TGIF

Morning all, I don't have a lot to report on the kids today. They are both going through their regular ups and downs on the oxygen levels which is extremely common in kids their age.

Dillan is at 2lb 6oz and Tyler is at 2lb 13oz. They increased the amount of calories they are adding to their milk to 24 yesterday to try to give them a little extra boost again and Tyler's feedings increased to 26ml per feeding. Tyler has a couple of days left on his antibiotics and hopefully he'll be able to focus on growing and getting stronger.

Yesterday Tyler was having a tough day but when I got there I held him for an hour and he was so good. The nurses showed me how to feel his little body to tell if he's getting to relaxed. When he gets too relaxed is usually when he forgets to breathe. Then a couple seconds later he'll take a deep breath to recover. So if you can tell his breathing is getting really shallow you can rub his back or pat his little butt to remind him that he has to focus on breathing. He did really well yesterday when I had him out. I just kept telling him how proud I was of him.

When Corey got there after work he held Dillan for about an hour. She's such a trooper and does so well. I caught Corey once telling her how spoiled she was going to be when she came home. There is no doubt in my mind she is Daddy's little girl. Let me tell you I know first hand what being Daddy's little girl feels like and she is so lucky. There is no better feeling in the world than that unconditional love and support.

Today is going to be my first day driving up to the NICU. I haven't driven a car since February and I'm really looking forward to it. Corey had to work an overnight shift last night so he's sleeping this morning. I'm thinking we will head up there this afternoon.

Again, thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support. Have a great weekend and for everyone in WI I hope you all catch some fish!!!

2 Weeks Old 03/27/10

The kids turned two weeks old yesterday. We had such a nice day at the NICU. Both kids got to put real baby sleepers on for the first time and it melted our hearts. They look so cute. I attached some picutres so you can see.

Here is Dillan just sprawled out completely flat. My little girl that I swore would never wear pink looks completely adorable in it. She's my little princess. The second picture is her all tucked in with her little blanket. Dillan is up to 2lb 7oz now and she is over 15 inches long. She just contineus to get bigger and stronger. She's our little trooper.
And here is our little monster Tyler in his cute little baseball outfit. His antibiotics seem to be working well and he's starting to feel better. I didn't get Tyler's weight yesterday but he was at 2lbs 11oz the day before. He's not growing as fast as Dillan is but he's also been fighting his infection. He's been doing really well and we hope he's back to 100% soon. He is definetly his Daddy's little man. Corey always catches him with his eyes open.

Both kids are still on oxygen and the amount varies throughout the day. When the kids eat they tend to need a little more help because their bellies get full and they can't take good deep breathes. We expect the oxygen to continue for another couple weeks.

As of yesterday the NICU started adding extra calories to the breastmilk that the kids get. It's just a powder that they add. Breastmilk contains 20 calories per oz and this powder just bumps that up to 22 calories per oz. It's a way to increase their calories intake without increasing the amount of milk they have to digest. Tyler is now up to 24ml per feeding and Dillan is up to 22ml per feeding. It seems like so much compared to the 1ml they each started at.

You can't help but feel proud of everything they are doing knowing that they aren't supposed to have to do any of this stuff for another 2 months.

Hope everyone is having a good week.

1 Week Old Pictures 3/20/10

Here are some pictures of the kids at 1 week old.

Tyler just hanging out and relaxing and then hiding from the camera. I just thought that one was cute.

And here is Dillan. She loves being on her belly cuddling with her blankets.

The tubes you see going into their noses are their feeding tubes. Neither of them were on any kind of breathing help at this point. Since then they have both been on and off some oxygen help but they are both doing well. I'm hoping to post pictures on their weekly birthday's each week. Hopefully I can keep up with it. Hope you enjoy!!!

Quite a Week

Let's see, the last time I wrote, Tyler had just started his apnea spells. I believe Wednesday night they put Tyler back on the c-pap to help him breathe. They also did an entire workup on him to check for anything else and found he had an infection so they started him on antibiotics. He is responding well to the antibiotics which is good. Yesteday he came off the c-pap again and is breathing on his own again. Yeah. The doctors thought he may have needed the help breathing because he was so tired from fighting the infection. Poor little guy.

Then towards the end of the week, Dillan started having the same type of apnea spells that Tyler had earlier in the week so they immediatly started her on antibiotics and did a full workup on her. She has the little oxygen tubes in her nose now to give her a little help breathing and her antibiotics started yesterday.

To top off the week, I called mom yesterday because I had a temp and couldn't stop shaking. I asked her to come over and keep an eye on me. When she got here and took my temp again it was 103.7. So, we called the doctors office and they think I also have an infection. My infection is called mastitis, it's an infection in the breast. It's not contagious but I didn't go up to the hospital yesterday just because I felt so icky. So, Tyler, Dillan, and I are all on antibiotics.

Beyond the infections and the help with breathing this week both kids are growing fabulous. I know Dillan made it past 2 pounds on Thursday but I don't have her exact weight. I will have to get the updated numbers when I go up there this weekend. I know they are both eating larger amounts. Tyler is up to 15ml per feeding and Dillan is up to 13ml per feeding. They continue to get bigger and stronger every day. I will try to get some 1 week birthday photos up here today.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Please keep our little ones in your thoughts and prayers.

Triplet Neighbors

The day before I gave birth a woman was admitted that was pregnant with triplets. The little muchkins were born yesterday and Tyler has a new neighbor names Cole. The triplets were born at 32 weeks so they are bigger than our little ones but it was interesting to see what the process is when they bring the kids into the NICU. Organized chaos is how I would describe it. There are so many people taking care of the kids it's crazy. The triplets were done via invitro and then one of the eggs split so there are a pair of identical twin boys and a girl. They are so cute. Each just over 3lbs a piece.

Our kids are now both gaining weight which is so exciting for us. Tyler is 2lbs 6oz and Dillan is just under 2lbs. We were hoping she'd hit the 2lb mark yesterday but she was just under. We are also happy that their feedings have increased. Both kids started at 1ml of food per feeding, which is every 3 hours. Tyler is now up to 9mls, and Dillan is up to 7mls. Before each feeding they check their stomach to make sure they are digesting all the food properly and both kids have been. I think they have to be able to digest 25ml of food through their feeding tubes before they will try a bottle or breastfeeding so let's just hope the feedings increase.

Yesterday Tyler started a new thing that we hadn't seen before. They call it apnea, the same as the sleep disorder. The way the doctor explained it is right now if the kids were still inside me they would just be starting to practice to breathe. If they forget once in awhile, it's not a big deal because they don't need to breathe yet. Well, because they are now born it's a big deal if they forget. If they forget to take a breath, their heart beats and oxygen levels drop and they have little alarms that go off. Usually it takes them a second and then they remember but sometimes the nurses have to help them by stimulating them or putting oxygen by their nose. It's expected and common in babies born this early but it was new to us and the alarms scared us. The doctor wasn't worried about them at all. He said Tyler was normal for having this happen and Dillan is the little super star because she hadn't had it happen at all. Yeah for my little peanut being a super star.

Corey changed diapers for the first time yesterday. I have to say he's a natural. I think he's more comfortable with it than I am. I may use that to my advantage when they come home!!! :)

We've been doing kangaroo care with both kids almost daily. Corey got to hold Dillan for the first time on Monday and I had Tyler. Then last night I just had Tyler out for about an hour. I'm hoping to have Dillan out again tonight.

I am getting better and better every day. I quit taking the stronger of my two pain meds yesterday. They make me dizzy and tired and I'd rather be a little sore. So, I'm on Motrin now and that's it. I can't wait to be able to drive again myself. I'm hoping by next week sometime that will happen. We will see. The doctor says I have to be able to slam on the breaks without grabbing my stomach before I can drive. Well I'm not there yet but hopefully soon.

Ok, off to get a couple things done before my daily trip to the hospital. Thank you again to all of you for the support. Grandma's and Grandpa's have been driving me up to the hospital daily and I can't thank them enough.

Monday Update

Just an update on how the kids are doing. Over the weekend they put in CVL lines for both Dillan and Tyler. The lines are a catheter that is inserted into their arms and up into their shoulders so the doctors don't have to continue poking them for IV's. These lines can stay in up to a month instead of having to be replaced every couple days like IV's. Both lines went in well which was good to hear.

Saturday we got to do kangaroo time with Dillan just like we did with Tyler on Friday. She did really well but she is so tiny that it was hard to get some pictures of her. They put a hat on her head because the night before Tyler's temp dropped more than they wanted to see. So she was really buried but was so happy. I also got to change Dillan's diaper on Saturday night for the first time. Talk about a step by step process for this new mom. :) But it feels so good to participate in their care as much as we can.

Last night I got to change both Tyler and Dillan's diapers and take Tyler's temp. Dillan decided it would be fun to poop right as I was changing her and the nurse was making fun of how many wipes I used. Like I said, new mom! :) They take the babies temps in their arm pits so the nurse showed me how on Dillan and I got to do Tylers.

We were going to hang around until after the nurses dinner last night so we could hold them but both babies were so content and sleeping so good that we decided not to bother them. Dad still hasn't been able to hold them and I know he really wants to but hopefully tonight we will be able to make that work.

Dillan is still loosing weight as of last night. She is down to 1lb 14oz. She is such a peanut. Tyler gained a little weight yesterday which was a good sign. He is at 2lb 6oz. The doctors told us that the babies usually loose weight the first 8 or 9 days but then gain it rapidly after that. They estimate the babies will be back to their birth weight by day 14. We will keep you posted on that. Both babies are up to 4ml of milk per feeding. If that continues to go well they will increase it to 6ml today. They started at just 1ml. Yesterday when we were there Dillan pulled her feeding tube out of her nose. Yuck is that icky. We watched the nurse put it back in and another nurse there was laughing at us because of the look on our faces. I couldn't help but think of how uncomfortable it is to have anything in my nose and they just feed that little tube right through the nose all the way to their bellies. Ick. But it went in fine and she ate right afterwards.

I continue to heal at home. I can now get out of bed by myself which is good because Corey went back to work this morning. Every day I try to cut back on the amount of pain meds I take because I hate the way they make me feel. The only time they are really necessary is when I get in the car. The car ride back and forth to the NICU isn't pleasant.

Hope everyone has a good Monday. Many thanks for all the continued support and love being sent our way.

Mom Is Home

It's Saturday morning and I'm typing this entry from my dining room table. I am finally home after a month long stay at SMDC. It feels good to be home. Now we can prepare for the day that Dillan and Tyler get to come home with us.

Here is an update on the kids. When we left yesterday both kids were breathing on their own. No ventilators, no c-paps, just a little oxygen in their nose and that's it. They are doing the rest of the work. I'm so proud of them already for being able to breathe that well at 28 weeks. They really are troopers.

They tried feeding Dillan some breast milk two days ago and she spit up a lot of it so they cut back on that with her for a day. Both kids got a meal of it yesterday and as of the time we left they both kept everything down well. The nurses thought the additional pressure of the c-pap that they were on was causing them upset bellies. Hopefully when we get there today we find that they are eating more on their own now that they don't have the extra c-pap on.

We went down to the NICU to say goodbye before we left the hospital last night and were pleasantly surprised that Tyler's nurse said he was acting up and she wanted us to calm him. She showed me how to cup his little hands and and his head and get him to calm down. What an awesome feeling. I showed Corey and he was able to do the same. It was the first time we'd been able to touch either of them.

Just after that we were chatting with the Dr and the nurse came back and asked if we wanted to do some kangaroo time with Tyler. For those who don't know, this is when they lay the baby directly onto your chest and cover them with a blanket. It relaxes the baby and is good for mom. Tyler did awesome. He was so calm and really enjoyed the warmth. He is so small but it felt so good to hold him and talk to him. He was in my arms for about an hour and did awesome the whole time. We are hoping to do the same with Dillan today when we make our way back to the NICU.

Coming home after that last night was a challenge. It was the most I'd been up on my feet since about the end of February and my incision got really sore but we made it. The house is kind of a disaster right now until we figure out how to set all of this stuff up but we are making it work. It was nice to get home to the dogs and the smell of home. Now it's time to heal and do everything we can to help our babies get big and strong.

Here are just a couple of pictures. The top two are Tyler and I during our kangaroo time and the last one is little Dillan enjoying some tummy time. I will post more but wanted to get a couple out there without all of their tubes. They are the most precious little babies ever.

Happy Birthday Week

Hello all, never in my wildest dreams did I dream that the next time I updated the blog I would be telling you about the birth of our children but that's exactly what I am going to do. :)

If you remember, last week I was in a lot of pain and the doctors thought I had a UTI. Turns out my clutures came back negative on Sunday which was a huge dissapointment because I was still in pain and didn't know what was ever going to make my pain go away. The hospital had been hooking me up to check for contractions but nothing would show up on the machines because all the pain was in my back. I had plans for friends to come up and help celbrate my birthday on Sunday night but I was in so much pain I canceled. It was hard not knowing what was going on and why my back was in so much pain. Saturday night I also started spotting slightly. It was a light pink color which my doctor said was normal because of the stitch in my cervix being irritated from the small contractions that they were seeing.

Monday (my 30th birthday) brought me no relief. My back still hurt and the doctors still didn't know why. Contractions would show up periodically but nothing that would cause them concern so no one suspected I could actually be in labor. Again I canceled plans to celebrate my birthday because it just wasn't fun. I wanted to feel good and it's not fun for people to sit around and watch you be in pain. Not ideal for my 30th birthday but all I asked was that I still be pregnant for my birthday and that was still happening so I was trying to be happy. I was bleeding a little more overnight on Monday but still nothing that my doctor was concerned about. She said if I started bleeding quite a bit they would need to take a look at my stitch because it could be ripping but a small amount of blood wasn't a concern.

Tuesday morning things seemed to calm down. My pain dropped to minimal levels and the bleeding stopped so I thought things were going to get better. I hadn't slept at all over the weekend when I was in pain so I was excited about taking a nap. I told the nurse about 11 that I was going to lay down. No sooner did my head hit the pillow the pain started to return in my back. I called the nurse in and asked if there was anything she could do because I was so tired I just wanted to sleep. She gave me a pain med but the pain just wouldn't go away. At 2:00 after disucssing the situation with the doctor they decided to check my cervix to make sure it hadn't changed. They tried to stay away from this as much as possible becuase they knew that the stitch was the only thing holding my cervix together.

When they got in to examine my cervix they discovered that now only had it changed. I was dialated to 7 cm and the Baby A's head was showing through the opening. The stitch had ripped and the reason I had been in so much pain was I was in active labor. They told me to call Corey and tell him to get here as soon as possible because the babies were coming NOW. I called Corey at 2:40pm and then the nursing team took over. They got me all ready for a c-section, Corey showed up and threw on a gown and they took me to surgery. My spinal tap was put in, they brought Corey in and they started surgery to get the babies out.

Dillan Marie Skandel was born at 3:25pm weighing 2lbs 3oz and 14 inches long. Tyler William Skandel was born 3 min later at 3:28pm weighing 2lbs 10oz and 15.25 inches long. Corey got to watch Tyler being born and he said it was amazing. They brought Dillan up to my face and I got to kiss her before they took her to NICU. Tyler came by my head next but he decided to pee so I didn't get to kiss him. Corey went with both babies up to NICU and stayed with them while they finished up my surgery.

Both babies are stable right now and doing well. They both have breathing tubes but only to help them exhale. The doctors told Corey they just need help getting the CO2 out of their bodies and that's what the tubes are helping with. They are not getting any extra oxygen, they are just breathing room air. Tyler is very close to breathing on his own. They may try to challenge him with that soon to see how he does. Dillan is happy breathing with a little help so they plan to leave her for a bit so she can just get stronger.

Corey and I are adjusting to pumping schedules and trying to recover. Yesterday I was up just a little bit and the goal is to get me up more today and moving around. We will make a couple trips to the NICU to see the babies today and hopefully bringing Grandpa Arnold down to see them. He has been at work since they were born and he's so excited to see them.

I hope to post some pictures soon. We have a bunch already we just haven't had a chance to download them yet. Stay tuned.

So, Happy Birthday to our precious little babies. I know the NICU will have it's ups and downs but we can only hope and pray that they stay strong and continue to grow big and strong. We will be so excited for the day they can come home with us. Until then we will prepare for their home coming and we will visit them daily.

Thank you all again for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support. It has been overwhelming for Corey and I and we really appreciate everyone making this journey as easy as possible for us. We really have been able to focus on the babies and their health instead of worrying about other things. It's been a blessing.

27 Weeks

Hi all, my apologies for not updating on Thursday like a usually do but it's been an interesting week. I'll start with Wednesday. Wednesday around lunch I started having this cramping pain just below my belly button. It wasn't bad and usually if that happens I will go away overnight.

I woke up Thursday and the cramping had gotten worse. It was happening more often and the pain was getting worse. So, they hooked me up to some monitors to see what was going on. I was having some very small contractions but nothing that should be causing me that much pain. The doctor thought maybe the small contractions were pulling on my stitch and that's what was causing me the intense pain. They increased my meds to get rid of the contractions which helped. But my pain still wouldn't going away. Every 5-10 min I was having this awful pain. They still couldn't figure out what it was so they gave me some wonderful pain meds to help me sleep. The doctor came back and checked my cervix to make sure it wasn't changing and she said it had gone from just under 1cm to 1cm so it had hardly changed. She wasn't worried.

Yesterday I got up and when I tried to pee it hurt really bad so they tested me for a urinary tract infection and they finally figured out that's what they think is causing me so much pain. So as of yesterday they've started me on antibiotics for that and my pain seems to have gone down. It's not gone but at least it helps. Wow, who would've thought I'd be in so much pain the hospital without being in labor. Last night I only had to take one dose of pain meds and a sleeping pill to get throught the night. Let's hope tonight I won't need either. We will see how it goes.

As for the babies they are doing good. 27 weeks means they are the weight of a head of califlower, just over 2 lbs each. My belly continues to get larger and their heartbeats continue to look good. Every day is a blessing. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'm really hoping this week is a little more quiet. Have a good one.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter today. I have to say things are different spending a holiday in the hospital but I had lots of great visitors today and it's made the day go by really fast. Corey's mom sent up a bunch of leftovers from their Easter dinner and I'm so excited to dig into them. She's an awesome cook and her leftovers will make great snacks.

The greatest thing about this weekend was last night Corey brought Bosco up to visit me. It was so great to have a little slice of home here. I do miss him so much. Here is the picture.

He decided to make himself right at home when I got up to use the bathroom. Corey and I watched a movie and he just cuddled with me all night. It made my week.

I don't do a lot with pictures because it's not like I look very snazzy sitting in the hospital but I finally let Corey take my picture at 26 weeks so here are a couple of belly pictures.

I have no idea how big the kids are right now but I'm estimating they are over 2lbs each. I won't know again until 28 weeks until the do another ultrasound.

So, besides my visit from Bosco this weekend I had lots of other visitors. My aunt Kathy and uncle Don came up from the cities for Easter and stopped by yesterday with lots of goodies. Thanks to my cousin Katie for the baby carriers. I can't wait to try them out they are so cute. And one of my co-workers Louise stopped by Saturday and brought a scrap book from her sons wedding. So cute. It was nice to see her. Today Mom and Dad were here over lunch and Becky called when they were here. Jen, Andy and Corey came not long after they left. Jen showed me how to use the breast pump I borrowed from my cousin Heidi and we talked about all kinds of fun baby stuff. And after they left Mandi came up and brought me an Easter basket full of chocolate, candy, magainzes, and chips. My goodness. It's a wonderful basket. We laughed so hard when she was here I had to hold my stomach. It's so nice to laugh like that.

So, I really don't have any medical news to report. Things are still quiet (YEAH). My doctor will be back tomorrow so that means I will have reached another milestone. She told me I was required to stay pregnant until she got back! The next goal is staying pregnant until Becky gets back from Washington D.C. (Saturday), then my 30th birthday which is Monday (the 12th), and then 28 weeks which is Tax Day (April 15th).

Thats the plan for the upcoming goals. I hope everyone has a good week.

26 Weeks - April Fools Day

Today the babies are the size of English hothouse cucumbers. I don't know for sure but I think they are the really long skinny ones. They are supposed to be just over 14 inches long. 26 weeks today and the babies are looking wonderful. No changes so I am happy.

Yesterday mom came up and we celebrated her birthday on the roof and got some fresh air. It sure was nice out. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM.

This morning my nurse came in and told me that they had run out of good coffee. She had told me yesterday that she'd make me some good coffee today since the hospital coffee is not that good. I was like WHAT??? She said APRIL FOOLS!!! Oh thank god. So she brought me some coffee and I was great.

Just a little bit after that my doctor called me. My doctor is on vacation with her family in FL and she took a min out of her day to call me and wish me Happy 26 Weeks. I am just in love with her. She makes me feel so well taken care of. What a nice surprise.

They already monitored me this morning for an hour to listen to heartbeats and contractions. The really cool thing was our little boy had the hiccups. I'd never heard that before and it was really cool to hear. My uterus was a little irritated but nothing that they were concerned about so that was good. I'll take it easy this afternoon and drink a lot of water. That usually calms it down. Corey is bringing in chinese tonight to celebrate us getting to 26 weeks. 5 weeks of bedrest so far. 2.5 at home and 2.5 in the hospital. I'm so happy that it's April. 4 weeks left to hit my goal. I'm up for the challenge, I just hope my body is as well.

Happy April Fools everyone. Hope you all got to play jokes on someone.