Week of September 24th

12 Weeks old!
Annika 5 pounds!!!; Mia 3 pounds, 11.5 ounces

It's been a very busy week! Mom has been spending the night at the hospital with the girls trying to get them to breast and bottle feed. We are trying to wean them off tube feedings and they have done wonderfully. Both girls are now pretty much breast and bottle feeding which is a huge accomplishment for them. They are also gaining weight while going through this transition which is a good sign. The girls were treated to their very first bouncy seat on Friday-they loved sitting up and looking around the room at everyone.
We were also able to take the girls out of the nursery into one of the parent rooms to be alone with them for several hours. They were still hooked up to monitors in the parent room but it was nice to have some one-on-one time with them. Annika is having some reflux during the day which could prolong her stay for a few days while they investigate which medication works best for her. She and Mia are now both without any supplemental oxygen and are so adorable with their fat little cheeks! We are getting closer and closer to discharge now. We simply have to wait for Mia to reach 4 pounds and tolerate all her feedings. Annika will need to continue tolerating her feeds and have improvement in her reflux symptoms. Mom and Dad are gearing up by buying car seats (we never thought the day would come!)

Week of September 17th

11 Weeks old!
Annika 4 pounds, 11 ounces; Mia 3 pounds, 8 ounces

We were surprised this week to find out Mia needed eye surgery like her sister Annika had 2 weeks ago. We thought all along she would not need it but at her last checkup, the eye doctor determined she had reached the threshold and needed to have the procedure done. Mia had her surgery on Friday and was on the ventilator until the following Sunday. It was a long weekend for us but she has recovered nicely and is back to her normal self! She lost some weight because she was not being fed for a few days during and after the surgery so we look forward to her weight checks every morning. Otherwise the girls have been making great strides in breastfeeding.

Annika got the chance to breastfeed solely for a 24 hour period when we stayed the night at the hospital after Mia's surgery. She did really well but lost some weight-probably due to working harder for her meals. Another big step for Annika is being removed from her oxygen completely! It is so nice to be able to see her beautiful face without tape on it! Before her surgery, Mia breastfed two feedings in a row which is quite an accomplishment also! Annika has also started learning how to take a bottle. She is doing well, everything needs to be learned! The girls are so happy to be back in their crib together, the nurses took a picture of Mia sucking on Annika's forehead (probably wondering why no milk was coming out!)

Week of September 10th

10 Weeks old!
Annika 4 pounds, 1 ounce; Mia 3 pounds, 1 ounce

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected by the horrible events this week. The girls of course were oblivious to everything going on in the world, they were busy growing! Breastfeeding has been going much better this week. Annika actually had her oxygen completely removed on Saturday night for about 4.5 hours and did great. The nurses will gradually wean her off completely which will make her very happy! Mia has been on minimal oxygen "just a molecule" the nurses like to say. The eye surgeon rechecked Annika on Friday and said things looked great so far. Mia does not look like she will need the same surgery but he will be following her weekly just in case. The girls also had a physical therapist come and evaluate their body movement and suck/swallow/breathe reflexes. She was impressed with the girls' ability to lift and turn their heads. Annika actually scoots upward in her crib so the nurses put a bumper in there to prevent her from knocking her head!