Those Sweet Baby Boys

I was going to do several posts of everything that has gone on since last Thursday, but I figured an abridged version would be a lot easier. So here ya go!

On Thursday night both Coleman and Carter were put into separate isolettes to help maintain their body temperatures. They were hooked up to heart monitors, oxygen saturation monitors, and given feeding tubes to make sure they were receiving the right amount of milk and not having to burn calories to work for it. The boys did great and I was able to start trying to nurse them Friday morning. It took a little bit of coaxing and a lot of energy on their part, but eventually we were all on the same page and they were able to receive the tube feeding and my milk as an added bonus. Since they were in separate isolettes and in separate stalls in the special care nursery we were allowed to have four visitors (2 per stall). Sometimes we were able to hold the boys after they nursed, and sometimes they needed to be put back right away to maintain their body temperature...it just depended on how things were going. Both grandparents were able to hold the boys and love on them...these sweet boys are already spoiled by their Nana, Poppy, Lovey, and Bigpoppa!






The boys did great all weekend but were starting to show signs of jaundice and on Monday Coleman had to be put under the lights to help his liver function properly. The neonatal doctor told us he would likely be under there for 3-4 days, but Coleman had other intentions and was out the very next day! Carter followed suit and was put underneath the lights all day Tuesday with the expectation that he would be under there for a few days also and was out first thing this morning. I've included some pictures of them underneath the lights, they had to wear "shades" to keep their eyes protected. Carter managed to take his off three times by himself! I think we have a sneakster on our hands...I'm SO proud of our boys and the amazing growth they have shown so far! On Tuesday both boys were also able to have their IV's removed which was a huge feat since their poor little arms were all taped up and the heaviness of the board they had to use to support their little arm to do so.

I was discharged on Monday evening and it was really tough for Jared and I to leave the boys at the hospital and come home without them. Mom and Dad decorated the house for us and it was so incredibly sweet that I couldn't stop crying. I can't wait until the boys are here and we're able to show them off to everyone! Since I've been discharged Jared and I are able to sleep in our own bed, which is nice, but we go to the hospital all day long to nurse and see the boys as much as possible. Our day starts at 5:30 in the morning up there and ends around 10pm. Between all of that I am pumping milk to bring to them and Jared is getting back into his routine at work. It's been a crazy, tiring few days but seeing those boys every three hours makes it completely worth it.


Last night our awesome special care nurse, Michelle, took our first family photograph! Since the boys were in separate stalls and isolettes we were never able to hold them together because of all of the wires and dividers, but she brought Coleman over to Carter's side and took on the role as our professional photographer. It was such a sweet and amazing moment for Jared and I to finally have our whole family together.






This post is a long one, so I'll do a separate one about our exciting news today later this evening.