As I have said before, I am not the wordsmith that my husband is; however, I will do my best to let you know what has been happening in the last couple of weeks.
Joleigh Faith has been doing great! I got my Christmas wish when Joleigh was taken off her breathing machine just before Christmas. She is now just on oxygen and they have been working to wean her off. Her feedings have continued to increase and she is now receiving 30 cc's every 3 hours. She now weighs 3 pounds, 5 ounces and is 16 1/4 inches long. She continues to be a diva and gets kinda mad if you mess with her when she doesn't want to be messed with!
Jeremiah Wayne continues to hold his own as well. His oxygen continues to be weaned and as of yesterday he was down to 1.5 liters from 4. He now weighs 3 pounds, 13 ounces and is 17 1/4 inches long. As he grow his feedings also increase and he is now receiving 34 cc's every 3 hours. I found yesterday that when Jeremiah doesn't get fed when he wants it he can become very irritable. I would love to say that this trait comes from his father, but sadly I think it really comes from me.
There have been several small changes that have come for both babies equally in the last 2 weeks. Both are now stable enough to spend more time outside of their isolettes which equals more holding time for us! Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are shot days for the babies and not favorite days for me or the nurses. They each used to get 2 shots each day but we are now down to one. It's the small victories that count! Both babies had their last brain ultrasound on Monday and we are proud to say that they have come back normal for the fourth and last time. One more thing we can cross of the list of worries. Feeding times have decreased from 1 hour to 30 minutes which shows that Joleigh and Jeremiah are tolerating feedings more like typical newborns. As they continue to progress, we are hoping to start offerings bottles in the next week or so. Both babies are spending more time awake which is so much fun for us as we get to talk to them and see their beautiful eyes. Both have also discovered their thumbs and may be found with their "pacifier" in their mouths!
Jace and I are both doing well and have adjusted to our NICU schedule as well as we can. I spend my days with Joleigh and Jeremiah in the NICU. I get to change diapers, take temperatures, hold babies and of course just talk to them while they are awake. Jace goes to work during the day and spends the evenings with us at the hospital. We continue to be grateful to my cousin Heather for the use of her apartment. It is great to be only 5 minutes from the hospital. We also cannot thank those of you who continue to support us financially or with your prayers. We know that God has heard those prayers because our children are doing so well. It is only by His grace that they are here and doing fantastic.
The biggest thing we can be thankful for is getting to spend our first Christmas with our children. Jace and I spent the day with Joleigh and Jeremiah and even opened Christmas presents with them! Although it was bittersweet to not spend the day at home with family, we were blessed with visits from grandparents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I will try to get Jace to post pictures soon of our Christmas celebration!
I think that sums up everything that has been happening in the last couple of weeks. We hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday and we pray for a blessed New Year also. I can tell you we are looking forward to our 2011 and watching our children grow!
~Jen
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