Pop Quiz And News

OK - here is a pop quiz. I'll post pictures of the girls - See if you can tell who is who. I'll give you the answers at the end of the post.

Here is photo #1 on the left.

Here is photo #2 on the right.

So the girls had a minor setback and both had a spell last night. This means they reset the countdown and the earliest they'll be home will be Tuesday. We can't wait.

Mila had an EKG yesterday. She's got a murmur, which is normal for preemies. She looked like a high-tech squid with all the leads attached to her. She was a good girl and stayed still for the test. The EKG tech was a nice Russian lady who spoke softly to Mila in Russian to keep her calm. Dad helped - especially pulling off the sticky leads, Mila's least favorite part.

Both girls are now over 6 pounds. It's amazing that Sophia has nearly doubled her weight. Full term kids normally take 6 months to double their weight. Our girls are now 6 weeks old and 37 weeks gestation - nearly full-term.

The girls will be coming home on a special formula called Nutramigen. Apparently my company's medical insurance is self-funded and doesn't have to follow any federal regulations. They are refusing to cover the formula, which is medically necessary for the girls. The stuff costs $30 a canister, and each of the girl needs about 9 cans a month. So, we'll be going through $540-$600 a month in formula. We're hoping the girls won't stay on Nutramigen for long.

The girls are really showing they are twins. They will wake up at exactly the same time, and make the same noises. The other day Sophia got hiccups, and Mila hiccuped once right after her sister. Sometimes it's like they're talking.

So - here are the answers to the quiz: #1 is Mila and #2 is Sophia.

Merry Christmas From Mila And Sophia

Mila wants to wish everybody a Merry Christmas.

And So does Sophia...

Both girls are doing great - and are always hungry. Mila is now around 5lbs 12oz and Sophia 5lbs 9oz.

They are now saying that the girls may be home by the New Year! Keep your fingers crossed.

The Girls Should be Home Soon

Nothing but good news. Both girls have their feeding tubes out, and are eating and gaining weight. We've started to go through the discharge checklist. This means that, provided we stay the course, the girls will probably be home by New Year's!

Both girls are thriving and very active whenever we go in. When feeding time comes, they both act like we're starving them. Both of them are supposed to get around 60CCs with each feed, but Mila will do 80 and Sophia over 70.

As of last night Mila is 5lbs9 oz and Sophia 5lbs 6oz. As of today, the girls are at 36 weeks of gestation. Here are a few of the cuter pix we've taken recently:

Sophia has managed to get her left arm completely out of her shirt and is flexing. Check out those baby-biceps! We came in the room to find her like this and Myra and I started cracking up. The nurse thought we did this to her and was wondering why we had pulled her arm out of the sleeve.

Here is Miss Sophia kicking back in her crib and staring at daddy - wondering when he's going to feed her. In the background there's a picture of Myra and me In London. We taped these into the girl's cribs so they get used to our faces, and have something to look at in there. And also a picture of her post bath-time.

Here's Mila trying to chew on the shoulder of Pat, one of the girls' nurses. Pat's really great with them, as are all of the nurses. Mila was staving here and waiting for daddy to get her bottle ready. You can see how light her hair is here. The girl's hair is actually lighter than mine - for now anyway.

Here is Mila very happy after a bath, and then trying to eat her towel. Both girls love to take a bath - especially when mommy washes their hair. Usually I hold them at an angle supporting their head over the tub while Myra washes their hair.

Our Hungry Little Girls

The girls are growing (and eating) like crazy. Mila is 5lbs 6oz and Sophia is almost 5lbs 5oz. Both are gaining ~2oz a day!

One of the criteria for bringing them home is that they have to be eating 100% by mouth. Mila is pretty much there. She pulled out her feeding tube yesterday morning and the nurse said she didn't want to put it back in until it was absolutely necessary. So far she hasn't needed it - she's been doing all her bottle-feeds. She acts like we haven't fed her in weeks when feeding time rolls around.

In fact, Mila normally gets 60CCs of formula - which is based on her weight. At 5:30 yesterday, she plowed through that and acted like she was still starving. She wound up drinking an extra 20CCs. While this doesn't sound like much, it's a pretty big deal (+33%). this was after getting a bath and being weighed - which can wear preemies out, keeping them from feeding well.

Sophia is also doing well eating. It still wears her out a bit to bottle feed, but she took 100% of two of her feeds by mouth yesterday. They have been gavage-feeding her for a couple of her feedings to let her get her energy up.

Both girls are sleeping really well, which is crucial for them to grow and come home. The both are usually wide awake at their 9:30 feedings.

I have a couple of cute pictures that I'll post today, but I don't have them in the computer yet.

We're hopeful that the girls will be home around the new year. Their Uncle Brian, Aunt Kim, and cousins Hannah and Zachary will be in Mass in early January and we hope they'll get to meet the girls at home.

Latest Pictures - Being Parents of Preemies

Being parents of preemies in the NICU makes Myra and I members of an elite club with certain benefits including:

• The parking clerk, security guards, and NICU coordinators all recognize us now.
• We spend a lot more time having conversations about poop.
• We have carefully mapped out all the restaurants in the area and know which ones are most likely to seat and serve us quickly in-between care times.
• Daddy had a perfect excuse to not attend the boring 2-hour all hands meeting at work - it would have interfered with a hospital visit.

The girls are doing really well and are up to 3 bottle-feedings a day. They are definitely on the path to come home and we can't wait!

Both girls are still on Nutramigen and they both are getting used to the taste. The stuff smells like Cheese-its and apparently is somewhat salty. Little Sophia had an incident of what we refer to as EBS (Explosive Butt Syndrome) yesterday and surpassed the capacity of her pampers in quite the explosion. She did this while I was holding her, and stunk like cheese-its and poop. I think I'll lay off the cheese-its for a while.

Here are some pix of the girls from last night:

Here's Miss Mila sporting the latest fashion in baby-headwear. Doesn't she look like a little elf?

And here she is getting burped my mommy. Mila lost a little weight when they took her off her feeds for two days, but she's now back up to about 5lbs 2 oz.

Here is Miss Sophia mugging for the camera. Sophia now weighs 5lbs 3oz (yes even more than her sister). That means that she gained 2 pounds in the 1 month that she's been alive or about 66%. that's like a 150 pound person gaining nearly 100 pounds in 4 weeks.

And here's Sophia with mommy - about to eat.

Both girls are having fewer and less severe spells. It looks like their digestive issues are clearing up too. They are gaining weight and taking more and more food by mouth. These are all benchmarks for them to come home.

Twins Doing Very Well - Hopefully Getting a New Crib

Both of the girls continue to do well, and both are over the 5 pound mark. They look more like each other every day. Sometimes when I get home, it's hard for me to tell which one is in a picture I have taken.

Here's Sophia doing something funny with her hands - we haven't quite figured it out yet.

Sophia had low hematocrit level so they gave her a blood transfusion yesterday. She wasn't really symptomatic, but they decided to play it safe. Today she's very pink and continues to try to do baby gymnastics. Sophia has taken after her sister and is now on Nutramigen as well. We're now freezing breastmilk for when the girls switch back. I told Myra that, if we get enough, we could just start making cheese.

We're hoping that the girls will finally get into a crib that they can share today. The NICU has been so full that we have to wait until some other babies get discharged.

We've been bottle-feeding the girls twice a day now. Mila has been chugging down nearly her entire feed, and Sophia is following close behind. Here's a picture of the voracious Mila trying to swallow the entire bottle in one gulp.

The Twins Reach a Milestone

Today the twins are 1 month old and at 35 weeks of gestation. They're both doing very well. Mila seems to have pulled through her digestive issues with flying colors. Both girls are having far fewer spells, and we are working on bottle-feeding them.

I wish I had some pictures to share today; I even brought my camera to the hospital last night. However, I left all my memory cards at home so I didn't get anything.

We were really pulling to get the girls home for Christmas, but it looks like it might be a few more weeks yet. If you're reading this, and you're a relative or friend, be advised that Myra and I will not be doing any Christmas shopping this year. We certainly don't expect to receive anything either - having received the two greatest gifts we could ask for already.I pretty much go from bed, to work, to the hospital and neither of us has time to shop. We do intend to get Christmas cards out, but we know that everyone will forgive us if they are a bit late.

Girls Doing Great - Sophia is a Houdini

Mila continues to mend and it appears she's doing fine. She's now getting predigested formula and should be back to her normal level of feeds. She's done with antibiotics and her blood-cultures are all negative.

We gave Sophia another bath tonight - Mila still had an IV in and couldn't have one. Here is a cute picture of Sophia in the bath that the nurse took. Right now her tub is one of those little pans you might soak your feet in. She loves it.

Here is funny picture of Sophia. Somehow, while swaddled, she manged to get her shirt almost completely off. Her right arm is free and the left arm of the shirt is stretched way up over her head. We sometimes call her Houdini. She also got her feeding tube out several times tonight.

Here is Mila saying "no pictures please"

Good News - Mila on the Mend

Mila had a follow-up X-Ray this morning and everything appears fine. She hasn't had any more bleeding and is acting and appearing like she feels fine. They will start feeding her again with a predigested formula called Nutramigen at her 1:30 feeding today. It will be none too soon for her, since she has been trying to devour her pacifier for 2 days.

The nurse gave her a little sucrose yesterday, which apparently acts as an analgesic for babies. Daddy prefers chocolate donuts.

Sophia is still doing great - nothing really to report there. Somehow she got her diaper half-off yesterday which left us with quite a bit to clean up. I guess she has inherited her father's sense of humor.

The girls got to meet their Tita Georgie last night. Sophia snagged Georgina's finger and didn't want to give it back. They really enjoyed her visit.

Both girls were smiling a lot yesterday. The day nurse they had said, "it's just gas." I beg to differ and I have found research that says otherwise. Babies even smile in the womb. While their smiles are not necessarily social until about 4 weeks, they do indicate that the babies are relaxed and contented. Within a couple weeks of birth babies will respond to parents' facial expressions and may begin to imitate them.

Cute Pix - Mila Having a Rough Day

Here is Miss Mila in her cute little (not so little for her) Christmas dress.

And here is Miss Sophia in her Christmas dress.

Of course these aren't the actual portraits, just a couple of behind the scenes candids. These are the smallest dresses available, but huge on the girls.

Poor Mila had a bit of a rough day today. Her day nurse noticed a significant amount of bood in her stool today. The biggest concern would be a serious problem called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). She had some x-rays and blood-work and it looks like that's not the problem. She has a follow-up x-ray in the morning.

The neonatologist's opinion is it's probably a reaction to something in her feeds. She gets mostly breast-milk, but they do mix some other stuff in. For now they have stopped her feeds, which means that she's back on the IV. If she does well they will start her back on just breast-milk. If she has a problem with that they can try modifying Myra's diet or giving Mila predigested formula.

Mila's on antibiotics again tonight just as a precaution because it can take 2 days for all of her blood cultures to come back.

Apart from that, she appears really healthy and is in good spirits. She broke 5 pounds today!

Sophia is still doing well, although she had a low hematocrit level. This makes her heart rate a bit fast, but they aren't worried about it yet. I bottle-fed her today and she took about 2o CCs - which is great. She tends to be our little rude girl, and tonight during an exam tooted right in mommy's face, and then right in the nurses face.

Our Big Day

Yesterday was a big day for the girls. They both tried bottle feeding for the first time. Both of them coordinated sucking, swallowing, and breathing well. This is a big step for preemies. They tire easily and fall asleep after about 5 minutes. We have to work slowly to build up their stamina.

Both girls are still gaining a ton of weight, and I suspect that Mila will be over 5 pounds tonight.

We had a family portrait session yesterday (photos will be forthcoming). We bought the smallest Christmas dresses we could find and, with the nurse's help, got them on the kids. They were swimming in them, but they both looked so cute. The woman who does the pictures is a former NICU mom and puts together all kinds of programs for the parents. The girls slept through most of the experience.

Both girls are currently off caffeine and handling it well. They got a vaccination last night and are getting eye exams this morning. I don't think they'll have any eye problems, since they like to watch people in the room and are looking at things farther away than newborns are supposed to see. They warned us that the girls may be a bit cranky when we go in. The eye exam isn't painful, but just having somebody bother with their eyes can stress them out.

Mila has a little red spot on her arm which may be a strawberry hemangioma. This is a completley harmless birthmark and may help us tell them apart for a while. These birthmarks tend to fade after about 5-9 years.

Sophia had a low hematocrit level, which may mean she's getting anemic. However, she's asymptomatic - so they aren't worried about her. Yesterday she managed to get her little snap-up t-shirt almost completely off while swaddled. I keep saying that we're going to have to hide the car-keys.

Girls Are Great And a Real Winner

The winner of tonight's "who needs a slap" award goes to the expecting father who decided it would be a good idea to light up and smoke in Labor and Delivery tonight. L&D is one floor above the NICU and this rocket scientist set the fire alarms off because. Never mind the 50,000 no smoking signs in multiple languages throughout the hospital. Never mind the fact that smoking is illegal in all public buildings. Forget the fact that you are on a floor full of women in labor and infants. Completely ignore the fact that the entire floor is connected to oxygen and could very well explode. Ignore the brochures available in multiple languages that explain where to go to smoke.

Besides being disturbed by the idiot alarm, the girls are still doing well. Their heart rates were a little high today, so they may take them off their dose of caffeine. They were on the caffeine to stimulate their brains so they would have less spells. I told the girls if they behave I would sneak them a cappuccino.

Mila (aka little Houdini) somehow figured out how to get out of extremely tight swaddling and get her undershirt off. Myra walked in and Mila had all her blankets unraveled and had both feat sticking out.

Lolo and Lola Salapare are going back to Tampa tomorrow, so the girls will miss them. We promised to have the girls christening in the summer when it's warmer.

Here Myra has Sophia and I have Mila.

The Girls Get Their First Bath

Sorry - no cheesecake shots of nekkid babies in the tub. We were rushing out to go to the hospital this morning and Daddy forgot the camera. On top of that, I got pretty wet - so holding a camera would have been a bad idea.

Mila cried for a little while, but then settled into the tub and was fine. Sophia cried for about 2 seconds and then started smiling. Both girls loved having their hair washed.

It's funny that the girls' hair is actually lighter than mine right now. Of course, that can change over time.

The girls are doing great. They each are only having one or two spells a day. Both girls are growing like weeds. Mila is 4lbs 12oz and Sophia is 4lbs 7oz. Mila put 3 ounces on yesterday. They check their length on Sunday night, so I'll be curious to see how they are are doing.

Two doors down in the NICU are another set of twins. Their parents were in a 'multiples' class that Myra and I took, so we know them. There are a lot of twins, and one set of triplets in the NICU with us. For some unknown reason, women in Massachusetts or Connecticut are 25% more likely to have twins than in other states. Don't drink the water here.

Here is Miss Mila, chillin in her crib after a very satisfying meal.

Here is Sophia, asleep in her mother's arms.

3 Weeks Old Today

The Moore twins are 3 weeks old today! They celebrated their birthday with a visit from Grammy and Poppop Collins. Here they are with Miss Mila.

And below they are wth Miss Sophia.

The girls also had a bit of a graduation today. They were moved to a different part of the NICU where the bigger babies who need less help are kept. This is definitely a step towards them coming home.

Both girls took the move well and didn't really seem to notice the change in environment.

Here are a couple of pictures of the girls in their new diggs looking very angelic
. Here is Miss Sophia.
And here is Miss Mila.

Cute Pictures and a Visit By The Grandparents

Today the girls met their Lolo and Lola Salapare. Tomorrow they meet Grammy and Popop Collins.

Here they are with Miss Mila who is lying on the scale.

And here is Miss Sophia who went over 4 pounds today (4lbs 1.8oz to be exact). She's always chomping on that pacifier of hers.

And here are a couple of very cute pix of the girls that their Lolo took tonight. Mila is signalling a touchdown and nosy Sophia is checking around the room for her food (She's always hungry).

Great News

The girls had a great day today. First and foremost, Mila came off CPAP. She was very happy about that, as are we.

Jen, the girls nurse during the day, today put them in the same crib for a few hours. They did great and neither had any spells during that time.

While they were in the crib together, the respiratory therapist decided that Mila could come off the CPAP. She had no spells during the day. As soon as the hat and snorkel came off, she snuggled right in next to her sister.

Mila is now 4lbs 5 oz and Sophia is 3lbs 15.8oz (so we'll say she's 4 pounds). Both are getting little Buddha bellies and filling out nicely. They are starting to look more and more alike all the time.

Tomorrow their Lolo and Lola Salapare are coming for a visit from Florida.

The little hats they are wearing are a few sizes too big, but they look so cute in them. Sophia likes to pull hers down over her eyes.

The Girls Hang Out

Last night, the nurse put the girls together for the first time. They are certainly used to hanging out together in Mommy's tummy. They still aren't in the same crib because the NICU is so busy that a big crib is not available yet.

Here Mila is in the blue hat and Sophia is chomping on her pacifier. Sophia looks like she is plotting something, and she probably is.

Here is Mom holding the two girls together for the first time.

Both girls are doing really well. Mila took to her blood transfusion well and her color is smuch better.

Both girls are having fewer spells, which is great. We're really hoping that they decide to take Mila off CPAP today. The only time she ever cries is when they put the tubes in her nose



Here is Mila showing off her tongue last night. She does not have a piggy nose as pictured here. Her nose is taped up for the CPAP tubes.

Mila lost a little weight yesterday, but it doesn't really count. When they did the blood transfusion they gave her a diuretic to keep her fluid levels down. Sophia is still packing on weight and is almost 4 pounds now.

Tonight's Visit

We just got back from our evening care visit with the girls, and they are continuing to do well. Both the girls are each gaining about 2 ounces a day. That's the equivalent of to a 150 pound person putting on about 5 pounds a day.

We were still concerned about the number of spells Mila has been having. Today they did a blood culture on her and found out she is anemic. It's pretty common for preemies to lose red blood cells faster than they can produce them. It's exacerbated by the fact that they get their blood drawn frequently.

Tonight Mila is getting a blood transfusion to help with the anemia. Preemies only get O+ blood that has been checked for a number of viruses beyond those checked for normal donated blood. The blood is then irradiated to kill any bacteria. Since preemies are immuno-suppressed, they are unable to have allergic reactions (at last an advantage!).

They told us that she might be a bit moody tomorrow. Her nurse said they sometimes joke that the kids are getting a dose of brat-blood.

The goal is to increase her ability to carry oxygen in her bloodstream and reduce her spells. Hopefully we'll be able to get her off the CPAP stuff tonight. When we take it off to weigh her, she looks and acts so happy.

Sophia is just super. She got her nasal cannula off so frequently without any ill effects, they decided to leave it off. I held her tonight and she was in a great mood, looking at me when I talked to her, and then looking at Myra when she was talking.

Tonight the girls got to meet their Ninong Jason Grant. He agreed that they were very cute, and if he hadn't - Myra would have bopped him.

We are hoping that the girls might get their first bath tomorrow. We may be able to start bottle-feeding sometime next week. Everything is day by day, but we like to set little goals.

Twins Update

Miss Mila is still on her CPAP - which she hates. She's still having too many spells to take her off. She's quite ingenious and has figured out how to get the gear off most of the time.

I think she's starting to adapt though and seems to be sleeping better and fussing less with the gear on. Apparently all babies (and adults) hate CPAP.

She's now tipping the scales at 4lbs 2oz and getting a little Buddha-belly.

They say that infants can only really see things that are 8-12 inches away. However, last night when Myra walked across the room, about 15 feet away, I saw Mila follow her with her eyes. While the details may not be sharp yet, she's definitely aware of things in the room.

She's completely off antibiotics now and there's no signs of any further infection. She has no IV tube anymore.

In this picture, she's giving mommy the old one-eye while she works on her binky. By the way, the anti-pacifier crowd are idiots. It's a great tool that's very soothing. Stressed out babies don't grow well and can develop learning and psychological problems. Stress hormones, like cortisol, are terrible for baby brains.

Miss Sophia is trying to catch up to her sister's growth and is now 3lbs 11oz. She's certainly spunky.

Without going into too much graphic detail, she's the power-pooper of the two. For the parents of babies out there - Desitin is the greatest thing for diaper rash.

Whenever she hears us come in, Sophia opens her eyes wide and starts checking things out. Again, I have seen her look at things that are farther away than babies are supposed to be able to see. If I talk to her, she will look right at me.

Both girls are doing great at maintaining their temperature, so we will most likely be giving them heir first real baths this Sunday.

One of the big advantages of the NICU is that we have great nurses who walk us through all the baby care stuff like diapering and baths. We'll have tons of supervised practice before we bring the little darlings home. They gave us a free infant CPR class last night (the Red Cross charges $85 per person). I have the utmost respect for the nursing staff who are primary caregivers, surrogate parents, teachers, counselors, and project managers.

The girls are doing well in their new home

Here is a picture of Mila in her new plexi crib with all of her gear hooked up. I can't begin to imagine what all this stuff costs. She's doing really well, having less spells. She should be off antibiotics today, and maybe off the CPAP tomorrow.

Last night she was 3lbs 15.8oz, so we'll give her the .2 ounces and say she's now 4 pounds. She's tolerating her feedings incredibly well, and obviously packing on the weight.

Since you can't really see her face in this shot, here is a better picture of her.

Miss Sophia is continuing to do very well. She's wiggly as ever. She's still lighter than her sister, but is gaining weight a little faster. She just may catch up soon.

She has a nasal cannula still, but probably not for long. She's having very few spells.

Here is a picture of Sophia getting weighed. Mommy is shielding her eyes because she's not used to the bright lights yet. In case you were wondering why all of my pictures are a hair blurry - it's because I don't use a flash and I have to leave the shutter open for a long time. Any movement makes for blurry pictures.

The Twins Are Out Of Their Isolettes

Today is the twins' two-week birthday, and they have already graduated. They are now out of the isolettes (incubators) and into open cribs! This is great because it means they are able to regulate their own temperatures well.

For those of you who have never tried to change a diaper with your arms in an isolette, you won't understand how this will make our lives easier.

Currently, because they have so much stuff hooked to them, they are in separate cribs. Sophia has already demonstrated her penchant for pulling out her sister's stuff. Eventually they will move to the same crib, which is great for twins.

The girls are continuing to do really well and are looking forward to a visit from Grammy and Grampy Collins, and Lolo and Lola Salapare next week.

They should start bottle feeding in a week or so.

Mila on CPAP- Sophia still fresh

You'd think that, with Mila being born nearly half a pound heavier than Sophia, she'd be faring better. She's doing really well, but unfortunately got a little Staph infection and is now on antibiotics.

That little Jacques Cousteau getup she's wearing is called CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. It keeps air pressure in her airway which is supposed to remind her to breathe. She absolutely hates it and tries to rip it off every chance she gets.

It seems to help, because she's having fewer spells.

Yesterday was a tough day for Mila, she was pretty fussy. I decided to hold her kangaroo-style at her 5:30 care time and she calmed right down. Because babies don't localize infections like adults, they decided to do a lumbar puncture (AKA spinal tap). This is to make sure there are no signs of meningitis. Everything went well and we expect negative results.

The great news is that both she and her sister are now back over her birth weight. I predict that Mila may go over 4 pounds by next week.

Miss Sophia has been great. She has a nasal cannula right now to remind her to breathe, and is having very few spells.

She was fussing a bit when we went in last night. When I opened the isolette to check on her I realized she had definitely made a stinky in there. I would be fussy too if I was in a plexiglass booth with a stinky diaper.

She's the smaller of the two, but no less fresh than her sister. She likes to yank on anything she can get her hands on - her feeding tube, her sister's feeding tube, my wristbands and fingers.

Both girls are progressing well and the nurses have all commented on how cute and smart they are. They have amazing head control, as anyone who holds them quickly learns. They are both very dexterous. They are both on full feeds, meaning they get all their nutrients from food rather than from an IV.