January 13, 2014

Last night I didn't sleep very well. There really wasn't a good reason for it though!

Apparently sometime early this morning Bentley pulled his feeding tube out!! That is a first for either of them but it happens a lot and was told it probably won't be the last time.

He has still been alarming this morning but only a few times per hour which is an improvement from yesterday. The nurse today said it can take 24 hours for the caffeine to fully kick in.

I woke up to Karley in her isolette but the top was off! I was informed that her temp was running high and they couldn't get it to come down in the isolette with it turned off. They were going to try her with the top off and see how she did. If she did well regulating her own temperature, they would move her to an open crib today or tomorrow. She also has an outfit on for the first time!!! It's adorable!

Karley with her isolette open:

Bentley all snuggled in his isolette:

Karley's weight went up to 1560 grams or 3 lbs 7 oz (.4 oz away from her birth weight). She is following in Bentley's footsteps and doing some periodic breathing also but not as bad. They are also going to start her on caffeine. Caffeine will help with this and also has good affects on the brain! I was surprised to hear this. A downfall is that they may experience some acid reflux but this is very common for preemies so it's unsure if the caffeine causes it or them being preemies causes it. I was told they would keep an eye out for it. Bentley's weight went up to 1680 grams or 3 lbs 11.3 oz (.7 oz away from his birth weight). They are both on their bilirubin light blankets. They have labs drawn tomorrow morning and they anticipate that they will both be off of the blankets! The neonatologist said that we have happy babies especially compared to the other things going on with the other babies here. That was reassuring to hear!

OT/PT and Speech both came in to assess the children this morning. Karley and Bentley both did well with OT/PT and it was neat to hear the reports and see what they were doing. Speech sounds odd to have at this age and I myself was curious as to what it entailed! She checked their mouth structures and their tongue movements. She also checked their rooting reflex and how they sucked. Karley has done better with this since the beginning sucking on her fingers, fist, and the pacifier. Bentley shows some interest but not as much. She said this doesn't really mean they will or won't be good eaters. Some children just are more interested in the pacifier than others. They both have good mouth structures. Having background with OT/PT and Speech through my job really helps to understand these things and what is going on!

At the 10:30 cares Karley was moved to an open crib!!! They took her isolette right out as they anticipate her doing very well and not needing it at all anymore. I am one proud mommy to see her graduate to a "big girl bed!" It is amazing how many little noises she makes that I constantly hear now that the isolette muffled! They anticipate Bentley will follow suit in the next day or 2!

Karley in her open crib:

They didn't want Bentley to feel left out so he got clothes too!:

 

I got to give each one of them a bath. Previously they have only had like a sponge bath because they had their umbilical vein lines but since those came out they were able to be submerged in a tub of water. The nurse was very impressed I did it all on my own! Bentley didn't seem to mind as much as Karley did. It wasn't hard but they are just so little!!! They smelled so nice afterwards.

Today's nurse was amazing at pushing the kids to get them farther along (but not too far) and suggesting things. She got Karley in the open crib, both kids in clothes, and let me do a ton! She suggested we put them together to take pictures and it was awesome!

Karley and Bentley together:

Karley and Bentley holding hands:

Karley, Bentley, and mommy:

 

I also got to hold them both today without doing kangaroo care. It was nice to hold them and see their little faces!

Bentley and mommy:

Karley and mommy:

Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Dave came to visit this evening. I was holding Karley at the time. The nurse came over and said she needed to see Karley's tags so I started to help her get to them when I noticed she was holding a piece of paper that said "Do you want them to hold Bentley?" I realized then she really didn't need Karley's tags at all! I thought her asking that way was very well done! I giggled and said they sure would love to! We offered it up and they got to hold their grandkids for the first time.

Grandma Peggy held Bentley and I let Grandpa Dave hold Karley:

And then they switched:

I loved seeing their faces and watching how cautious they were with them. They were amazed to watch me take them in and out, switch them, etc. and asked how I knew what to do! It helps being here all the time and being able to be sooo involved!

Bentley is doing much much better and is hardly alarming which is wonderful. They actually decided to hold off on giving Karley caffeine as she isn't demonstrating the shallow breathing pattern as much and isn't alarming. They said they would see how she did through the night and reevaluate tomorrow.

The evening nurse that came in said that typically babies this small aren't in an open crib and she was pretty amazed. But Karley seems ready for it and has done great all day!!!!

I received a twins balloon, chocolate, and flowers today from one of my students and their family! What a gracious gesture...we thank you!!!

 

Paul texted me and said these signs are up at his work....very neat!!!

Today was truly a big day full of wonderful changes for all of us! I really need this after yesterday!!!