Knock On Wood - - - -

Every time we see the DR and chat with our nurses, all we ever get is good news, good news, good news! We've been really lucky, Carson & Dean have progressed every day over their 22 day stay there! They say the NICU is typically "2 steps forward, 1 step back", but that hasn't been our case. As of now, they are steadily gaining weight, breast feeding TWO feedings a day, and receiving the rest via feeding tube. Our goal this week is to consistently have them take those two full feedings and then introduce a bottle during one of the night time feedings. If that goes well, they can slowly add another bottle, and another, and another until they are 100% off of the feeding tube. Got it? They are only "33 weeks gestation", so they cannot believe they are already breast feeding.

I am starting to really HATE sitting in the hospital all day, every day. Its definitley mind over matter to not just crash - physically and emotionally. Several people have told me, "once they're home, they're there for the rest of their lives" therefore the time in the NICU will be a distant memory. Well- - - I CANNOT WAIT. Sitting there is truly miserable, not to mention the driving back and forth. The hardest part is when Eric & I leave at 10 pm at night. Not bringing them with us is the most unnatural thing. I look forward to their first picture where the background is not the NICU and they are "cord free" off of the monitors. Hopefully just another 2 - possibly 4 weeks and this will all be over.

As for Carson & Dean, they change daily. I love when they are wide awake with their big eyes open. I hold them for hours on end during the day. Dean still squishes himself up as if he were still in the womb and Carson sprawls out. Carson still has her head full of blonde hair and Dean is trying to catch up. We still think that she looks like me and he like Eric. As of last night - - she weighed 4lbs 4 oz and he was 3lbs 15 ounces. We are excited for tonight when Dean breaks into the 4lb club! I know it sounds weird to you, but to us, they are getting big!