Big Girl Beds!

Maddy is such a big girl, she has moved out of her isolette and into a new big girl crib! We all went to visit last night and Maddy and I had lots of snuggle time. I'm having a really hard time with leaving her there all alone. Logically I know she probably doesn't know or care that Georgia is gone but a little part of me feels miserable every time I picture her all alone in the hospital. Having Georgia home is wonderful but makes the whole process of going to the hospital to visit a little bit more challenging.




Georgia has been a bit sassy and fussy when it comes to sleeping at home. We are thinking it must be just a bit too quiet and dark... much different than the hustle and bustle of the NICU. Go figure, she was perfecly quiet and fast asleep when we went to visit last night.

Not to be outdone by her sister, Georgia also got her picture taken in her new big girl bed! Funny that when we were picking out cribs I didn't think it would be realistic to expect them to share, of course they'd never fit! I think we could fit 10 Georgias in her bed, haha.

Yes, she is wrapped up like a little burrito in a million blankets. Being so little it is difficult for her to regulate her body temperature without burning up lots of calories.

Welcome Home Georgia!

After 66 days Georgia is finally home! It is a surreal feeling and has been a day of many mixed emotions. I don't think I have felt so many different things at once since the girls were born. I am so happy and excited but also sad at the same time as we are leaving Maddy at the hospital. It's also pretty scary knowing there are no nurses or doctors in the next room and nothing to beep at me if something goes wrong. We are also currently still in the process of moving into the house so things aren't set up just the way I would like but they are doable.

Georgia is weighing in at a whopping 3lbs 15oz and is home without any tubes, cords or monitors which is wonderful. She will have lots of follow up appointments with her pediatrician and ophthalmologist. Her ROP (eye disease) has progressed slightly and will need to be checked every week.

Maddy is looking wonderfully chubby and currently weighs 4lbs 12oz. Her reconnect surgery was originally scheduled for next Tuesday but has had to be postponed due to the progression of her ROP. Maddy's eyes are now at Level III and the doctors are concerned she will need laser surgery. As I understand it ROP deals mainly with the blood vessels in the eyes. These blood vessels that are developing can be negatively affected by a lot of the things that would come along with her re-connect surgery such as being on the ventilator and receiving a blood transfusion. While her re-connect surgery is important her eyes are the current priority. The doctors will continue to monitor her eyes, checking them again next Tuesday. If they stay as they are there will be no intervention and she will be checked again in a week. If they worsen she will need laser surgery. The ideal situation is that her eyes will begin to heal next week and continue on that path allowing us to reschedule her re-connect surgery and get her home. Please keep her eyes in your thoughts and prayers and we will be sure to update everyone next week.


Snuggling at home is nice...

Little Troopers

Both girls are doing wonderfully and continuing to be little troopers. Madelyn is growing right along and even hit 4 lbs last night! The surgeons have tentatively planned her re-connect surgery for the week of August 22nd if all continues to go well. Georgia has been a little show off and has taken her last 12 bottles! She gets a bottle every 3 hours and needs to efficiently take all of her bottles over a 48 hour period to be able to come home. Her biggest hurdle now is keeping herself warm. In order for her to come home she needs to be able to maintain her body temperature without the help of her bed. They generally won't even begin to wean them out of their covered beds until 1800 grams and Georgia is only at 1550 grams and only generally gains 10-20 grams a night so it will be quite a while until she gets that big. But... the nurses have been slowly weaning her by gradually turning the temperature down in her bed and watching her body temperature. Her bed is currently set at 80 degrees and she is doing a great job keeping her temp up. We'll see what the doctors say today about continuing to wean her.

Strike A Pose Baby

Let me just start off by letting everyone know our girls have some of the best nurses around. Last night was our wedding anniversary, so Craig and I decided to enjoy a romantic baby free night knowing they will soon be a distant memory. We knew the girls were in good hands with their primary and favorite nurses Miranda and Megan so for once we did not visit the hospital last night. Little did we know they were having a photo shoot without us...






Listen here Missy...




Thank you guys... the pictures are adorable.

Keep Up the Good Work Girls

Both girls are doing great! They are both gaining weight and growing right along. Last night Madelyn was 3lb 5oz and Georgia was 3lb 2oz! Georgia is doing a great job consistently taking bottles. If she keeps up the good work and continues gaining weight she will be coming home in 2-3 weeks!

Madelyn's feeds have been decreased significantly because she was having some issues with her stoma (the end of her bowel/surgery site) leaking. This has hopefully healed itself over the past few days but it is something the doctors will continue to watch. She is still getting all of the nutrients she requires through her IV fluids and is obviously doing well gaining weight as her chubby cheeks show! No surgery date yet but the surgeons are hopeful they will be able to set one next week.

As some of you may already know Craig and I also just recently purchased our first home! Nothing like making life a little bit, actually a lot bit more crazy and demanding. This has kept us very busy and we are so thankful to have great families and friends who are willing to help us out a ton. We'll be posting nursery pictures soon!