Growing Fast

For the past couple of weeks, I start every day off with a declaration. "Today is the day that I'll write on the blog", I say. Then I go to work, come home, figure out what we're doing for dinner and give Julie a much needed hand with the twins before I'm ready to pass out in bed. Even that doesn't seem to last to long. Really, life hasn't been too hectic until this week. Luckily, we had an extra set of hands around in one form or another for the first four weeks that Conner & Teagan have been home. I don't think that we'd have come out of the transition alive without the help of G & G Calderwood, G & G Lueger and Julie's aunt Sharon. Now the days of extended sleep, having meals cooked for us and our laundry done are long gone. Just typing it makes me sad. While I'm thinking about it, if anyone would like a job as a nanny/ homemaker we're seriously considering opening up the position for applicants. Getting up to see the faces of Conner & Teagan make all the aches, pains and sleepless nights well worth it though.

Now on to how they're doing....

Last Monday we had our 2 month checkup with the pediatrician. It was also immunization day. Which means shots. Leading up to it I had visualized holding a kicking and screaming baby while the nurses struggled to get the needles in, but before they even knew what hit them the were pricked three times in the leg and the hard part became putting the bandaides on. Now the good news. Teagan had been alarm free for a month and since she wasn't taking any caffeine we were able to take the apnea monitor off. Conner had also been alarm free for just under a month, but unfortunately that just means that we can stop giving him caffiene this week. Now if he goes another month without any alarm we can get rid of that monitor. Even so, it's a huge relief to only have one baby plugged in.

Conner & Teagan are growing like weeds. At 8 weeks old Conner weighed 8 pounds and Teagan weighted 6.5 pounds. Each of them are approximately 20 inches long as well. Between the feedings, which happens about every 4 hours, the twins are more awake and love looking around. Probably the most amazing thing is tummy time and we get to see them in action. Truly awesome to see them pick up their head and turn it from side to side.

Both are doing really well and hopefully continue to do so. Well, like I mention before writing the blog is squeezed in between feedings, diaper changes, doing laundry (really Julie does that), etc. So I will leave with more pictures and less typing!

Barry & Teagan

Jessica & Conner

Allison & Teagan and Maggie & Conner

Brady, Teagan & Conner

Conner's 1st Halloween

Teagan's 1st Halloween

Home Sweet Home

In three words, and with a big sigh, the title to this blog says more about how this little family is doing than anything else we've posted. On wed of this week, Conner & Teagan had eaten all of their meals on their own for two days and still continued weight gain, so the doctor moved them out of special care. Then, after a successful night with Julie & I in the family/baby room, the doctor said he had no reason to keep them in the hospital any longer. Yesterday, just past noon and after almost 4 weeks in the hospital we were able to take our new additions home. With them came some monitors that tell us if the heart rate is out of range or if their breathing stops. Even with the most annoying alarm in the world, we welcome the peace of mind that they'll give us. With one night under out belt, we feel more rested and at ease than we have in a month. That is all sure to change soon, but for now we're happier than ever. I know most of the people who check on this thing are really looking for pictures anyways, so I'd be surprised if anyone is still reading this. Besides, time is short without nurses around to do our dirty work and I have some diapers to change.

Look how far we've come

Sorry for taking so long to get this out, but what a crazy week it has been. I have so much to update on. First, let me offer a quick excuse for taking so long between posts. For a while, Julie and I would spend most of our day in the hospital before returning home to sleep in our own beds at night. Sometime last week Julie really started to look fully recovered though. You could tell she was feeling better because everything started looking more organized than it had been in months. Then, after a couple of worried nights at home our parenting nerves started to show and home wasn't the best place to get a good night sleep. So we started taking shifts staying at the hospital. Between the diaper changings/feedings every three hours and the thin cot mattress that we slept on, a good rest is usually the first thing I think of after getting home from work and the hospital the next day. Still, I can only imagine that our most treasured and sleep deprived days are still ahead of us. Excuses aside, you can probably expect these to become more and more infrequent, because there is considerable time needed to get the house in order and we think Conner & Teagan will be coming home soon.

How did they come so far, so fast? I'll see if I can start with the most current news and work my way back. As of today, Conner is 4lbs 12ozs and Teagan is 4lb 3 ozs. Since they are both over 4lbs(a criteria I didn't know existed until late last week) and their incubator temperature had been turned down, they're now out of the plastic box and into a crib. They've also been eating all of their meals through a bottle or nursing for over a day now so their feeding tubes have been removed. No plastic box, no tubes, no IVs. They're starting to look like regular babies.... just miniaturized. On our first day in the hospital, the nurse told us that three things would have to happen before they could come home. Lets review. One, they need to breath on their own.... check. Two, they need to maintain their temperature.... check. Three, they need to be able to eat on their own.... and check. Technically, the last two just happened and the doctor will need a couple of days to insure that their temperatures stay up and their weights continue to climb. After that, they'll move us to a "Family Development" room for a day or two where Julie and I will take complete care for the twins, but nurses will be standing by in case of an emergency or panicked parent. However, barring any setbacks (please take a moment to find some wood and knock on it with me) it shouldn't be too long. Even though they were in the same incubator for a while, I don't think Julie and I were ever standing next to it for a picture, so when they were put in the crib yesterday we took our first family photo.

This past weekend the twins also received a visit from their aunt Sarah and uncle Josh. Last week their uncle John came down for a visit and last weekend their aunt Steaphanie and G & G Calderwood were in town for a visit. We hoped that Conner & Teagan would work some time into their busy schedules to be held by G & G Calderwood for some photo ops and they didn't disappoint.

There are some other big firsts for us and the twins. Julie was able to hold both of her children at once for the first time and I don't think I've ever seen her look happier.... or so squinty. Also, the priest at our church made a special visit to baptize Conner & Teagan. We still plan to have a ceremony and celebration when they're big enough for the event, but Father Ken was nice enough to have his picture taken with them to mark the impromptu and momentous occasion.

Other than that it's really been a lot of eating, sleeping, pooping and fattening. So maybe it just feels like a lot has happened, but at 3 weeks old and almost a pound heavier I think it's safe to say that Conner & Teagan have come a long way.

One awesome text message

For the past week I've been sneaking into the office early to get some work done before heading to the hospital. Since Julie is recovering at such a remarkable rate and since the doctor cleared her to drive this week, she has been able to sleep in a little, get herself ready and haul our camera/bags to the hospital on her own. Then, sometime in the early afternoon I'm able to rejoin in the family festivities at the hospital. By family festivities I'm referring to the temperature checks, diaper changes & feedings that occur every three hours. It's the only time they're awake and generally the only time that we get to hold them. They need plenty of rest so that they can conserve their calories for weight gain and temperature regulation, so we often watch them sleep for the other approximate 2 hours. However, since we're in the blissful state of new parenthood, we relish the chance to hold, feed and even change diapers. I'm getting off track though. Today, while trying to wrap up the work week as quickly as possible, I received the best text message I could ever imagine. With it, was a picture taken through the hole of an isolette with Teagan's beautiful face staring right at me and Conner's peeking up just behind it. Also, a message; "Daddy... we r finally together".

Apparently, sometime during the night, their isolette temperatures must have been close enough that the nurse thought they could be put together. I don't think Julie and I could be any happier. For that matter, I don't think Conner & Teagan could be any happier. Today they slept better than I've seen them sleep all week, their temperatures looked great all day and they ate with more gusto than before. All of these could just be a factor of them being a day older and a day stronger, but I'd like to believe that being next to each other is helping just a little.

I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I've attempted to upload some video of them in their isolette. See for yourself, but we're convinced that being next to each other also gave them some super cuteness powers.

In other news, Grandma and Grandpa Lueger were able to visit this week before heading up to Chicago. Apparently, mom wanted to make the trip last week but dad convinced her that if they waited a week she may get to hold them. Although she tried to covertly sneak that rationale into every phone conversation we had last week, I had to remind her each time that the stars kind of had to align for this to happen. In other words, a feeding time had to fall during visiting hours (2 hr stretches throughout the day) and they had to be awake enough to be agitated after nursing/feeding or any other exhausting activity. That woman must have a higher power on her side though, because the first morning we showed up, the nurse had just finished bottle feeding Conner when we walked in and he was still awake enough to be held for a while. The same became true of Teagan when she ate 15 minutes later and G & G were able to hold their newest grandchildren for the first time. Grandma & Grandpa Calderwood visit this weekend and hopefully we can work in some of the same for them.

Unfortunately we didn't have the camera with us first thing in the morning, but we were sure to pick it up later for some sweet photo ops with G&G in the nursery. See below...

Dressed for success

It's been four days since we last put the word out on Conner & Teagan's progress, but it feels like weeks because so much has happened. Since then, they've progressed to over a week old (ten days now), they've had a visit from two of their aunts (Kelsey & Jen.... and Davey w/ a beard), both have started nursing/bottle feeding fairly regularly, Teagan has had her IV taken out and best of all she's gained enough weight to be dressed. Once premature babies hit the magic weight of 1500 grams (approx 3lbs 5oz) they can be dressed, swaddled and put on air temperature. Now that they're both on air temperature, if they start to regulate their temps at similar air temps then they can be put in the same bed. That may sound a little confusing, but if the air temps in their incubators get weened down to around 80 degrees, it means they'll probably be put in crib to see if they can regulate their temps at room temperature. The moral of the story is, they're one step closer to being together again and we're one step closer to watching, touching and talking to them without a plastic enclosure in the way.

As of today, Conner is just over 4 lbs. He's still being weened off of the air temperature in his isolette but he seems to be starting a steady climb and he has a noticeable boost in energy at each of his feedings. He does have some infrequent pauses in his breathing, but he always works himself out of them and the doctors assure us that his behavior is normal for a baby of his gestational age. To help, he's given a small amount of caffeine with his feedings to keep him a little agitated so he doesn't forget to breath.

Teagan is approximately 3lbs 5ozs. She is on full feedings (no IV) and she hasn't had any pauses in her breathing so they've taken her off of the caffeine. It also appears that she's started off regulating her temperature a little faster now that she's dressed. We've been told from our first day in the NICU that premature girls tend to come along faster than boys and we're really starting to see it now. Her progress and energy level for her size is amazing to not only us, but to their nurses and guests as well.

Another big event occurred on Saturday when Julie was asked if she wanted to participate in some skin-to-skin time with Connor during one of his tube feedings. Research has shown that this activity helps in the development of pre-mature babies (see the link below if you really want to see the research). Essentially, it's the simple act of putting the undressed baby on the chest of his/her mother for an extended period of time. To my surprise, the nurse then asked if I wanted to participate in the same activity with Teagan. After contemplating whether a mouthful of chest hair would have any lasting negative effects on the poor child I agreed to give it a try. Even more surprising, was how still and calm these restless babies became for 45 minutes or so while in the warm embrace of their parents. It was also the first time that we had both of them out of their incubators and in our arms at one time and it seemed all four of us were less restless than we had been in the last week. Even Teagan, with a V of hair the texture of a Brillo pad to rest her little head on.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/105/1/e14

A big thank you goes out to our little sisters and Davey for cleaning the house for us while we were out. Also, to our co-workers that have been keeping us well fed with home cooked meals after long days at the hospital. Thanks to everyone for the support and prayers that we've received over the last 10 days. We can't imagine where we'd be without them.

Moving on up

The last two days have been pretty big for the twins. Yesterday, the twins were moved from the NICU up to the Neotatal Special Care Unit (NSCU) one floor above. With this upgrade came their own room in a unit that was opened only a month or two ago. Also, since they're in one of only 4 'twin rooms', they're feeling like VIPs with all of their extra space. Unlike their corner of the NICU, the new penthouse suite offers a recliner, a small bench seat that can double as a bed and a sink area with a mini-fridge. It feels like my college dorm room, only bigger, more comfortable and much much cleaner. So really only the mini-fridge feels like my college dorm room, but the room does provide a much cosier atmosphere for us and our frequent guests. Although there is a nurse dedicated to every 3 babies or so and the baby's monitors go through a paging system that can alert the nurse to any alarms, we get a good amount of much appreciated alone time with our new blessings.

The move alone says that they're making good progress, but it seems like every time we walk into the room they're taking another step in the right direction. Today they are six days old. Conner is now being dressed and they're weening him on the extra heat necessary to heat is isoltte and help him maintain temperature. He is also eating a little over an ounce (all through a bottle at most feedings) and they've removed his IV, which was providing necessary supplemental nourishment. In fact, Julie was able to attempt nursing today. A daunting feat with any newborn, but especially a premature one. The poor little guy was too tired stay awake for a full meal, but it worked for a while and sure fealt like a big step.

Since Teagan was under 1500 grams at birth, she was considered "mid-line" and couldn't lay with her head turned toward either shoulder. Which meant that it was pretty difficult to hold her, much less attempt feedings or skin-to-skin time.... until today. After five days old, doctors consider a baby's airways strong enough to stay open during these activities, even at lower weights. Therefore, Julie was able to share some of her body heat and some quality bonding with her beautiful baby daughter today. Teagan also ate her first meal through a bottle and polished off a little over 1/2 an ounce (her entire does) with energy to do more. Teagan received a little more light therapy today as well, but it was expected since the biliribun usually spikes again after the first couple of days.

As for Julie, she is doing much better. Yesterday she had a follow-up appointment with her doctor. After Julie brought out some waterworks and attempted an apology for not delivering in Wichita, he insured her that she had nothing to cry or be sorry about, that he had visited the babies in the NICU and that he was happy to see that everyone was doing so well.... including Julie. Then he removed the staples and provided Julie with a bigger relief than she had ever imagined. She's still moving a little slow at times and has some aches and pain, but claims to feels 100% better than when they were in.

It has been a great end to an awesomely crazy week. Every step for them means a step closer to getting them home and showing them off to the world.



P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures. I still haven't uploaded them to the computer yet and I wanted to get this out.

The Twins Have arrived

It was last Friday, Sept 12, and we were just wrapping up the wedding rehearsal for our friends Kayla and Kellen in Hays Kansas when it happened. KU lost by a last second field goal to South Florida. Apparently this atrocity caused a cosmic disruption of grand proportions, because at about that time Julie started to feel what we now know were Labor contractions. At the time she passed them off as braxton hicks contractions since she was still 9 weeks early and readied herself for bed. A couple of hours later she was awoken by similar pains and fealt what she thought could be her water breaking. Trying not to wake our hotel roommates, she summoned me for a family meeting in the bathroom to decide our next move. Since the running toilet made for a poor meeting setting, Julie attempted to jiggle the chain inside the tank and accidentally dislodged a water hose. So, as I entered the bathroom i found water spraying out of the toilet, hitting the wall and Julie standing in the bathtub with a very panicked look on her face. Thankfully, the toiled was easy enough to fix and it became blaringly obvious that our next move should be to the hospital. Sure enough, Julie was beginning labor. When the doctor arrived he layed out a plan with two options. Option A was to stop contractions long enough to fly Julie to Wichita so that she could deliver there. If that didn't happen, option B was to deliver the twins in Hays and have them flown to the NICU at Wesley hospital in Wichita. However, rainy weather was keeping aircraft on the ground in Wichita and the twins wouldn't have waited that long anyways so Option B was our fate. The surgery was a great success and although being separated from our new babies only hours from their delivery made for some emotional moments, we knew that they were healthy and in good hands.

Conner Matthew Lueger was born at 4:47 AM on September 13th, 2008. He weighed 3 pounds 15.5 ounces and was 16.5 inches long. Teagan Ann Lueger was born at 4:48 AM on September 13th, 2008. She weighed 3 pounds 4.25 ounces and was 16 inches long.

The twins arrived at the Wesley Hospital NICU a little after noon on Saturday and weathered the trip well. Each of them were breathing through ventilators but those were soon removed and replaced with CPAPs. Grandpa & Grandma Calderwood came to stay with Julie while Grandpa and Grandma Lueger picked me up in Hays and brought me to Wichita to be with the twins. When I arrived they doing great, breathing room air and content as could be. By noon the next day their CPAPs were removed and I was able to hold them. At about that same time Julie was released from the hospital (a miraculous feat after major surgery the previous morning) and on her way to see them. She arrived at around 4:00 PM on Sunday September 14th to finally hold her new miracles of life in her hands.

Today Conner and Teagan are 4 days old. They continue to have good heart rates and breathing. Teagan's biliribun crept up far enough to require some light therapy one day, but it quickly subsided. Conner was able to eat about half of his food through a bottle today and both of them open their eyes to look around while they're held. Mom and Dad have been able to change diapers, take temperatures and hold them during their feedings. Dad already experienced his first explosive BM today. We look forward to all of the new milestones in their future.

Stay tuned for more updates.