The Last Two Weeks in Review

This is my third attempt at describing the past two weeks. I'm finding there is so much I want to remember and so little that other people will care about, that it's nearly impossible to organize and edit all the information and describe it in any coherent way. And acute sleep deprivation is not helping the situation. I'm going to do my best to let go of my perfectionist tendencies (again, the sleep deprivation is to thank), and am gonna just cut myself off and post my ramblings. Editing will come later...

December 7th - 11th was by far the most frustrating period in the NICU. On the 7th we were told the boys would be coming home that week. It looked like Leon would definitely be home by the 9th, and possibly on the 8th, and Michael would follow within a day or two of Leon. But then, on the 8th, a different doctor was on duty, and the new one was much more cautious. We were back to playing food games, and Jeff and I were spending 18-20 hours a day at the hospital to ensure our boys were playing the games correctly (and we were helping them cheat, when necessary). Once L and M wete eating enough at their force feedings, they were allowed on-demanding feeding. Once they were eating on demand, they had to gain weight. Then they had to gain weight more rapidly. Finally, on the 11th, they were allowed to leave. That day we also got an explanation for the insanity of the week. The doctor was truly treating our boys like she would treat her own child. Her daughter has pulmonary issues and she was providing our children with the level of care she demanded for her daughter. More than anything, we felt sorry for her daughter!

Once the boys came home we discovered that for us, claiming to be parents of twins who are in the NICU is akin to claiming to have been to China because you visited EPCOT Center. You got the flavor of it, but it's a long way from the real deal. The first week at home was a total blur.

R was extra needy after since not only did she have to share attention with two newborns, but she had to deal with the fact that her parents had been MIA for three weeks. We read a lot of books, including the story of A Charlie Brown Christmas which I'm pretty sure we read at least 82 times a day. She is obsessed with Christmas in general, so we also sang Frosty the Snowman almost as many times. She and I baked Christmas cookies and went Christmas shopping.

While in the NICU, the boys were primarily bottle fed, and I expressed milk 7-8 times a day in order to have enough breast milk for both of them. This continued at home, both because the boys weren't established as great breast feeders and to allow others to help feed them. One of R's favorite expressions was "Mom pump milk!" and she loved milk pumping time because it meant I could do nothing but sit and read and sing to her. One night she surprised me by fully assembling the breast pump for me. Apparently she is very observant.

Adding a new baby into a family is crazy, but adding two babies takes it to a whole new level of insanity. It didn't help that we only averaged four hours of sleep a day. (Note, that is per day, and not per night as there were nights we only got 2 - 2.5 hours of sleep.) For the first couple of days we didn't even really know what to do with them. They spent a lot of time in their crib. Thankfully they were together in there. Just as we were starting to make a plan and remembering what to do with newborns, Leon decided to cry from 2 a.m. - 8 a.m on Monday which meant Monday was a recovery day. Finally on Tuesday we started actually interacting with the little guys. I even put down a blanket on the floor and they had "tummy time" with R.

During the week, L and M both discovered the dogs. Jeff was able to witness it with both, and said it was too funny.

Despite the fact that the boys are supposed to live in a people-free bubble, we did get out a couple of times. On Friday the 12th we took them to the doctor and discovered that each had gained 3 ounces since the day before. While part of the weight gain was the result of using different scales, they both clearly gained weight. Woohoo! And take that overly cautious NICU doc!

Wednesday, December 17th was gorgeous, and with temparatures in the 70s, we headed out for a walk. We do not travel lightly these days. R was in the front of the double stroller, and Leon sat in his car seat in the back. Jeff pushed that monstrosity while I carried Michael in the sling. I can only imagine what we looked like walking down the street. I'm sure it was interesting.

Then again, everything about the boys so far, including their birth has just been, well, interesting.