Holding Alex

Kristen just got the best christmas eve gift.  She is currently holding Alex with skin to skin contact in the NICU.  He has come off intubation and is breathing on his own with the help of a CPAP machine with a little bit of added oxygen.  Both Kristen and Alex are throughly enjoying this bonding time. 

Earlier he had his first taste of milk and we be getting milk and formula to get his strenght up.

I will try to post pictures tonight.

Goats!

Last weekend, Davis, Grammie and I went to the Zoo.  One of the big highlights was Davis and the Goats.  We had never seen the goats before and Davis had a lot of fun petting and brushing them.  They were reasonably well behaved and only tried to eat the camera once.

Also, one of the cutest things you can do with a 2.5 year old is to give them a cupcake:

NICU Pictures

I've posted a few pictures from the NICU to my picasa web albums.  The link is below if you wish to look.  The pictures are of babies with a lot of tubes in them, but nothing traumatic.

https://picasaweb.google.com/112867246733740269006/201112Twins?authkey=Gv1sRgCI-Gy7mqlt3rTA

Kristen got to hold Evan for a little while:

Kristen is recovering.  A Cesarean is major surgery and she has a ways to go before she can be back to herself. Tonight she came off the IV and was able to walk a little bit before going in the wheelchair to see the boys.  We are both riding rollercoasters of emotions and are looking forward to the day when we can hold both boys and bring them home.

Davis visit

Davis, Grandma and Grandpa all came to visit Kristen, Alex and Evan earlier today.  Somebody was nice enough to tell Alex and Evan that Davis likes trucks and tools and they both got him special birthday presents.  We had a short visit with Kristen for Davis to unwrap his presents before we headed to the NICU to see the boys.  Davis spent a few minutes looking at the boys before we headed back to the room. Since the boys weren't moving too much, he seem to think that they were dolls.  He did understand that one was Alex and one was Evan.  It was great to see them meet and hopefully soon they will be able to interact a little bit more.

Twins update

Here is my understanding of where the twins are at.

Alex


Alex is currently being intubated to help with his breathing and is on a heated bed so that he does not have to regulate his temperature.  He is also receiving anti-biotics via IV. He will have his blood CO₂ levels checked at 9:00 pm and again in the morning.  If those are good, the intubation may be removed and he would be switched to either a CPAP or high flow air (nose plugs).  Over time they will diminish the levels of intervention until he no longer requires assistance.  One level of intervention is the type of device (intubation -> CPAP -> high flow air) and others are flow rate and supplemental oxygen levels.

Evan


Evan is farther along than Alex.  He is currently receiving high flow air through nose plus without supplemental oxygen and anti-biotics through an TV.  His heated bed has been turned off and he is regulating his own temperature while being wrapped up in blankets and a hat.  Since he is not intubated, we are able to hold him and he was able to take in a little bit of colostrum.  He will have his CO₂ levels checked in the morning only and if those are good will probably have the flow rates decreased.  He will probably need to be on oxygen for a few days but should be able to move out of the NICU table and into a crib by tonight, assuming he continues to regulate his temperature well.  The next major milestone for Evan will be to demonstrate that he can suck, swallow and breathe.

Evan Video

I just spent a little over an hour holding Evan in the NICU and captured one of his more active periods on video.

NICU Visit

Kristen and I just got bak from her first visit to the NICU.  We both got to hold Evan and touch and talk to Alex.  Alex has been intubated and while that is in place, we will not be able to hold him.  Evan spent the entire 30 minutes while I held him with his eyes open and had a good bout of the hiccups.  They are both beautiful, soft and amazing little guys.  We are both really looking forward to holding Alex, but it will probably be a little while.  He need to develop his lungs and sustain healthy breathing that maintains his oxygen levels.

We will probably bring Davis, Grandma and Grandpa in for a short visit after lunch.