Welcome to Our Blog! Our Story Starts Below...

Welcome to our blog! We set this up as an information hub about the progress of our little twin boys who were born on January 5, 2010. We along with our little boys first thank you so much for your love and support, and hope that this blog will give you an opportunity to follow their progress as they grow in the NICU at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton.

Our little boys had a harrowing journey to get here. They were born at 25 weeks and 6 days, which is needless to say, very early. Jared William, was born at 10:49 a.m. feet first, and on the bathroom floor of the delivery room. Anthony Michael was born at 11:30 via C-section after he decided that he wanted to come out hands first.

Our story started on Monday, January 4 after a doctor's appointment with Dr. Gray. Danielle had been feeling generally, "crappy" the day before and reported what sounded like some contractions. The doctor decided to send us across the street to the hospital just to make sure everything was okay. After a couple of hours in labor and delivery the staff confirmed a few contractions, but very far apart. Her cervix was not dilated and the babies were fine.

The doctor sent us home and told us to keep track of the contractions, and so long as they weren't less than 7 minutes apart there was no need for concern. The next morning Danielle started feeling contractions again, but this time they were about five minutes apart. She called the doctor who said to wait another hour and see if they went away.

I was just getting ready to walk out the door to work when Danielle had a contraction that just about doubled her over. Deciding something wasn't right, I called the doctor and said we were coming to the hospital.

On our way to the hospital Danielle was having severe pains in her lower back every three minutes. When we arrived at the hospital Danielle was hooked up to the machines which registered no contractions at all. The doctors and nurses did not think her pains were contractions but constipation. After several attempts to alleviate that Danielle went into the bathroom still having severe lower back pain.

After a minute, I heard a scream, and Danielle was screaming that her babies were coming out. The nurses came rushing, as did the doctor, but Jared was too impatient to wait. He was born on the bathroom floor. After Danielle was moved to the bed, Anthony wasn't so cooperative and an emergency C-section was performed.

The NICU unit was quick to respond and help the teenie little babies breathe and fight for life. Jared was 2lbs. 1oz. and was 13 and 1/2 inches long. Anthony was 1lb. 15oz. and was 13 inches long.

The whole thing was totally unexpected, and frankly more traumatic than happy. But we are blessed with two gorgeous little miracle babies!

Our boys came home to us on March 26, 2010, after spending 81 days or about 12 weeks in the NICU at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. As you may note from our previous posts below, the journey was not without its bumps in the road.

There were highs, and there were lows. We and the boys braved two laser eye surgeries, and countless other obstacles and scares. But, we never lost confidence in the medical team in the NICU, and always kept our faith that God would lead us through this time.

Our steadfastness paid off, because now the boys are happy and healthy at home! This of course brings with it a totally new set of challenges that we are exicted and eager to experience. The task of caring for twin newborns is a daunting one, but a welcome one.

So, just because the boys are now home, don't think the blogging will stop. It may not be as consistent as before, but we will do our best to keep you all updated on their progress, and give you a window into our lives raising twin boys.

Enjoy!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Boys Doing Great, New Pictures!

Daddy With His Boys
My Beautiful Wife and My Beautiful Boys

Family Pic!
Jared (Left) & Anthony (Right)
There isn't much to report today. The boys are doing very well. They are eating, sleeping, and pooping. So they are basically doing what normal babies should be doing.

Both boys had labs today and everything was normal, with the exception of the red blood cell count. Both boys have lower counts than the doctors would like to see, but this doesn't seem to be affecting them at all. Dr. Hicks tells us that they will follow up Monday with another test, and then make the determination of whether to transfuse again. Provided the low count is still not bothering the boys, the doctors will probably let them ride it out. It is important for their bodies to get used to producing red blood cells, and letting them go it alone helps stimulate that production.

On the weight front, Jared is checking in at 2lbs. 9.8oz and Anthony tips the scales at 2lbs. 12.4oz. It looks as if they are both well on their way to the 3lb. mark. Jared's feeds have been increased to 20cc while Anthony is holding steady at 21cc. We don't have any word on when that will increase, so stay tuned.

I was very excited last night to be able to Kangaroo both of my little boys at the same time. It was an incredible experience. To feel their little bodies on mine was so touching. I could feel their little heart beats and feel their little chests move as they were breathing. They were like little angels, and I loved watching them cozy up and fall asleep. When they are together their bond as twins really shines.

Anthony was added to the party after Jared and didn't like being away from his brother. Every time I tried to separate them on my chest Anthony would fuss and move himself so that he was touching Jared. He was so adamant about it he placed his head in a position that made it difficult for him to breathe a couple of times. Finally, I relented and we found a position that Anthony could rest his head on Jared and still breathe. Once nuzzled together the boys conked out. Daddy cried. So did Momma.

So that's the news for today. Today is a good day so far. Tomorrow is a new day, but we are confident it will be better than the rest. Keep praying for our little boys!

Fight On, Little Fighters!- Love Daddy
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3 comments:

  1. AmyFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:05 PM

    Oh, they are soooooo cute! These are such great pictures of your family! So glad to hear things are going so well!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lorge FamilyFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:42 PM

    These pictures are the cutest things ever! They look like dolls. You all look so happy together. Glad to hear all of the good news:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. acalbredFebruary 12, 2010 at 11:01 PM

    Great day! Beautiful pictures of everyone and I love it. I have started printing some of these pictures so I have my own show. Those little fighters really are fighting hard and winning. Wonderful news. GG

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