Yesterday:

Reese still was not tolerating her feedings, so they stopped them for a bit (still giving her the nutrients through her PICC line though).  They gave her some medicine to help her little gut digest and also took her off her cannula so there weren’t any gases going into her tummy to see if that would help her tolerate the milk.  She had a few quick bradies (holding her breath)– which always scares us, but the nurses assure us it’s just a “preemie thing” as they are still learning to breathe.  She was acting very alert and when I held her (kangaroo care), she was “talking” so much to me– such sweet noises!  She had her arm up by her head and would stretch real high and touch my face– SO PRECIOUS.  Her infection is GONE– PRAISE God!  Pray that she can tolerate her feeds, stay infection free, and BREATHE with no bradies.  

Riley: her blood culture we had been waiting on still didn’t show infection.  She was still tolerating her 18 cc’s– what a big girl!  There wasn’t much new the dr. decided to do on her yesterday.  We’re still waiting to hear about her kidneys.  

Today:

Riley’s coloring looked off again today and she was working a bit harder to breathe, so they decided that they’d go ahead and start her on antibiotics and did another culture.  They upped her oxygen in her cannula a bit to help her not work as hard.  Her tummy is swollen and since she’s acting like she might be sick, they stopped her feeds.  They did put in an IV in (her foot ) to start her on nutrients again.  Poor baby.  PRAY for her to heal quickly so she can be back on her feeds and feeling well again.  Her weight today was 2 pounds 4.6 ounces.

Reese was up and at ‘em this morning!  When we got to the NICU, she was practically laying sideways in her little bed!!  She had wiggled around so much that her head was practically touching the side of the isolette!  She was cracking us up!  She was wide awake and moving everywhere!  She fussed at me when I was changing her diaper, but her little paci seemed to make everything better.  She seems to be feeling much better– thank you, Lord!  It seems when one’s well… the other one is not feeling well… it’s those ups and downs, I guess.  They started her back on her feeds (5 cc’s) today– pray that she tolerates them and continues to stay infection free. Her weight this morning was 3 pounds .6 ounces (notice the “point”).  A teeny bit over her birth weight– YEA, REESEY! 

Pray for Richey and me on this roller coaster ride… it’s exhausting.  We are so thankful they are doing well (with minor “downs”) and that they are here for us to see them and love on them.  We have a long road ahead though…

Since I haven’t been good about getting updated pictures, here’s a picture of Cousin Casen– he is saying, “Get well soon, Reese and Riley!  I can’t wait to play with you!”

Casen!

… I’ll take more pics to post of the girls, I promise!

We just went to hold the girls– I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night than with my precious hubby and my girls!  We helped the nurse weigh the girls and here are the weights… drum roll please…

Reese: 2 pounds 15 ounces (2 ounces from her birth weight of 3 lbs- sooooooo close- yea!!!!)

*By the way– Reese pooped after her suppository this afternoon… whooo hooo!!! and is up to 8 cc’s of milk in her feeding tube!

Riley 2 pounds 4 ounces– she has passed her birth weight by 1 ounce!!!!!   Yea, Riley!

*Riley’s PICC line was out this evening- yahoo!! and is up to 18 cc’s of milk in her feeding tube!

Other updates of the day are on the post written below!

Talk about a roller coaster!  Goodness– our girls are fighters, but preemies have so many ups and downs (and should- it’s normal).  It’s hard on mom and dad though.  We just want perfect good news all the time, but there will be those ups and downs.

Reese: is still recovering from her infection as she’s taking antibiotics.  She’s acting more and more like herself again which is wonderful.  She was wide awake every time I/we saw her today and fussing at nurses every time too.  She doesn’t like to be messed with!  She’s up to 6 cc’s, but still isn’t tolerating all her feedings.  She also hasn’t pooped in a couple days, so if she would do that, it would help with how much she can tolerate, so, friends…pray for poop!  Oh, she is just so cute and I am in love with her personality– can you say– drama queen??  She’ll be that out of the two. ha!  Pray also that when her blood culture comes back, the infection is gone!!  Other good news: they lowered her oxygen in her cannula to hardly a thing– yea Reese for breathing well!!

Riley: little Riley Grace is blowing us away with her progress lately!  She is tolerating 18 cc’s!!!  Tomorrow her PICC line expires, but rather than replace it, they decided to take it out since she’s tolerating her milk so well.  They think she’ll be fine without the extra nutrients through the PICC line!  WOW!  She also is getting very little oxygen in her cannula… which is good because she pulls it out all the time!  Today I looked over and her hat was sticking up so far that it was barely on her head, her cannula had the wrong prong in the wrong nostril with the other just sitting on her face and her arms and legs were sprawled out every where– she looked so disheveled! ha ha!  I should’ve gotten a picture- it cracked me up.  She’s our feisty girl! (Reese really is too…).  She has the sweetest personality- tells you when she has a dirty diaper, if your bothering her, and will coo like she’s talking to her mommy and daddy when we hold her (more to her daddy )  Last night her coloring looked a little different and she wasn’t as active, so they went ahead and did some blood work to see if she, too, has an infection.  The initial blood work looked good, but please PRAY that her blood culture shows she is FREE from infection!  We won’t get that back for a couple days.  Also, her blood pressure has been a little high for how small she is, so they did an ultrasound on her kidneys to make sure that it’s not a reflection of some sort of kidney problem.  We’re waiting to hear from the dr. about that.  Please pray about that too.

We still are doing kangaroo care once a day.  We LOVE holding our girls! During touch times, we get to change their diapers and take their temperatures- even that is such a sweet time!  They are more precious that words and we are so in love– more and more everyday.  We continue thanking God for the AMAZING nurses in the NICU (they fight over who gets our girls (I’m glad they’re loved ), the wonderful support of our family and friends during such a tough time, and also for your prayers to God Almighty.  He created these girls and has the power to heal and make them perfect.  He is in control and for that we are most thankful.

Reese seems to be feeling much better– she’s feisty, crying, and kicking, and… I LOVE it!  :)  The dr said her infection is “mild” which made us feel a little better about it.  We’ll find out probably in 48 hours about her second blood culture to see if the bacteria is still there or not (like I mentioned in the last post).  PRAY IT’S GONE!  She’s started on 2cc’s of milk, and wasn’t tolerating it yet this morning, but by this afternoon when I called to check on them, they were increasing her feeds to 4cc’s!  Yea!  Her sister is getting 12 cc’s of milk!  Reese needs to catch up with little Riley!  They both still have their incidents where they hold their breath– they’re still getting caffeine to stimulate their brain to help with that as they are still learning to breath outside of mommy’s tummy.  We’re praying for that too.

Pray for the other babies in the NICU too.  We only know the ones on Reese and Riley’s side– there’s definitly more, but please keep Joshua (born at 27 weeks weighing 15 oz, has been there for 102 days) and his family in your prayers.  They both work full time and only see him at 8 PM and 11 PM on the week days– and drive pretty far too.  Pray also for Tonia (born at 25 weeks) just a few days after our girls.  His sweet Mama is very young- a teenager.  Also, the NICU called this afternoon telling me that they were closed to visitors from 2-5:00 PM because they would be performing a surgery in the NICU.  Pray for the baby that needed that surgery and for the family as well.  I don’t know the situation and at first was frustrated that I couldn’t go see the girls when I had planned, but realized how thankful I am for how well my girls are doing.  I was humbled and have just been lifting up this family in prayer and the others in the NICU too.  It’s so hard– we know that, but some others’ situations are or have been so much “worse” medically speaking than Reese and Riley’s.  God has been so good to us.  

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  (Hebrews 4:16)

Scroll down… I posted a few new pics below!

Reese does in fact have an infection.  Her blood culture came back showing bacteria.  The doctor thinks it’s caused by her PICC line IV which was a risk of putting it in, but thinks the antibiotics (that she’s been on for about 24 hours already) will get rid of it.  They’ll do another blood culture tomorrow to see if the bacteria is still there– if not, then the antibiotics are working and all is well and if so, then they will need to take the PICC line out in order to free her from the bacteria.  If the PICC is out, her nutrients she gets daily will have to go down and she’ll have to get poked more as IVs don’t last as long as PICCs.  Please pray that the antibiotics are working and that her blood culture shows NO infection tomorrow!  Some good news is she’s acting more like her feisty self and her coloring looks better.  She will start back on some little feeds today and… she pooped today.  She has been needing supositories lately, but today she did it all by herself!  Makes us proud! ha!

Riley is back on her nasal cannula… and I’m glad.  It made me nervous that she was off yesterday!  She’s only on a tiny bit of oxygen on the cannula though.  She’s doing well!  Still tolerating her feedings. Pray that she continue to tolerate her feedings and that she stay free from infection.

I’ll add some news pics later today!

Yesterday I got to kangaroo Reese in the morning and then Riley in the afternoon– love getting to hold those precious babies!  They both went up to 8 cc’s on milk yesterday and were tolerating it well.

Reese: went back under the jaundice light yesterday.  She had trouble tolerating her feedings last night and then just had a rough night.  She had 6 apnea bradies- where she stops breathing– like she’s holding her breath– in a short amount of time, so they were concerned.  They gave her some caffeine as they have been doing to stimulate her brain to remind her to breathe– really they shouldn’t be now– they should be in my belly where the placenta does all that hard work for them, so she’s still learning.  She had to go back on the nasal cannula for some extra oxygen.  Until they get her breathing regulated again, they have stopped her feeds (still getting her nutrients in her IV though).  She wasn’t acting like herself- she was more calm than usual so they ran some tests to test her for infection.  She (and her sister) have “central lines” (PICC) that run into a bigger vein rather than a small one like most IVs do.  The PICC line lasts much longer than a regular IV and it prevents the girls from having to get stuck so much.  Anyway- because of the PICC line and that they’re so little, they’re at risk for infection.  Her labs came back good so far, but they’re still waiting on a couple.  They went ahead and started her on antibiotics just in case.  They’re monitoring her breathing as well.  The dr says they’ll be ups and downs and set backs are to be expected, but I don’t like that … PLEASE pray that Reese BREATHES– I told her she’s not allowed to be a lazy breather! and that she doesn’t have to be intubated again and that she is HEALED from infection and gets to feeling better.  

Riley: had a great night and is tolerating her 8 cc’s on milk!  She’s still much smaller that her sis, but is growing everyday.  Her daddy got to kangaroo her this morning and she was happy as can be– snoozing with her mouth wide open! CUTE!  They’re going to try her off her cannula today which is great news.  Then we can see her sweet face even better!  Pray for Riley to continue to do well and to stay FREE from infection.

Amy: I can officially see my toes- it’s a glorious day! ha!  It’s been a while… I can drive by Thursday which I’m excited about and am feeling better and better (from my C section) everyday.  Today’s been hard on me hearing my baby Reese isn’t doing as well today.  I’m praying for peace and that I can trust the Lord because I know he is faithful.  

Richey: is the sweetest daddy.  These girls are blessed to have him!  He and I both get so excited to see the girls- we practically run into the building!  It’s the highlight of our day!  Pray for Richey as he is balancing work, school, and going up to the hospital to spend time with our precious girls.  Things are busy around here!

I’m about to see the girls again, so I’ll update again if there’s anything new.  Thank you for your prayers.  They mean so much to us.

Update: Reese is off her jaundice light and has started her antibiotics.  She seemed more alert this afternoon than this morning and like she was feeling better (the doctor noticed that too).  She responded to my voice like she always does, so that made me feel good.  She’s just so sweet.  Pray for a good night, that her labs come back showing no infection, that we get to hold her tomorrow, and that she has no bradies.  Pray for Riley Grace too- she is off her nasal cannula!  Which is great… but now I’m worried after her sister’s episodes.  Pray that she does well off of it and that she tolerates her feedings.  Thank you!

Both girls started on 6 cc’s of milk in their feeding tubes- yea!!  They are doing well today and are as darling as ever.  Their Nurse, Nancy, decided that they needed some girly hats, so she fixed them up! (see pictures below)!!  Richey and I are doing well– it’s definitely an emotional roller coaster.  We wish our girls were at home with us!  We know they’re right where they need to be though and are thanking God for how far they’ve come in such a short time.  They’re our little miracle babies.  Please continue praying that they stay free of infection, continue tolerating their feedings, and gain weight.  

The Stats:

Riley Grace: our littlest angel is now up to 2lbs!!!!  The murmur that was heard this week is no longer there!  Pray for her little heart – we’re thankful it looks good.  Yesterday was the first time we saw Miss Riley’s eyes and since then, they’ve been wide open and so alert!  She responds to mommy and daddy’s voice- she wrinkles up her forehead and opens her eyes real wide and turns her head towards us.  She’s tolerating 4cc-s (1 Tablespoon) of milk!! 

Reese Abigail: is almost back to her birth weight- she’s 2 lbs 11 oz!  She LOVES her tiny paci and you can hear her sucking on it- it cracks us up!  As of today, she’s off her nasal cannula and breathing on her own.  We’re proud of her.  We can see her sweet face much better now.  She (both of them) are very expressive with their faces- lots of (what we call) smiles, wrinkling of noses, and kissy faces!  She’s also tolerating 4 cc of milk.  We love them so much!

We are continuing to do Kangaroo Care with the girls and just love that precious family time– words cannot even explain how precious it is.  We take turns with each girl- one day I have Reese and Richey has Riley and the next day we switch.  Their brain scans came back all clear (no hemorrhaging)- we’re thankful.  Pray for our babies to stay infection free and to continue eating, weight gain, breathing on their own, and for their perfect development.  

Both sets of grandparents visited today!  Reese and Riley love them so much and already know… they’re going to be spoiled!!  Here are a few pics: click on them to make them bigger!

Wow!  We can’t believe it’s been a WEEK since our girls have entered this world.  It is truly amazing how God has held them in his hands and continues to do so.  We cannot stop giving him praise.  Here are some updates-

Both girls had an ultrasound on their soft spots on their heads to scan their little brains to check for hemorrhaging… both looked good to the nurse, and we’re waiting to verify from the doctor.  

Yesterday and today Richey and I got to do “Kangaroo Care” (skin on skin) with the babies!  It was precious.  They both handled it so well- their temperature stayed regulated and they were so comfy on their mommy and daddy.  They both cooed and melted our hearts– what sweet sounds!  It was amazing to feel their tiny bodies on us and even their BREATH!  It reminds me of how God breathes the breath of life into us (Gen 2:7)– awesome!

Reese:  The neonatologist said that her valve (PDA) was closed– praise God!  Since she’s done with the medicine to treat it, she started her feedings again (they’re through a tube and consist of a little bit of mommy’s milk).  This morning when we were visiting, her eyes were wide open just staring all around.  She doesn’t like getting her diaper changed, but the second you’re done… she’s content again!

Riley:  is off her CPAP and on the nasal cannula today!  We now can see her sweet face a bit better.  They’re still giving her 1cc of milk to coat her tummy– she’s tolerating it a bit better, but we’re still praying that she tolerates it even better so she can get some more meat on those bones.  She was down to 1 pound 9 ounces (TEENY), but is back up to 2 pounds now.  The doctor heard a little murmur in her heart, so they will be watching it closely to see if she needs the same meds Reese took for PDA or if it needs to be treated another way.  She’s back under the jaundice light working on that suntan– she loves it– keeps her nice and toasty.  And… mommy’s still learning, but when I changed her diaper today, she peed on me! ha!  Won’t she LOVE that I posted this for everyone to know–when she’s a teenager?…

Thank you for your prayers!