Progress!

I was at the NICU for 8.5 hours today and it was exhausting! I think it's been a blessing in many ways for our boys to be in the NICU, even though it's been an emotional challenge unlike any other. Now that I'm used to their schedule (that's been one blessing of the NICU - getting them both on the same eat/sleep schedule), I think that it'll be an easy transition to home. Maybe I'm being naive, but it seems that if I can feed them in the NICU, basically just hanging around wasting time until their next feeding all day, then it'll be do-able to be at home with them when I can at least lay down in between feedings and be in my own home doing so. It's tough being at a hospital all day anyway, but I would never trade the time I have with them in there.

Both boys were circumsized today, which I made the choice to leave during. The nurse called me when it was over and said that "they needed some Mommy snuggle time." I could hear them crying in the background, but when I came up to hold them they calmed down and fell asleep. Now that's a great feeling!

Charlie and I have our discharge conference tomorrow where we'll meet with the doctors for about an hour and they'll brief us on everything we need to know that happened during their stay in the NICU. The doctor today said that they could probably give us an idea of what day they are coming home, too!!

Coming up:

• The boys have to pass the car seat test. It's a test that all babies born earlier than 37 weeks have to pass to make sure that they can sit up in a carseat and keep their heartrate up and their breathing stable.
• The 6pm feeding today is the first time they will be given a bottle. No more feeding tubes!
• As long as they keep gaining weight and don't have any "breathing episodes," they should be home by the weekend. We CAN'T WAIT - and we'll surely keep you posted!

Please pray for our boys this week that they can pass all their tests with flying colors and come home to be with us soon.