Just a quick update

Not much to report today...spending the last few days I have trying to get things done before Kayla comes home. I know once we have two babies here, our time to get out will be limited until they are a little older. So mommy went and got her hair done today! LOL. Tomorrow I'm going to try and use my gift certificate that Kiko got me for the spa if I can get in!

Kayla hasn't gained any weight this weekend, so I'm a little concerned about that. I'm going to talk to the Dr tomorrow about what they think...she's still 5lbs, 15.1 oz. She's been this weight for about a week now and I know they like to see them gaining weight before sending them home. Kamryn on the other hand doesn't seem to have any problems gaining weight!! And it's all in her cheeks!!

Kayla update and some BIG prayers needed...

First, my update for Kayla...it looks like my little fighter has a date to come home!!! The BIG day will be next Wednesday!! I'm so excited!! I can't wait for Kayla and Kamryn to see each other again...I pray it will do them both good!! Now the real excitement begins!

Second...I'd like to ask all of my blog followers to please offer up their prayers to my friend Jana and her family. Jana and I became friends on an infertility forum as we went through our IVF struggles together with many other strong women and men. Jana and her husband Pat finally were able to get pregnant with TRIPLET GIRLS!! Last week, Jana reached 22 weeks gestation and went into premature labor and sadly delivered one of her triplet girls. Little Reagan was with her loving parents for two strong hours before she went to Heaven. The Dr's were able to keep the other two little identical girl twins inside of Jana for another five days allowing her to reach the important 23 week milestone...which is the earliest that the Dr's will try to keep the babies alive. This morning, Jana went into labor again and delivered beautiful Emma and Abigail into this world. Weighing in at only 1lb, 2 oz and 1lb, 1 oz...both girls are fighting for their survival in the NICU as I type. Jana is an amazing woman and her strength is overwhelming. She delivered ALL THREE girls with NO anesthesia or pain medications and is now enduring the toughest struggle of all...placing all her love and faith in God to watch over her two remaining precious daughters. I know how powerful and amazing the prayers were for my beautiful girls and now I ask that all of our friends and family offer up their prayers for Jana and her family that God will keep them all safe and strong. You can read about Jana and her amazing family at her blog, http://www.pjmies.blogspot.com/ or click on the link to the right labled "How many?!".

Thirdly, I am finally getting around to adding some recent pics up on the blog as it has been too long. The first two are Kayla and the second two are Kamryn...soon I will have pictures of BOTH girls together!! I can't wait!

One step closer...

Well the great news is that Kayla's PH probe test was completely NORMAL!! This is fantastic! Of course, that leaves us scratching our head a little as to what is causing her distress...the only thing we can come up with is that she's just a fussy, slightly high maintenance baby (i.e...she wants attention). I can't imagine where she gets that from. LOL. Unfortunately for us...Kamryn is just like her. The other good news is that they are really thinking she can come home next week. They want to give her a few more days to watch her and make sure all is ok but I'm thinking she may be home before the end of the month!!

I took this picture when I got to the NICU today because I thought it was so funny. I walked in and Kayla wasn't in her crib and I asked where she was...the nurse pointed down to the bouncy seat at this lump of blankets and I was like...is she in there??? See for yourself! Of course, I got so busy with her after that, I forgot to actually take a picture OF HER!! Sorry!! I will get one tomorrow when I go back...

Some relief?!?! Maybe?!?!

Well, yesterday was a fun day...we took Kamryn to the Dr because her fussiness/gas problems just seemed to be getting worse and mother's instinct was telling me this wasn't just "colic". It was too scheduled...every time she finished eating, exactly 1.5 hours later, she would start screaming in pain and arching her back, curling up in a ball and cry. This would last about an hour, then she would fall asleep, then wake up an hour later hungry and the cycle would start all over again. She was burping and passing gas, but I could just tell that this wasn't "normal". I finally begged to see the Dr and she switched her reflux medications and put her on a hypoallergenic formula to see if that would help. Kamryn has been on the new formula for about 24 hours and I can already see a difference. She still cries about an hour or so after she eats, but it is not nearly as panicked or painful sounding. She also falls right back asleep after about 5 minutes of soothing, not 45 minutes. So I think she's got a milk/protein intolerance and may need special formula to help her with it. At any rate, I just hope she gets better!! Oh and she got weighed yesterday and she is 9lbs, 2 oz!!!!

Kayla is going through all her testing right now at the hospital and so far, they haven't found anything unusual which is a relief. She is slowly gaining weight (about 1/2 oz a day) and now weighs, 5 lbs, 14 oz. She is going through a PH probe study right now, which is where they put a probe down her esophagus and measure the acid levels over a 24 hour period to see how bad her reflux is. The nurses say she has been really fussy as well, so I'm wondering if she also has a milk/protein tolerance problem as well...since I know the formula she is on does have milk in it. It would make sense anyway. They are hoping to be able to send her home next week if she doesn't have any problems with the remaining tests...but I've been saying that for a month now. We'll just continue to wait and see...AND PRAY!

Well...not quite yet...

Well it looks like Kayla won't be able to come home this week as we had hoped. The nurses are worried that her reflux is acting up again and she is having some pain, but they can't figure out where. So they have scheduled several tests this week and a follow up with the GI doctor to make sure she is ok before they send her home. She has been really fussy and upset and the nurses have had a really hard time consoling her...(sound familiar???). They aren't sure if it is reflux or gas pains or colic, so they want to try and find out. I think the Dr's are worried about me having two babies with digestive problems at home :)...they had seen me looking pretty haggard the last couple of weeks (not to mention weepy). So more to come...

Kamryn is awake and upset so I better go...

Sorry!

I'm sorry that I didn't update much this weekend, it has been so busy that by the time I sit down to update the blog, I have to jump back up again!

Kamryn is doing well, she is just eating, sleeping and crying. That's about it. She is having some gas problems still, she's like clockwork. Exactly 1.5 hours after eating she cries out in pain and has gas pains. I have a call into the pediatrician to see about putting her on a gentler formula because I don't know what else to do for her. But it's really hard on both Kiko and I when we have to feed her every 3 hours and exactly halfway through those three hours, she wakes up crying in pain...and that lasts for about an hour. So sleep is not common around here (except for Kamryn that is...). Tomorrow is a busy day for Kamryn, she has THREE doctor appointments. I'm going to be exhausted by the time tomorrow is over with.

Kayla continues to improve, she is now eating all of her bottles within the allotted 30 minutes but still having very bad reflux problems. They are still anticipating her being able to come home sometime this week assuming she continues to improve. I'm very excited, but extremely nervous how we are going to be able to handle both of these little girls and their digestive problems. I wish I could take their pain away. Anyway, I am planning on going up there this afternoon for more information...but last night Kayla weighed 5 lbs, 15 oz!! So she's almost up to 6 lbs!

I will update more when I get a chance :).

This will be short

Gotta try and get Kamryn to bed, so this will be short. Kamryn started her new formula today...she's eating it, but still having the reflux/gas problems. Kiko is trying to calm her down right now...very tiring.

Kayla is also struggling with her reflux problems. The doctor's have upgraded her to a "big girl" crib with a wedge and tucker sling. We will have to do the same thing here at home for her too...just another stress. The Dr's think she may be able to come home sometime next week. Fingers crossed. You may not hear from me much after she comes home simply due to lack of time, sleep, energy :).

Here are some pics of Kayla from the hospital today in her new fancy setup...

Thank GOD for Gripe Water!!

Or at least I think it was the gripe water...

Kamryn had "one of those nights" last night...I mean, I have never seen her so mad, upset, gassy, fussy, screaming, writhing, you name it. It started about 9 pm, poor Kiko had to deal with her while I tried to sleep, then he came and brought her to me at midnight and I tried to calm her for another two hours. Finally we broke down and gave her a little bit of gripe water as a last resort and within about 30 minutes she was OUT and didn't make much of a peep except for her 3 am and 6 am feedings. So we were able to get a little bit of sleep in there. She had some more gas problems this morning/afternoon for the nanny but she seems to be resting comfortably right now. I got a new formula to try from the pediatrician this morning so I hope it works. :(

Kayla is just hanging in there at the NICU. She managed to finish all of her bottles yesterday but isn't gaining any weight. She's been pretty steady and weighs 5 lbs, 11 oz. The Dr's have decided to put her in a regular crib now with a wedge underneath to make the mattress be at an incline. She will be put into a tucker sling to help keep her in position. The hope is this will help with her reflux problems. She also has an appointment with a GI specialist this afternoon...I hope they can help her. I'm so stressed out over my poor baby in the hospital and with Kamryn's digestive problems. I know this will pass...just have to hang in there too!

A good day...

Both girls seem to be really comfortable today which is very nice. Kayla was a naughty girl last night and pulled out her NG tube (her feeding tube) which I think was a sign. So the Dr's opted not to put it back in and rather see if she could take all 8 bottles on her own...so far, so good. I fed her at 2 pm and it was VERY slow, but she did finish within the required 30 minutes. She's still very uncomfortable when eating so they are hoping to get her a GI consult before she is discharged.

Here is a picture of Kayla from yesterday and today (NO TUBES! AGAIN!)

Kamryn has been feeling/acting better now that she is only on breast milk. Unfortunately, I'm running out of the frozen milk that I had pumped and I can't give her any while I'm on antibiotics AND this cow is drying up...SO, I have an appt tomorrow with her pediatrician to discuss the types of formula she thinks Kamryn should try out and we'll start experimenting soon. I'm hoping that I can get Kayla and Kamryn on the same formula so that it will be less confusing at feeding times around here :). Here's a pic from last night of daddy and Kamryn.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Kamryn and Kayla!!

Not a whole lot to report today...both girls are just growing and growing. Kamryn has decided that she doesn't like the new formula the Dr's want her on and wants breast milk only. Kayla is slowly getting the hang of the eating thing! She didn't finish her bottles last night, but she was doing well today at it. Practice makes perfect I say!

Oh and Kamryn had many wardrobe changes today (I don't think I need to explain why...), but here's her latest cute pic just for daddy!

Busy days...

Well, I got home from the hospital on Saturday and promptly went in to work on Sunday for the shuttle launch! Talk about being tired! It was all worth it though, I'm feeling better and the shuttle launched on time so now I can go back to bonding with my babies.

Kayla is doing so much better now!! I think our little heart-to-heart talk this weekend seems to be working. I told her how much her little sister missed her and needed her to come home to help her keep mommy and daddy up ALL night! She finished almost all of her bottles yesterday and so far today in the allotted time! She's doing it VERY slowly and still struggling while doing it, but MUCH better than she was doing this time last week. The Dr thinks that if she continues to improve, she is shooting to have her home with us within a week!!! I'm ecstatic!!! And petrified!! I just hope they are both really sound sleepers and will sleep through the other one screaming...hey, I can hope right?!

Here's a pic of Kamryn as I sit here and type the blog update :)

I'm HOME!!!

I'm finally home and I missed my baby and Kiko sooooo much!!! I swear Kamryn has grown so much in just 5 days! She's got to be 8 lbs now!! She looks great and I think she smiled when I finally got to hold her today!

Little Kayla is breaking my heart. I went up to spend some time with her before I left and she was so uncomfortable from the reflux that I started crying. Our favorite nurse, Robert, had to come over and talk to me. I was convinced that she was only getting worse and not better, but he tried to assure me that he had seen babies with a lot worse conditions and that she was going to be ok. I am still frustrated that they don't seem to know how to make her better, but they are going to try a couple of more things on Monday and see what happens. It just breaks my heart not being able to help her and take the pain away. I'm trying not to obsess about it, but seeing Kamryn so healthy and doing so well and knowing that Kayla is struggling so much. I really hope that things start to improve for her very soon.

One more day...I hope...

Well the Dr wants to keep me one more night to get another round of antibiotics since I happen to have a particularly tough strain of staph infection. Assuming I can go another night without a fever or problems, than I can switch to pill form antibiotics and go home tomorrow. I hope so...I miss my hubby and Kamryn! But I'll be farther away from Kayla again...this is so hard.

I finally got to go up to see Kayla today and hold her for a little while. I almost felt like she didn't remember me, but I'm trying to put that out of my head. Poor baby is really having trouble with reflux. She's pretty much maxed out on the medication options and still really having problems eating. The Dr is pretty much running out of options right now and might call in a GI specialist. Kayla will start off eating ok from the bottle, but then about halfway through the reflux hits and she'll start throwing her head back and screaming. Usually they can't get her to finish her bottles and she spends more energy screaming than she's taking in...so she's not gaining any weight. Right now, she's been steady at 5lbs, 8 oz. Another option they are looking at is putting her in a regular crib in a sling that holds her at a certain angle so she can't move to help her digest her food. This is a scary idea for me as it means we'd have to do something similar for her at home. It's hard enough dealing with one baby with reflux problems, but add in another baby with worse reflux problems and the stress levels are going to be tremendous. The Dr even told me today that she wouldn't dream of sending Kayla home like this as the stress on us would just be too much with having a twin to deal with also. So I hope they can figure out what to do for her.

Still in the hospital...and can't see either of my babies...

I don't know which is worse, not being able to see my baby at home or my baby in the hospital. I think it is almost worse being so close to Kayla and not being able to go hold her. Kiko did get to come up here and hold her for a little while and take a picture...she looks so tiny, it just breaks my heart. Kamryn is doing great for the nanny and daddy which is a huge relief.

As for me, I had another fever episode last night (why does it always happen at night when I'm trying to sleep)!! Got up to about 103 and the nurses were about to cover me in an ice bath/blanket thing, thank GOD that didn't happen. My IV's have blown out twice today so I'm on my third location now (and this one hurts too so it probably won't last very long either...I have terribly thin veins). Let's hope they let me go home soon so I can take care of my family :(

Here are some pictures that Kiko sent me so I could be close to my girls...the first one is Kayla (she's so small, but a big fighter)!! The other two are of Kiko and Kamryn, I took the last one the night before I got put in the hospital.

This time mommy is in the hospital...

Well, sorry I didn't post yesterday but it was a pretty bad day for mommy. I woke up with a horrible fever and pain in my right breast. Kiko stayed home from work to help me with Kamryn because I couldn't even see straight let alone feed a baby. Once the nanny got there, we made a trip up to my doctor who promptly admitted me to the hospital for mastitis. I'm doing better now, last night had a fever of 104.8 which had everyone on the floor hopping...I think they woke me up at least 10 times for blood draws and other stuff. I probably would have gotten more sleep at home. My fever has finally broke now and I'm feeling a little better, though not 100%. I'll probably be in the hospital another day or so...I'm in the same hospital as Kayla but haven't been able to see her yet since I had a fever. But maybe tonight I'll be able to get up there to visit with her. Kiko thinks I did this just to get some sleep at night...ha! I think he got more sleep than I did!

Kayla is still having problems with her feedings, so the dr's are going to try a special anti-reflux formula along with her reflux medications to see if that helps. Poor baby inherited my tummy problems. So we're pretty much waiting for her to improve some more...

Oh and Daddy just sent me this picture of Kamryn to make me feel better :)

Happy 2 MONTH Birthday!!! Or is it zero birthday???

Today is Kayla and Kamryn's 2 month birthday!! I can't believe they are two months old already!! Of course, technically today was my official due date, so corrected age, they are only zero days old :). I was going to make Kamryn wear a silly hat for her big day, but we spent the day trying to recover from another rough night. Kiko ended up taking the day off to help me since I hadn't slept at all the night before. We also decided to take Kamryn to the doctor because she was having so many gas problems that I was worried that her reflux meds weren't working or her formula/milk was the problem. The dr decided to up her reflux meds again and changed her formula to a lactose free type to see if that helps. I hope so because I know Kayla has worse reflux problems and I'm not sure how we'll handle both girls up all night long!

Speaking of Kayla, the dr's are still having trouble getting her to finish her formula so they are going to try her on breast milk again. I hope that she can tolerate it and not have too many problems. They really need her to get eating so she can keep growing and come home...it's very hard to sit and wait like this. Her reflux is also pretty bad so they are switching her to Prevacid, which is a stronger medication. I hope they grow out of this phase soon.

Playing catch up...

Today I played catch up...catch up on sleep that is. Little miss Kamryn kept mommy up most of the night with her gas pains and reflux. Poor baby is just really struggling so I'm going to talk to the pediatrician about adjusting her reflux medicine and switching her from breast milk to formula (at least at night). Thankfully Kiko has been watching her all day so I could take a much needed nap. Lisa has been in the kitchen all day making several meals that we can freeze and reheat later. I love her.

I didn't get to make it to the hospital today as much as I wanted too. It is just so hard with Kamryn keeping me up all night and trying to nap during the day. I'm hoping tomorrow to be able to go up there in the morning so I can hold her. I hate that she can't be home with us yet. As for her update, she's still struggling with her feedings. She hasn't been able to finish any of her bottles yet, so they have to continue to feed her through her NG tube. So basically we are just waiting for her to get up the strength to finish her bottles and then she should be able to come home. Assuming of course she can tolerate the feedings. She is off the PICC line so that should reduce her risk of infections.

Cuzzin Lisa ROCKS!

Ok...my cousin Lisa is awesome! She flew in last night from Mississippi to help us out and she is so wonderful! Not only did she work all day yesterday, she quickly realized how sleep deprived Kiko and I were and took the midnight, 3 am AND 6 am feedings!!! Of course, being the nervous mother that I am, I still got up at 3 am and 6 am to make sure everything was ok and of course, it was. Lisa's a natural. Not only did she do all that, but she also made me lunch and dinner and went grocery shopping! I think I'm going to cancel her return ticket home. It's sad that the mommy needs a mommy right now...and I don't even have Kayla home yet! Hopefully I can get into a routine soon so I can handle both girls when the time comes.

Kamryn is having some fevers still from the immunizations, but doing well. I hate when my babies don't feel well...it kills me when I can't make them feel better with a hug or a kiss. I'm in for a long 18 years.

I got to hold Kayla today...it's been way too long. I miss that little girl soooo much!! She had her test of the kidney function and it shows no signs of reflux which is a relief. She's slowly checking off the things needed to pass before she goes home. She is still having some problems with her feedings, she's not able to finish her bottles in the allotted time yet and she is still having a lot of reflux problems. Hopefully those will get better soon...right now, that is the long pole in her being able to come home.

Anyway, time to go feed Kamryn! Anybody else want to come visit?!?! Yeah right...Aunt Sandy and Cuzzin Lisa are tough acts to follow! But we'll take any and all offers...especially when Kayla comes home!

cranky baby...

Ok, I spoke too soon about Kamryn not having gas...LOL. Oh well. She had another rough night last night (and so did mommy) but we're muddling through. She had her 2nd month immunizations today...she did great I thought. She's had a fever off and on from them so that isn't making her feel very good. The Dr also upped her Zantac dosage to try and help with the reflux. She now weighs a whopping 7lbs 6 oz and is 19" long!!! She's double what she was when she was born!

Still haven't been able to get to the hospital to see Kayla, but I'm definitely going tomorrow. I can't stand not seeing her everyday, but I just don't have the energy to make that drive with being up all night with Kamryn. I will be so happy when she is home with us. They were able to do her kidney test today, but I don't have the results yet, I'll get them tomorrow. Hopefully it is all well. They were able to remove her PICC line today which is a huge relief. She's still having trouble finishing her feedings, so this will probably be the long pole in her coming home. She's only up to four bottle feedings a day and only finishing one of them in the allotted timeframe. Poor baby just wears out too quickly. She'll get better though, I have no doubts.

Looking forward to a visit this weekend from my cousin Lisa! She's the closest thing to a sister I have and I'm so thankful that she will be coming out here to make sure I eat and rest. :).

sleepy baby...

First of all...THANK YOU for all the emails about helping Kamryn with her gas!! Who knew it could be such an interesting topic! I don't know what I did (or if she is just really tired), but she's been pretty much gas free since last night. I did eliminate all dairy from my diet which may have helped and the mylicon might be kicking in...or maybe it was the extra vodka...just kidding. Anyway, she's been really, really, really sleeping well all night and even today. I had to wake her up for all her feedings which is really weird! Usually she is plowing through bottles and ready for more. I'm hoping that she's just doing better because she's not screaming and swallowing a lot of air before she eats and not because she's not feeling well. She doesn't have a fever and she's not irritable so I'll just assume we are doing something right and enjoy the quiet and maybe nap in between. :) And as I was typing I just heard a rather loud sound coming from her direction...think she just left me a present...lol.

Got a call from the Dr this morning with a Kayla update. She still hasn't gotten rid of all the barium in her system from the upper GI they did so they can't do the testing on her urinary tract until Friday so we have to wait to see what the result of that is. They did do a renal ultrasound and detected what might be some small kidney stones...apparantely this can happen when on some of the medications she's been on. So she will have to have a follow up with the pediatrician when she comes home. They are hoping to get her off the PICC line today so fingers crossed that this is the LAST time she has to have one for a very long time!! Other than that, she's doing great!

gassy baby...

Ok, so what's the trick to helping a baby pass gas?? Somebody give me some good old fashioned tricks. Kamryn wakes up usually about an hour or two after eating and SCREAMS like she is in the worst pain imaginable and curls up into a ball like she's trying to poop...this goes on for quite a while. We added mylicon to the mix of meds and it seems to be working a little bit but it breaks my heart hearing her be in so much pain. Anyone?

Our nanny started part time today which was a blessing!! I didn't get any sleep last night so I was so thankful to get a two hour nap while she was here to watch Kamryn. She will really be a HUGE help when Kayla gets home from the hospital...wish she worked nights too! LOL.

The Dr's have decided to keep Kayla on a special formula when she is discharged from the hospital and not try to get her on breast milk yet. I guess they are leaving that up to the pediatrician to decide. Unfortunately, the formula that she is on is not cheap and insurance doesn't cover it. . I'll pay whatever it takes to keep her healthy though...and I'll try to keep Kamryn on breast milk as long as possible to help defray the costs. So far Kayla is doing well and they are starting the process of getting her ready to come home. She's got all the same gates to pass as Kamryn did but they are optimistic that if she can pass them all, she may be able to come home sometime next week!! I hope so, but I'm so petrified that I'm going to be a nervous wreck. With her history of health problems, I know I'll be overanalyzing every cry and sneeze.

Another late night...

I won't bore you guys with how tired I am...but suffice it to say, I'm really looking forward to the nanny starting tomorrow, even though it will only be part time! I'm hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep!

I went up to the hospital tonight to see Kayla. She now weighs 5lbs, 1.8 oz!!! I'm so happy that she is putting on some weight! She looked great and very peaceful. They were unable to do the tests today on her kidneys, so they rescheduled to Wednesday. She also had an apnea episode today, which was her first in a couple of weeks...so I think we'll be having her on caffeine and an apnea monitor also when she comes home also. Here's a pic of my little Kayla...

Sleep? What sleep?

Sorry I didn't post yesterday...we were busy all day and night and it's getting tough to update! I don't know how I'm going to keep my head together once my aunt leaves today. Kamryn has been great since bringing her home...I think she may be getting a cold though. She's been sneezing and a little congested...so I hope it just stays like that and doesn't get worse.

We finally got up to see Kayla at the hospital yesterday. She was looking great and getting fiesty! They started her back up on her feeds again and she seems to be doing well...her only complaint is she wants more food since they are starting it slowly. Right now they are just watching her to see if she develops any more problems with her digestion. Here are some pictures we took of the girls this weekend...The first one is Kayla at the NICU, the rest are Kamryn at home.