Tiny Miracles

Isaac & Adrian on April 4, 2009

Isaac Adrian on December 1, 2009

Isaac & Adrian on December 12, 2009

I meant to post a blog on Saturday, December 12, Adrian and Isaac's one month birthday, but, as you can imagine, it has been hard to find the time to blog. Even though our boys have been with us for a month, it still seems like a dream at times. They are such miracles. I found myself thinking about the little embryos that we met on April 4. When I remember back to that day, the feelings of excitement, anticipation and fear come rushing back. I wondered if those little embryos would one day be our child/children. I wondered if they would be healthy. I wondered what they would look like. I wondered what it would feel like to finally be a mom. The dream came true.

They have changed so much during their first month of life. Isaac started out weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz. and now weighs 7 lbs. 7 oz. Adrian began at 4 lbs. 2 oz and now weighs 5 lbs. 9 oz. They are getting so big. Adrian's hair on the top of his head is thinning out and getting lighter. Isaac's hair is just as thick and long as ever. Although it is blond, it is starting to get a reddish tint. Isaac is lifting his head frequently and turning it from side to side. He makes little smirks from time to time. He will look directly into our eyes when we talk to him. Adrian just started lifting his head last week. He still has the most beautiful big, dark eyes. For the past week, they have only been waking us once in the night to eat. They are such great babies. We are so, so blessed.

Keeping Our Heads Above Water

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted anything on the blog. I just wanted to quickly jump on here (in between feedings) to say that the boys are doing great. Dave went back to work on Monday and his mom, Adrianna, helped me with the boys Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday. But I decided to try to get through today all by myself. It is 11:25 and I haven't brushed my teeth, showered, or changed out of my pajamas, but Isaac and Adrian have been fed twice, changed into new outfits, and I even lotioned them up. So, I am okay with my hygiene taking a back seat to theirs.

I thought I would write a few tidbits about each of my beautiful boys. I am doing this more for myself - so I don't forget. Isaac is gaining weight rapidly. He eats well. He tends to be a little bit of a drama queen. If he is hungry or has a dirty diaper, we find out about it quickly. He even started screaming a little bit. I think it is cute. He has so much beautiful blond hair. It is already longer than his ears. I am wondering how soon he will need a haircut. His complexion is perfect, too. Isaac's eyes are a beautiful dark blue. He has already acquired three nicknames: Mr. Sunshine, Ike, Snoozie Bear.

Adrian is our little comedian. It isn't intentional, though. He makes the most hilarious facial expressions all day long. He tends to furrow his brow often, pucker up his lips and his skin gets so red when he gets angry. He is such a sweetie. He doesn't cry much at all, except during diaper changes and at 1:30 in the morning - of course. He really loves to have his hair washed during his baths, but hates to have anything else washed. He also has the biggest beautiful eyes. We still can't tell what color they are. They look like a dark hazel/grey. Adrian's hair is starting to thin a little and it was very dark at birth, but also appears to be lightening up. His nicknames are: Moon Beam, Ace, Snuggly Bear.

We took the boys to the pediatrician Monday, Nov. 30 and they both gained 4 ounces in one week. Adrian weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz. and Isaac weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. They are doing great with the nursing and we are supplementing their feedings with special formula made for preemies.

I still feel so blessed (even with so little sleep) to have been given this gift. Sometimes I just look at them and I fill up with tears, because I am so happy. The only sad thing about being a parent is that I can tell that they are already changing and I don't want that to happen so quickly. I know I should prepare myself for rapid changes in the future.

Home! Home! Home!

We made it home today!!! We left Columbia at about 12:45 and ended up spending 57 minutes in the Burger King parking lot in Moberly feeding two hungry babies and changing two very poopy diapers. But, we did make it home and both boys have had a bath. Gary & Adrianna were waiting at the house for us with a wonderful homemade meal. All is well.

We Are Going Home Tomorrow

HALLELUJAH!!! We just found out this morning that we will most likely go home tomorrow morning. We have to complete hearing screenings, circumcisions, Hep B vaccines, shots to prevent RSV, parent education and then we room-in at the hospital with the boys tonight.

We are so excited to finally go home. It has felt for the last few days like we have been held hostage in this place - mainly because Adrian & Isaac have been doing so well. It just got to the point that it seemed unnecessary for them to be here. I feel like Dave and I can do a better job taking care of them at home.

Both boys were moved to open cribs yesterday and they both did a fantastic job maintaining their temperatures. They have been eating like little champs. Adrian is Dr. Sherman's little superstar. I think Dr. Sherman likes to cheer for the underdog.

By the way, I was reminded of some details that we have left out. We have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house this entire time. It has been nice. Also, we never mentioned the boys' full names: Adrian Elijah Briggs and Isaac Gabriel Briggs.

Going Home Soon

Another big day today. Adrian and Isaac both moved out of incubators and into open beds. This was the last big hurdle to getting them home. Now they just have to continue to maintain their temperatures and continue to gain weight and we can all go home. It will be nice to get home and sleep in our own bed. The Ronald McDonald House is a nice place to visit, but we are ready to let some other parents have our room.

If all goes as planned from here, Dr. Sherman says the boys will be discharged Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Now Mom & Dad have to watch some videos and do our part to meet with the discharge requirements.

It definitely looks like we will be home for Thanksgiving.

Today has been an eventful one. Adrian has surpassed the body temperature regulation minimums and is supposed to graduate from the incubator to an open bed this evening. The only issue is that there may not be an open bed available for him to move into - there are a lot of babies in the NICU right now. That is a little frustrating.

Also, his NG feeding tube was removed today and he was changed to all breast/bottle feedings. He has done fantastic. Now neither boy has a feeding tube. Isaac and Adrian both developed a little bit of irritation on their bottoms over night (while Mom and Dad were gone). I wonder if the night nurse left them sitting in poopy diapers for a little too long. Maybe I am just a little paranoid.

One concern that came up today is Isaac's tummy, he has been having some issues. Dr. Sherman ran some tests, including a belly x-ray and some blood work to see if anything comes back abnormal. Poor guy. He acts like a perfectly healthy baby, so we are expecting all tests to come back negative. Isaac continued to nurse very well today. He is a hungry boy.

Dr. Sherman again said today that if everything turns out fine with Isaac, we will be home by THANKSGIVING.

More Great News

We have lots of good news today. Isaac's NG tube was removed - by him. Dr. Sherman, the neonatologist, wanted to remove it at his 11:00 am feeding, so Isaac went ahead and pulled it out while Dave and I went to eat some breakfast around 9:30 this morning. It was the third time that he had pulled his tube out. Anyway, this means that all of his feedings are now breast or bottle. This is a huge victory.

Adrian is still doing great. He is still alternating two breast/bottle feedings with one NG (tube) feeding. Maybe he can get his tube out tomorrow. Dr. Sherman had a conversation with Dave and me this morning about the last few things that need to be done before we go home. He also told us that it looks like we will be home before Thanksgiving!!! Of course, it is all up to the boys.

I think they would send Isaac home tomorrow, but Adrian is lagging behind a day or two. I think it is funny that this is the case, because Dr. Sherman tends to favor Adrian and thinks he is a superstar for his tiny little size. He keeps bragging about how well he is doing with his feedings, temperature, etc.

Both boys are still in their incubators, but they are regulating their temperatures well. I foresee that they will be in open beds in the next day or two. Adrian tends to run a little warm because he has a high blood volume for his small size. Dr. Sherman said that he believes he wasn't getting everything he needed from his placenta during my pregnancy. This has led to his small size. Therefore, his body produced a lot of extra blood in order for him to get all of the oxygen he needed. This is also why his head is close to normal size, he is normal length, but he has no fat on his body. All of his energy in the womb went to brain development.

Last night, Isaac was almost up to his birth weight. He weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. His birth weight was 5 lbs. 12 oz. Adrian weighed 4 lbs. 2 oz at birth and he weighed 4 lbs. 1 oz last night. They are doing fantastic. Adrian gains 1 - 2 ounces every day. We will keep you posted.

I'd Do It All Over Again

I am feeling a little reflective on the one-week birthday of my beautiful baby boys. This morning, I got an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the gift that I have been given. It was a long road to get Adrian and Isaac, but I would go through every bit of it again. They are perfect. I never knew I could love like this. I have so many hopes and dreams for them. I am so glad that Dave and I never gave up. We struggled through trying to get pregnant for 3 years, spent thousands and thousands of dollars and shed millions of tears on fertility treatments, and we both suffered through a very difficult pregnancy and an even worse birth. I am glad that we thought it would be worth it. I guess I never realized the reward would be so great. I feel like we are the two most blessed people on earth.

Big Break Tuesday

We had a very good day yesterday (Tuesday the 17th), both boys started real breastfeeding. The boys are still in Level 2 NICU. It is home to healthier babies which require less care than Level 3 where we started out.

Isaac has had some issues with stomach irritation from his NG tube, so we are really hoping to get him off of it soon. Adrian is doing very well with his breast feeding and is actually a little ahead of brother on digestion. His feedings will be increased again today.

Other than feeding and gaining some weight, the boys also need to be able to regulate their own body temperature before they can go home. Again, surprisingly since he has zero body fat, Adrian is a little bit ahead of Isaac. Both boys are still in their incubators to help with body temperature. They are still being monitored for their respiration and heart rate, but the other monitors are off and they no longer have IV's.

Both boys are gaining weight, Adrian is gaining about 2 ounces per day and is back up to 3 pounds 15 ounces. Isaac is almost back to his birth weight, he weighed 5 pounds 9 ounces last night (Tuesday).

Although visitation is very restricted Grandma Oleva and Grandpa & Grandma Briggs have each been to visit twice. Uncle Jeffie got to see the boys on Thursday, but has been sick and not allowed back in. We were happy to have lunch with our friend, Leigh Ann Williams, her kids Owen & Elsie, and her mom Susan yesterday. It has been great to have visitors.

Life is Good

I have so much to report that I couldn't possibly know where to begin, so my post may be all over the place. Today has been a fantastic day, but let me start with yesterday. I (Tisha) arrived in Columbia Saturday, November 14 with my mom after I was released from Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville. As yo probably know, I had a surprise C-section Thursday morning. Dave has been in Columbia since early Thursday afternoon. He made it down just a few hours after Isaac and Adrian arrived in Columbia. In case it wasn't clear in the earlier posts, the boys are at Columbia Regional Hospital in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Unfortunately for everyone else, Dave and I are the only ones allowed to hold the boys. Visitation is very limited due to the hospital regulations for illness prevention in the NICU babies. Only 2 visitors per patient are allowed other than the parents. Grandma Oleva and Grandma and Grandpa Briggs have all seen the boys as has Uncle Jeffie.

Yesterday I was able to hold Adrian for the first time. His condition at birth did not allow me to hold him before he was transferred to Columbia. It was a very emotional moment for both of us. Hallelujah!! Of course, I was able to hold Isaac, too. They are both absolutely perfect and I am not biased at all. The most fantastic news is that they are brilliant preemies. They were both able to nurse yesterday and they have both done the same again once today. They are doing this while being fed through a naso-gastric (NG) tube. Unfortunately they have to have a little formula until they can get enough milk from me.

They are both so very healthy. We were just given the news that both boys will no longer need their IVs this evening and they will be moved from the Level III NICU to the Level II NICU. Being in the Level II NICU means that they require less care and are one step closer to getting home. There has been no indication of a time frame in which we can take them home at this point.

There is a bit of concern that they may have some jaundice. That will be checked again tomorrow. Once they get the hang of feeding and we figure out the jaundice situation, they may get to go home, assuming all else continues to go well. We will keep you posted.