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.