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.