Happy New Year

The boys have had a pretty good day. Gideon is doing much better on his oxygen levels. He was at 30% today instead of 55%, which is much better. They increased his feedings again and were supposed to be taking out one of his IV's at 5:00 this evening. He also was off the phototherapy light (for now). Josiah's day has been a little rougher. They had to give him some blood last night. His blood gases weren't good the first time they checked them. They checked them a second time and they were a little better but not much. His labs were better this morning after receiving the blood. The nurse said that's not unusual for preemies because they are drawing so much blood for labs it's hard for them to replenish it all. He's still not getting milk, maybe in 3 or 4 more days. We are going to see them tomorrow!!! Even though they've never been home with us, it seems like someone's missing! Hoping the next 3 months go quickly! Wishing everyone a blessed New Year!!!

Our visit

We had a good visit with the boys today. Josiah is getting bigger. He weighed 2 lbs and 2 1/2 ozs today. Still no change on his tummy issues. His echo on his heart looks the same as before (the hole is no bigger), so no surgery for him yet. That could still change over the next couple of weeks. I got to check his temperature and change his diaper today. This was not easy since I had to put my arms in his little bed through two holes and change the smallest diaper in the world! So exciting! That's the most I've gotten to touch either of them. Gideon is still struggling with his lung issues. The PIE that he had in his left lung has cleared up, but they are still having to keep his oxygen level turned up. He is eating well and weighs 1 lb 14 ozs. I got to watch Josiah pitch a little fit when the nurse was taking some blood. He can't cry because of the tube in his mouth but he was MAD! He would've been screaming if he could and his left foot was kicking like crazy! After we left the hospital, we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese - Dad's idea. My least favorite place to go, but the kids enjoyed it (especially Isaac). He is so funny! He's going to be a great big brother --- he already bosses the big kids around! He'll tell them to stop fighting, come in for supper or, my favorite, "don't talk with your mouth full of food!" Ah, the wisdom of a 3-year-old :-)

The Birth-Part 2

While I was completely knocked out, Rob was having to deal with other things. After the boys were born, a nurse came and got him. For those that don't know, Rob is very squeamish when it comes to this kind of stuff. He almost passed out at Lamaze class when we were pregnant with Aaron! He has improved for each baby, but he had to deal with a lot in a short period of time. So when the nurse came to get him, he didn't know that she was going to take him in to see Gideon. He got to see Josiah as they took him to the NICU, but they took him in a room where they were working on Gideon. They encouraged him to touch Gideon so he laid his hand on Gideon's head while 3 different people were working on him. His heart rate was in the 20's and got down to 18. Rob believes they called him in there to tell them to stop working on him, but that wasn't going to happen. After a few minutes, they looked at Gideon's lungs using a flashlight and did something (Rob isn't sure what because he was trying not to pass out) and his heart rate started going up to 50 and then to 80. They were able to get Gideon stabilized and taken to the NICU. Then Rob was able to come into recovery with me, where I kept asking him the same questions over and over. I had a difficult time waking up :-) After a couple of days in the hospital, I had to have 2 units of blood. I suddenly began feeling much better. The guy that puts you to sleep during surgery (can't spell that word) came by to check on us after a couple of days and said that it really helped the babies that I remained as calm as I did. I tend to shut down in stressful situations and while I don't remember all the details, I specifically remember just praying as they prepared me for surgery that God would just allow me to wake up when it was over. He did and I thank Him so much that, even though this is a stressful time, I am here for the journey and that our faith will be stronger because we are trusting in Him to carry us through it.

The Birth

I wanted to take some time to tell about how the twins came to be born at 25.5 weeks because it is an amazing example to me of God's perfect timing. It all started Monday, Dec 12 at 4:30 am. I was laying in bed when I felt something that wasn't quite right. I got up to see what was going on and after taking about 3 steps, I froze and yelled at Rob to get up. I told him either my water broke or I was bleeding. Well, my water did not break. I went back to bed and things seemed to improve but we decided I would call the doctor as soon as they got into the office and Rob would come home after running the bus route, in case the doctor wanted to see me. At 8:00, things got worse again and I began having contractions as well. I called the doctor but had to leave a message. Rob got home at 8:30 and I called the doctor again. They told me to come in. Then, almost immediately, I got a call from them telling me to go to the hospital. As soon as I got there, Dr Doughtie told me he was sending me to Baylor and by 10:00 I was in an ambulance on my way. Not a trip I hope to repeat ever again in my life! I was having contractions all the way to Dallas. Rob went home to gather up some things and then came to the hospital. They had given me the medicine to stop the contractions, which makes you feel like you are on fire. The first doctor came in and did a sonogram and said the babies looked good. The second doctor came in (an at-risk neonatologist) and did another sonogram to determine why I was in labor. He discovered that the babies were identical and had twin-to-twin transfusion. They did not share any body parts but were sharing blood vessels. All of Gideon's nutrition was going to Josiah. So Gideon was suffering from a lack of what he needed and Josiah was suffering from too much of what he needed. Josiah was in too much fluid and had too much fluid going to his heart so it was enlarged. Gideon was smaller and his placenta was shrink-wrapped around him with very little fluid in it. The fact that both babies had their bladders and they appeared to be functioning was a very good sign. A third doctor then came in (the cardiologist) to look at their hearts and rate them on how much damage they had. Gideon's heart was structurally good and beating correctly. Josiah's heart was not contracting, but rocking back and forth because of all the fluid it had. She rates their heart damage on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the worst and not expected to survive. The boys hearts were both rated as a 2 which is not bad considering we had just discovered this. The plan was to keep them in the womb as long as possible to help their lungs develop. At 7:30pm, the doctors had just about gotten the contractions stopped when I began throwing up and the bleeding started again. This is when the well-oiled machine of Baylor Hospital's labor and delivery team went to work. The doctor calmly told me they couldn't stop the bleeding and would have to do an emergency C-section. At 7:41 they wheeled me into the OR and at 7:49 the babies were born. We truly believe the babies would not have survived much longer in the womb. God has a plan and it was amazing to get to see the perfection of His timing within that 24 hour period.

Redheads

Well it is now official. We went to see the boys yesterday and could clearly see their RED hair!!! (or strawberry/blonde if you ask Samuel). They look just like Samuel when he was a baby! Aaron kept searching for brown hair, but it just wasn't there. I think they have gotten longer since Friday. They keep kicking their legs out of their blankets--little turkeys! Josiah is doing great on his oxygen. He is breathing room air. Still waiting to see what will happen with his tummy issues. Gideon's feedings have increased to 12cc's! But, now he is having oxygen issues. They have increased his oxygen quite a bit and seem a little concerned, so an Xray is scheduled for 2:00 today. Just got a call from the doctor. Josiah is doing well, if his echo and Xray look good they may re-start his feeds tomorrow. They are still checking out his heart. Gideon's lung problems are worse. He has developed PIE in his left lung. I have looked this up and still really don't understand it other than it's caused by having to have the vent and could result in his lung collapsing. This is what Josiah had and his has now cleared up. The doctor said the next 2-3 days could be rough for him because of this. He is still continuing his feeds. Each boy just has their own issues and they seem to be taking turns with what they have going on. Please pray that these issues will be resolved without further complications. I know God's hand is on Gideon and Josiah and so many people are praying for them! Thank you so much!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a blessed day. I was so excited to get to go to church after 3 months of not being able to and Rob wasn't able to go thanks to a stomach bug he had. It's just not the same watching it on video as it is being there in person. What a Christmas blessing! I just called about the boys so here's the latest. Gideon is doing really well. He is tolerating his feeds very well. He was up to 8cc's yesterday and his doctor said he increased him again this morning. His nurse last night said he filled up his diaper! She wasn't sure how that tiny little diaper held it all! Good job, Gideon! They had taken him off the phototherapy light yesterday, but his bilirubin levels were back up, so he's back on it again. (Hence the roller-coaster effect) One day something is up, the next it's down. Josiah is another matter. His nurse last night said he was beating up on her when she was changing him:-) He did finally have some poop but he is also having some residuals from his feedings. Before they feed him, they see if anything is left in his tummy from the last feed. He has been having some left over and the nurse told me they are watching for anything green or yellow. Josiah has been having some light green residuals, so they did an Xray last night. His abdomen looked good, so they continued with feeds. This morning the doctor did another Xray and while it seems ok he ordered Josiah's feeds to be stopped until they can observe and see what's going on. Josiah is also not out of the woods of having to have the PDA surgery that Gideon had. We should know in the next couple of days what the doctor wants to do on that. The issue with Josiah's lungs has cleared up for now, but Dr Redfield said we are at least 3-4 weeks from being off the vents. Please pray that the issues with Josiah's tummy clear up so he can continue with his feeds.

I am now free to move about the country!! Yea! I had a good follow up appointment with the doctor that delivered the babies. All of the doctors and nurses at Baylor involved with delivering and caring for me and the babies have been amazing. Truly an answer to prayer. We saw the boys for a short time before my appointment. Gideon is still a little swollen from his surgery, but he is getting milk now. We could barely see any part of his head because of the mask covering his eyes (protection from the phototherapy light) and the IV's and tubes going into all parts of him (Yes including his head). Thank you Bruce and Gina for preparing us for that. His nurse last night said he was looking less puffy so hopefully the next time we see him he'll look more like himself. Have I mentioned that they are identical? OH MY WORD!!!! Rob and I are already trying to devise a system where we won't mix them up! We've considered making "G"ideon wear "g"reen and Josiah wear blue, but I'm quite sure they will not want to wear those colors for the rest of their life! Josiah is doing good. The nurse was having to clean him up when I called last night because he spit up some of his milk, and he had to have an enema which allows for the free flow from the other end. Gideon is having amazing poops which is much needed to clean out his system. Can you tell Rob hijacked the blog? Anyway..... just checked in this morning and the boys are doing well. Josiah is up to 5cc's of milk! He really is a Stanley!

Update for today

Just got an update on the boys. Gideon is doing well since his surgery. He has been weaned off the Dopamine, which was for regulating his blood pressure. He is still being given pain meds and resting well. The nurse said she tried to lay him on his side, thinking that would help him rest better, but he let her know pretty quick he didn't like that. So she put him on his back and he was good. Josiah has had a good day. He is getting 3 cc's of milk every 4 hours and is doing well with it. He hit the 2lb mark today! Yea!! We rejoice in that, while also knowing his weight. like many other factors, will fluctuate from day to day. Tomorrow we will go see them and then I go to my 2 week follow-up doctor appointment, hopefully to be released to drive!! After 3 months, at last.......FREEDOM:-)

Let the Roller Coaster Begin

Welcome to our blog! I am going to try and use this as a way of updating everyone on the twins and how they are doing. Hopefully this will be easier than texting, using facebook, calling, etc. and trying to keep straight who I've updated and who I haven't. I will add pictures when I can. So many people have let us know they are praying. We are overwhelmed with everyone's thoughtful concerns and kind words. I will also be sharing the story of their birth and the miracle of God's timing. Gideon and Josiah will remain in the hospital, possibly until the middle of March, depending on their progress. As of today, they are doing pretty well. Josiah has had a good day, but is having to lay on his left side again due to lung issues. He is off the phototherapy light for now and has started feedings. He continues to be on the vent as well. Gideon had surgery this morning to close off the PDA in his heart. He is still pretty sedated. They had to start him back on the blood pressure medicine and he had to go back under the phototherapy light. He is also on antibiotics. He continues to be on the vent as well. Gideon will probably start feedings in a couple of days.