It's just hard to swallow those steps back. They've graduated into preemie diapers. Before, their diapers were the size of credit cards now they're the huge preemie diapers which they swim in!


Dad enjoying snuggling and holding Ethan


Today, mom's doctor stopped by for a surprise visit. He was in the area- which he usually doesn't practice at this hospital- so he was checking in on us. He got to see Kian pee all over Mom and he walked away laughing.

We're already following orders!

Mom & Dad told us to, so we did. We pooped...and we've pooped and pooped and pooped ever since. Yes, this was a spontaneous stool, no suppositories used. Since this has happened, both Kian & Ethan's bellies have almost deflated. They were starting to get pretty puffy and rounded which worried both Mom & Dad and some of the doctors. But it wasn't enough worry to do anything about quite yet. So, since Monday they've been stooling without difficulty. Thank God for a simple body function such as defecating- we take that for granted every day!



Kian 18 days old

Yes, Mom did go back to work on Monday. It was a horrendous day emotionally as all she wanted to do was visit the boys, call and check on the boys and sit and hold them. But, she and dad made it through it with only a few texts and phone calls to support each other during the day.

Each is gaining weight. Today- Tuesday- Kian weighs 2lbs 14.4oz and Ethan weighs 2lbs 12.8oz. They have increased each of their feedings to 10ml every 3 hours and both are tolerating it. However, both have increased their need for oxygen through their CPAP machines. After talking with a doctor, this could be for a number of reasons, but for right now, we're assuming its because of them just being themselves and being premature. Our doctor is on vacation right now, making Mom & Dad a bit nervous, but we're just needing to get through this week.

Ethan 18 days old


Mom had her 2 week check today with her doctor. Everything is fine and we're healing as scheduled. We brought our family picture in for our doc and he gushed over the boys cuteness and then gave me a hug saying how good of a job "we" all did. We are so thankful for him and his care and getting us to >27 weeks. Until next year...

Mom & Dad have been able to hold both boys for extended periods of time. They do extremely well in our arms. Their respiratory rates and O2 sats seem to level out & stabilize when lying on our chests and snuggling. It does good for both babies and parents to bond this early.

By the end of our snuggle time, the nurses have to peel Kian and Ethan away from us! We just count the hours until our next hands on and holding time.



Once again, we found one of our boys in the most interesting of positions. Here's how we found Ethan one afternoon. He seemed comfortable and relaxed and wasn't interested in moving!



Mom & Dad think they are making significant improvements. They each have their minor problems, but overall they're growing well. Ethan is breathing well and tolerating being on room air through his CPAP. He's honery and has many crabby spells. He has his difficulties having bowel movements and we pray every day for a stool from him. It's been days, but he seems to be digesting his food very well. We just keep crossing our fingers! Ethan is gaining weight. He now weighs 2lbs 8.4oz! Yay!
Kian is a little more "floaty" on his oxygen. Sometimes he needs more-sometimes less. He's more laid back- as expected. He's stooling up to 4 times per day and digesting his food well too. He's gained weight. As of Christmas, he was weighing 2lbs 10.5oz. What a fatty!!




Here's a pic from Saturday, December 27 with Dad holding Kian and Mom holding Ethan during kangaroo care. We were able to hold them for over 70minutes and once again the nurses had to peel them away from us. They are doing so well! Mom goes back to work on Monday and it will be difficult not to be around them all the time, but for Mom's sanity, it's probably best. She'll only be a building away and hopefully will be able to sneek away for lunch for a visit. We'll continue our visiting schedule with a 7:30AM wake up visit, Mom will visit during lunch and Mom and Dad will be back after work at 7:30 for some quality time. It doesn't leave us much time for poor Zio, but our neighbor has agreed to give him some quality care during this busy/stressful time.

Thanks to all for your love, support and prayers!