Monday, December 28

Has anyone ever seen a preemie's poopy diaper? We haven't either. I'm sure there's lots to come, but we haven't had the privilege to see one. Andrew had one the other day, but we missed out. The nurses want Adelaide and Mattie to poop, so please see the prayer request below.



Tara went to the NICU today by herself. Thanks to Kevin's mom for driving her. Kevin stayed home and caught up on work and house stuff. Kevin met Tara up at the NICU for dinner, and then we spent some time with the babies tonight.



All the babies had good days. Andrew and Mattie had Pict lines put in to feed them. The umbilical line they had causes infections after 7-10 days, so it was time to get new lines put in. Adelaide had hers put in a few days ago. The procedures went well, and the x-rays showed that they were in the right place. All of their murmurs are now minimal or not present by clinical exam. Adelaide had an echo today, and it showed that her valve was only slightly open. It also showed that she has two small holes in her heart, which should close as she gets bigger. Both Adelaide and Mattie were taken off photo therapy, and we got to see their faces and heads. It's such a joy to watch their eyes dance behind their lids and the funny facial expressions they make. The nurse told us that she saw Mattie open one eye today, but their lids are still fused shut. Hopefully, they will open in the next day or so. All of their x-rays showed they have scar tissue from the ventilators, which will be less significant as the lungs grow. It could take until they are two years old for them to outgrow lung issues. All the babies are back on Tara's milk. They've got a lot of feeding to do since Tara has a big head start on them. Andrew is still responding well to the oscillator with no episodes of clamping down. We're thankful that they were all relatively calm today, their murmurs are small or not present, and they're back on Tara's milk.

Praise
Andrew being calm and responding to oscillator.
Andrew's murmur not present
Adelaide and Mattie off photo therapy.
Adelaide's echo showed only a small valve.
Adelaide being incredibly calm during diaper and bed changes (Kevin got to help change the bed).
Mattie's murmur not present.
All Pict lines are in and positioned correctly.
Beautiful faces.
Adelaide's long stretches and her flexibility. She's like a rag doll.

Prayer
Ultrasounds scheduled for their heads on January 1.
They would be weened off their ventilators.
Murmurs continue to be not present.
Weight gain and strength.
Protection from side effects of medications.
Poops for Adelaide and Mattie (Even though, according to Kevin, girls don't poop).