Life is happy but hectic. The C-Monster came home on June 15, 2010 at 6 lbs 14 oz. Her grandparents kept watch over her in the hospital while I went to get MrBeep. We went out for our last dinner together (sans kids or major organizing) and had a big bowl of yummy pho. On the way back to get Cece (pronounced SEE-SEE) we saw the most amazing and vibrant rainbow I have ever seen in my life. This photo can’t do it justice, I didn’t have my camera with me, but MrBeep grabbed a shot with his mediocre camera phone. I know it sounds totally cliché, but from our perspective the end of that rainbow went right to our neighborhood, to Home.
The V-Creature came home a week later at 7 lbs 4 oz, she just needed to work on her bottle feeding. Both girls are doing great. We aren’t prescribed any special medications or equipment. Just a multi-vitamin and a tsp of preemie formula to add to breastmilk as a fortifier until the girls can eat a large enough volume, then that will go too. They were both home about a week before their due date.
A new kind of normal is gradually coming together. We are all so happy to be at home. We appreciate the wonderful care we received in the NICU, but HOME is my favorite place and now I have a complete one with My Own Little Family.
Our pediatrician is excellent and hilarious. He joked he was concerned by their lack of a neck, but pronounced them both “keepers” and was happy that they didn’t have “that creepy preemie look”. Both girls are now over 8.5 lbs. Go chunkers!
It has been a real interesting challenge to get their feedings under control and somewhat coordinated. It was originally taking an hour per girl to eat and burp, then I had to pump for 40 minutes. That only left 20 minutes for anything else before the feedings began again. Every 3 hours, round the clock. We have all be very very well…see for yourself…Cece is on the left and Vivie is on the right.
Even Daddy has been tuckered out. :-) MrBeep has been so wonderful, he talks to them and feeds them with a bottle when they aren’t nursing with Mommy. A few times they have all fallen asleep on the couch or he’ll snuggle with one of the girls while I have the other one laying on me, or wrapped up in a Moby out for a walk in the eve of a summer night.
Catching up with you all is something that is important to me. I will try my best to peruse between feedings and writing and pumping and post-nesting. Thanks for your comments on my last post and for your words of encouragement. Sending out love in all directions. OXXO – IF.
