As of Friday at 3p.m. or so the boys have been home with us. It is almost surreal sitting here typing those words. Eleven and a half weeks ago it seemed so distant, even impossible. Yet, here we are. Our exit from the NICU was unceremonious, yet very emotional.
Fittingly, most all of the nurses who were regulars with our boys were there. We were sad to miss Nurse Jay, Nurse Ilene, and Nurse Mary. We also missed both of the Michelles from the night shift on Thursday. But, in attendance were some of our old favorites: Nurse Imelda, Nurse Pat, Nurse Sooji, and Nurse Kim.
Momma held it together well, thankfully. On several occasions Daddy fought back tears. On Friday I went to work in the morning. I decided to wear the exact same suit and tie that I wore on January 5. On that day I never would have imagined that it would be the first thing my boys ever saw me in. On Friday I figured I would wear the exact same thing. I brought them in wearing that suit, so I figured I'd take them out wearing it.
As I stood in the NICU I thought back to January 5. I was the first one in. Danielle was in recovery, and my sanity was dangling by a thread. There I was though, dressed for court and standing over the isolettes of my two little boys who were struggling for life. I was trying to soak it all in, wondering what just happened. I couldn't tell you the nurses who were there that day. I know Mary was one because she took a picture of me with my boys. The look on my face is one of terror, and wonder. I look as though I had just seen a ghost.
I then came back to Friday, and looked over at my two little boys who were getting dressed up for their exit into the real world. Momma was filling out paperwork, and nurses everywhere were tending to their babies or helping us get our things together for discharge. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought back to January 5. My heart pounded, and then I thought of our journey down this road to freedom. I am so grateful that that journey has allowed us to embark on an even greater one: life at home with our children.
If I wasn't a man before January 5, I became one that day. If I wasn't a man January 5, then I became a man when I had to leave my two babies behind in the NICU and go home. If I wasn't a man that day, then I became one when I had to leave my whole life at home and in the hospital to go work that following Monday. If I wasn't a man then, then I think waking up at 2a.m. with my amazing wife to feed my beautiful boys on Friday night I became one. I imagine there will be several more life-defining moments to come, and I am so grateful I get the chance.
This leads me to another point. So many have told us that given our situation, and given the miraculous survival of my boys, they must be destined for greatness. I certainly hope this is true. Yet, Danielle and I may define greatness in other ways. Through our whole journey in the NICU, we merely asked God for a chance; for us to be parents, and for our boys to have a chance at life.
So, if my two boys are destined to be President of the United States, or something else remarkable, then great. But, if they simply grow up to be productive members of society, if they take care of their families, maintain honor and integrity, and treat others as they would like to be treated, then they will be great, because that is what true greatness is. As a parent, I think that is all one could ask for. A title, a job, or lots of money does not make one great. There is greatness around us everyday, if we would just take a look around once in a while.
I will be here for the next four weeks, and my boss has been gracious enough to let me take that time off (paid of course). Danielle has decided not to return to work, which I support fully, and actually prefer. As for what you can do for us, at this point standby. Many have asked, and to be honest we are still trying to figure things out. But, thank you for offers, and don't worry. We will let you know when you can help, because I'm sure before long we'll need it!
The boys are doing great by the way. Both boys tip the scales at over 5lbs. At check-out Anthony was 5lbs. 8oz, and Jared was 5lbs. 2oz. We'll know more about weight on Monday when we visit the pediatrician (not neonatologist, woo hoo!). They are eating well and sleeping better than they did on Friday night when they got home.
Getting over the hustle and bustle of the NICU will be hard for them. There is a lot of noise, and commotion 24 hours a day in there; a lot of "ding-ding" as Nurse Sooji would say. The relative peace and quiet here seems to be a little unnerving for them at the moment. But, they've already adapted over two days, so I imagine they will adjust more and more each day.
As for visiting, the doctors at the NICU said 5 weeks before taking them into a crowd of people, so don't expect to see us anywhere but the doctor for a while. As for visitors to the home, that is up to Danielle and I. For the time being we'd like our space to settle into a routine. This is tough, because everyone was robbed of the chance to meet them at the hospital. But, when we are comfortable, we will let you know. It won't be long. We are just as anxious as you to introduce the boys, but please be patient with us while we adjust.
Adjustment is necessary too. Twins are a TON of work. It's been two days and we are already exhausted! But, we are learning more and more each hour. We have been blessed to have received an 11-week course on newborn baby care from the hospital. Doing the day to day stuff so far has been a breeze. We have the diaper thing and feeding thing down. We have the bath thing down. Frankly, as far as care or health, etc. nothing can scare us now. We've been trained to handle it all. We have mountains to learn still, but we have a great foundation and are doing great so far.
We're just tired! These suckers eat every three hours! Coping with the sleep depravation is tough, but it's all worth it. In fact, we take joy in just having the chance to be sleep deprived! Please stay tuned here though.
We plan to keep blogging and letting you know how the boys do. Being 26 week preemies can be a tough road. There may still be mountains to climb or hurdles to overcome, but only time will tell. This has been an amazing communication tool, and we'd love to keep you in the loop about our lives as we mature as parents, and the boys grow.
In closing, Danielle and I can't thank you enough for your love and support. I can easily say that for the both of us, the NICU rollercoaster has been the toughest ride of our lives. Without you all we would have given up a long time ago. Your strength and support, along with the Grace of God has been our rock.
For that we are forever grateful to you all. We love you all so much.
You Fought On, Little Fighters...and you WON!- Love Daddy
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!
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!
Amazing!!!! Way to go Jason and Danielle. I know we will all have our opportunity to get close with the boys in time and it is wonderful that you are able to have 4 weeks to help with the 'settling' in process Jason. You already know I am here to help whenever you might need me and in the mean time I love reading the blogs. Love you guys, GG Cora
ReplyDeleteOh...that's so exciting that they are home!! This time will go by so fast, I hardly remember it with Taylor at all and she's two. Just enjoy every moment. Take care!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fabulous story and I thank you so much for sharing it. The boys seem to be doing remarkably well. Congratulations to all of you! I look forward to more updates and maybe a photo or two.
ReplyDelete