4 weeks

I can hardly believe that our boys are 4 weeks old already! I can hardly believe that they've been in the hospital for 4 weeks. I can hardly believe that it's been 2 months and 4 days since I've lived at home.

Everyone is doing so good! I was informed just this morning that Seth and Paul may be released from the hospital in just a few short days. They are taking their bottles regularly and if they continue to do so, then they will get to leave. Clay is not too far behind either, just a little smaller. Because he is a little smaller, he just doesn't have the same strength as Seth and Paul. So, he's not able to take his bottles regularly like them. He is taking full bottles, but is not able to do so on a regular basis. I think it will only be a matter of days before he's able to do so! :)

Paul weighs: 5lbs 1 oz
Seth weighs: 5lbs 1 oz
Clay weighs: 4lbs 12oz

Shane and I are SO ready to take them all home!!! We should also let everyone know that we really have to limit our visitors for a while. At least until the boys are a little older. We know that everyone is anxious to meet them all. But you have to remember that they were born 2 months early, so their immune systems are not very strong at all. We have been told by our doctors, nurses, and case managers that we can not expose them to a lot of people. They can especially not be around children and adults that are around children because this is a heavy RSV season. RSV is a respiratory virus that affects infants and small children, especially premature babies. RSV season lasts until April.

I promise to post new pictures soon, I am just not able to for a few days. I am staying at the hospital in a "sleep room" outside of the NICU so that I can take care of the boys every time they wake up. I only have a dial up connection on my computer while I'm at the hospital, so you can imagine that it would take forever for me to post new pics.

Movin' on up....well, movin over anyway! :)

I was shocked not once, but twice today when I went to visit my boys in the NICU......

This morning when I walked in Clay was missing! Well, not really - he just got moved over during the night near his sweet brothers. Of course, not being use to change just yet, I was shocked when I didn't see him in his usual area. I said very loudly as I walked in and noticed my missing child, "where is my baby"! The nurses kindly pointed out to me that he was just a few feet over by his brothers. (Everyone should note that this is the FIRST time that they been so close together since they were born.) It was wonderful to be able to sit in the middle of all of my boys, whose beds were placed in a U-shape to that I could see all of them together.

When I went back for the afternoon visit, my boys' nurse kindly came to see me at the scrub sink to let me know that 2 of my boys had been moved to the step down NICU. Let me tell you, it was REALLY weird to go in to the regular NICU and see just Paul in the little back corner area where all 3 boys have been for the last 3 weeks. BTW, today is their 3 week birthday! (Got to love the number 3!) Anyway, I made sure that Paul was okay and of course he was. Then I went right next door to check on Seth and Clay in the step down unit. It is really quiet in the step down unit and I think my boys are just going to love it over there. Don't worry, Paul will be going over first thing in the morning. They can only allow 8 babies in the step down until and one little baby is going home tomorrow (not mine of course), but this will allow room for Paul to come over. Then, we will ALL be happy because my boys will once again be in the same area.

All of the boys are doing so well. When they are in the step down NICU the babies are referred to as the "feeders/growers". They are only on apnea monitors - which just makes sure that they are breathing - and in open cribs. Shane and I will get to take a more "hands on" approach with them and WE get to take care of them, not all the wonderful nurses. The boys are at a good weight to come home, they just have to learn to take their bottles.

Everyone is practicing on their bottles and doing so well. Big Paul actually took a WHOLE bottle the other night!!! I couldn't believe it!!! :) It was the only time that he has done that, but I know he is going to do it again any day now. (I am hoping that his daddy will be able to have a talk with him and convince him this weekend!) Paul and Seth are taking about half of their bottles everytime we try with them. Sometimes we offer them a bottle every 4 hours, but if they look real tired we will wait until the next feeding. Clay is taking just a little less that half of a bottle when we try with him, about 20cc. It just takes SO much energy for them to drink from their bottles. Our goal is for them to drink a whole bottle, but we don't want them to work so hard that they are losing weight. It's a hard balance. We want to push them, but not too hard.

All of the nurses and doctors just keep telling us that they will take their bottles one day and it will just click with them. Shane and I know that our boys are like us - they will do what they want and in their own time! ;)

Their updated weights are as follows:
Paul: 4lbs, 13.8 oz
Seth: 4lbs, 10.8 oz
Clay: 4lbs, 7.7 oz

2 weeks old

Mom & Clay

4lbs 1oz
Dad & Seth
4lbs 6oz

Mom & Paul

4lbs 7oz

Happy Late Birthday Ricky (Big Daddy)!!!!

We are all thinking of you Aunt Priscilla

Raising 3 boys is going to be wild..........

Clay's bed/incubator for the last 14 days - approx

(He wanted out SO bad!!!)

Guess what?!?!

He got out today! :)

This is Clay in his new "big boy" bed.
He's so happy - there is a ton of room to move around.
Mom and Daddy are SO proud of him for Movin' on Up!

Now, I'll get to my title for this blog entry! I learn A Lot of interesting things being in at out of the NICU several times a day. Most things I learn about my boys, some things I learn about other people. Well, today I learned a lesson from my smallest son, Clay. It was a BIG lesson!!!

Let me begin by saying that I know you've got to watch little boys when changing their diapers, as they tend to "void" aka "pee" in all sorts of directions. I didn't know they could poo in other directions as well! I was changing Clay's diaper and I had him good and clean, it was a pretty nasty diaper. Anyway, I lifted both of his legs up to get another diaper under him and what did my sweet baby do???? He projectile pooed about 1 and 1/2 feet and it landed on the inside of his incubator that he was moving out of. It was the craziest thing I've seen. I think that he was REALLy ready for that "big boy" bed and wanted to make sure that he wouldn't have to go back into that incubator! It was hands down the funniest thing that I've witnessed in a while! I'm sure it won't be the last! Maybe it was funny this time because it wasn't at my house.....oh no, what have Shane and I gotten in to??? ;) LOL

Our growing boys!

Clay

3lbs 10oz

(He's always wiggling around - spending those good calories! LOL)

Clay has been putting on about an ounce each night.

Paul
4lbs 3 oz

(Look at those cute chubby cheeks.)

I just want to squeeze those cute cheeks, but I just can't do that to my sweet P!

Seth

4lbs .4oz

(His first "big boy" outfit.)

Nurse Christy was showing him off to all the ladies, which he was loving!

His daddy was so proud! ;)

How is Hope?

First - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLEY!!!!

Several people have been asking.....how is Hope doing?

So far so good! I'm sure that I don't really have to say this - but I am ready to go home! It's been way too long since I've been living on my own homestead. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer. The boys are getting better each day, but this living day to day is kiling me!

I am healing wonderfully! I had my 2 weeks follow up today. (It actually was a 1 week 4 day follow up, but we'll round up!) Anyway, all went very well. My encision looks great and I should be able to return back to all of my normal activities in 4 weeks, after my next and final "follow up" appointment. I was given permission to drive - little does my doctor know that I've been driving since last week with no problem!

I'm ready to have my body back. Can someone tell me when that will happen? I didn't gain that much during my pregnancy and have already lost 26 pounds in just 11 days.

I feel great! I probably do too much going back and forth to the NICU as much as I do, but it can't be helped. I have taken a few nights off or a long morning to sleep in, but it's not something I can do everyday. I need to see my sweet boys!

So, not much more to tell about me. Except that I am back on my coffee/Starbucks addiction - so if anyone has any extra gift cards feel free to send them my way!

How is Shane? He's doing good. He's back at work and it's "killing him"! He wants to be able to stay in Memphis and spend time visiting with the boys. However, we need him to save his vacation days for when we have everyone at home. So, he will continue working until we are all home. He LOVES his boys!!! I say they all look like him - they've for sure got his sweet nose!

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. More posts to come soon!
~The Kesler's

The boys, 10 days old

Mom & Paul, Jan. 6
Dad & Seth, Jan. 7

Mom & Clay, Jan. 6

I have got to get better at updating my blog page!!! I promise to try really hard and blog more often.

Our boys are doing really well. We are still just taking things a day at a time. The neonatologists change things daily with the boys, so I will just post the latest update on everyone. Here goes!

Seth is our Big Boy, we also call him "jimmy legs"! He is a solid 3 lbs 13 oz that likes to move around constantly!!! He is not on any IV fluids or feedings, just formula. The amount of formula that he gets changes daily. Right now he is taking 36cc of formula at each feeding, which is 1 oz and 6cc - they like to send the babies home taking around 2 oz. Right now, we are working on bottle feeding him. (Really all of them.) Babies usually do not learn to suck, swallow, and breathe until about 34 weeks. This is not something that we can rush them in to doing, they will learn at their own pace. This is really the last thing that "my big man" needs to learn to do. His nurses and doctors tell me that they don't want to rush him, for fear that they will stress him out. It just seems that one day he will just know how! He was moved out of his incubator tonight and in to a regular open bed. This is a wonderful thing because it means that he is regulating his own body temp., it also means that he can wear clothes. It was so cute to see him in clothes today! :)

Paul is our quiet, content boy. He is 3 lbs, 12 oz and is pretty content no matter what you do with him. He LOVES to be held by Mom and Dad! He gets so comfortable in our arms - it's just the sweetest thing! Again, the amount of formula that he gets changes daily. Right now, he still has an IV that he's getting very little lipids and glucose solution. The more they go up on his formula then they will go down on his IV feedings. I think it won't be long now until his IV is out! He is being feed 22cc of formula at each feeding. Paul was also having some problems with a little apnia (I'm sure I didn't spell that correctly), so they started giving him caffine to help stimulate him. However, he is completely off of that now! He was also moved to an open bed tonight because he is doing such a good job a regulating his own body temperature. He was able to start wearing clothes yesterday and of course looks just adorable!

Clay is our curious little guy. He is 3 lbs 6 oz and is always bright eyed and looking around. He loves to be held by Mom and Dad and just stare at us! He does NOT like to have his diaper changed, but quiets down real quick once it's over. His IV was taken out today and we are SO happy!!! He is taking 30cc, which is 1 oz of formula at each of his feedings. He just needs to put a little bit more weight on until he can move to and open bed. With a few more oz on his weight he will be able to regulate his body temperature better.

The physical therapist, nurses, Mom, & Dad have been working with the boys and practicing their bottle feeding. They don't want us to try all the time, maybe just once every 12 hours because it tires and stresses them out too much. Something we don't want to do. Again, it's just something they will learn on their own when they are ready!

We were able to suprise Nana (Shane's Mom, Diana) and Yaya (Hope's Mom, Gloria) this weekend by letting them hold the boys! Both of them commented that they had never held babies SO small. I guess Shane and I never have before now either! They are growing and changing everyday. I just stare at them all the time. Shane and I can't wait to get home with our new family and BE HOME. We're going to take a few days by ourselves and then call out for "the troops" aka Nana and Yaya to come help. We still have a while until we cross that bridge.

Meet our boys - born January 3, 2008

Paul Alan Kesler

3 lbs 10 oz

18" Long

Born: 12:56pm

Clay Ellis Kesler

3 lbs 2 oz

16" Long

Born: 12:57pm

Seth Reedy Kesler

3 lbs 12 oz

17" Long

Born: 12:58 pm