Jay held Hayden

Jay held Hayden last night for the first time, and it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. When we left the hospital, Jay told me that he dares anybody to ever mess with her. Poor thing--she'll never have any dates--Jay will scare them all off! Hank was being sweet last night. He weighed 2 lbs. 13.6 oz., and Hayden has passed him up at 2 lbs. 15 oz. It's going to be so weird when they get to 3 pounds--that sounds HUGE! Their booger (oxygen) hoods seem to be doing the trick, since they both are sleeping soundly with no apnea spells. More pictures are in the photo gallery, so y'all check them out. Have a great weekend!!!

Great News!

There is no more blood in Hank's brain ventricles, and the swelling is continuing to decrease! I held and rocked him today, and he was so sweet. He and Hayden both have oxygen hoods now. They look like little astronauts! The oxygen coming throught the prongs in their noses dries them out, and they get really bad boogers. The boogers clog up their noses, which makes them have to breathe out of their mouths, and then they don't get enough oxygen. So, the hoods are supplying moist air to reduce the boogers. Hayden doesn't seem to mind her hood, but we'll see just how long the wild man stays under his!

Houdini Hank

Both babies are doing great today. The pediatric surgeon made an incision in Hayden's latest bump, got a lot of stuff out of it, and they'll pack it until it heals, just like the previous bump. She is handling it fine and was sleeping soundly when we visited tonight. We were under the assumption that Hank had been being a really sweet boy, but he turned back into the wild man today. His nurse went to check on him, and he had gotten completely out of his snuggly wrappings, turned perpendicular in his bed, and scooted all the way to the edge like he was going to come out of the port holes on the side of his bed. Where he gets the strength and energy when he's so tiny is beyond me! They did his head scan today, and we should know something tomorrow. I'll be visiting them in the morning after my checkup, so I should have an afternoon update for the site. Y'all keep on praying--they wouldn't be where they are without you!

Daddy's first diaper

What a big night for Jay!!! He fed Hank and took his temp. Then, he changed Hayden's diaper--his first!!! Lucky for him, it was only a wet one, but I'm sure he'll get plenty more chances for some dirty ones! We've got it all on video, too, and he is so proud! I had to change Hank's while he was on his belly - what a feat! They are both doing okay. We think Hank is getting tired of breathing completely on his own, so they may put him back on CPAP. Hayden's incision is looking great, so they aren't packing it anymore. Hopefully, she'll be off of the antibiotics soon, and we'll be over this hurdle. Have a great week!

Another lump...

I called to check on the twins earlier, and Hayden has another lump on her leg--same leg but on the back of her thigh. So I guess we aren't over that staph hurdle afterall. An infectious disease specialist is supposed to see her today or tomorrow, and we'll be sure to update when we know something. We'll be headed over tonight to see them, but it will be late, so depending on how tired we are when we get home will determine whether I update the site again. I started back to work yesterday, so I'm exhausted! Keep Hank's head scan tomorrow on your prayer list and add sweet Hayden back to it if you scratched her off thinking this staph was long gone! We appreciate you!

I finally got to hold Hank!!!

He was so sweet. He just looked around the whole time--taking everything in. The eye dr looked at them today and said that so far everything is normal. All of their other reports were good, too. Hank will have another head scan on Wednesday, so please stick that on your prayer list. We should have results on it sometime Thursday. I think I'm going to have to delete some entries from the guestbook, since it's taking forever for it to load. I'm probably going to delete the first half chronologically, then remove more periodically as needed. Your messages are not gone and forgotten, though. I've saved them all on my PC, so I can print them and put them in H & H's baby books. They are so loved, and so many people have been praying for them, so I surely want them to know that when they're older. You are all so special to us!

Hank's Big Move

What fun visits today! Hank got moved over to the step-down side of the NICU. He's in a big isolette all by himself now, but Hayden will join him when her infection has healed. He weighs 2 lbs. 11 oz., and she is at 2 lbs. 7.9 oz. I held her tonight, and she smiled and laughed at us. She really put on a show. I didn't hold Hank, but I did get him out of his bed and weighed him. I changed his diaper, took his temperature, and helped administer his tube feeding. Happy 5-Week Birthday H & H! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

We're back...

Thanks to Uncle G for updating the site while we were away! The babies are doing great... Hank weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz., and Hayden weighs 2 lbs. 6 oz. Hank is doing very well on his nasal cannula, and there are talks of him graduating to the step-down unit soon--YAY! As soon as Hayden gets over her infection, they remove her IV, and they determine that she's pretty stable, she'll join Hank in the step-down, too. They'll even put them in the same bed, so they can snuggle up with each other! As far as her staph infection goes, we have no idea how she got it, but it's healing very well, and she feels fine. Of course, it's no fun when they pack her incision with gauze, but she's been a trooper and is on a little bit of ibuprofen to ease the pain. She's been sleeping really well, so that tells them that she doesn't really hurt unless they're fooling with it. They call Hank the Booger Factory. His nose is always full of boogers, and they have to suction it constantly so he can breathe (in the NICU they call it a booger-ectomy!). The boogs are caused by the oxygen flow in his nostrils, but some babies are more sensitive to it than others, and he seems to be one of the more sensitive ones. They said they'd send the twins home with plenty of bulb syringes, so I can perform my own booger-ectomies at home--FUN!!! The babies are doing so well, and we know it's because of your prayers. God is so good! Y'all have a great weekend.

It's Staph...

The lump on Hayden's leg is a staph infection. They made a small incision into the infected area and removed pus and blood clots. Periodically this area will be swabbed to remove any infectious matter. Hopefully with your prayers this problem will go by the wayside as the others have. She will also be recieving blood this evening boosting her back into health. Other than that she is feeling fine and has been put on nasal cannula like her brother. Hank is up to 2 lbs. 7 oz., with Hayden trailing closely. Thanks for your continued interest and prayers. Have a Great Day!!!

Headin' out of town

Jay & I are headed out of town for a couple of days, so there may not be an update for tomorrow (unless I can get my brother to do it). Today, the babies are doing really well. They drained Hayden's thing on her leg and are doing a culture on it. I'll let everyone know what I find out. Their weights are the same, and they are both continuing to eat like crazy! Y'all have a great few days and keep checking the site. We appreciate it so much!

Busy, busy

Sorry I skipped an update yesterday. We worked on the nursery and didn't head to Jackson until late evening, so we got back in pretty late. H & H are really putting on weight due to the formula feedings. Hayden weighs 2 lbs. 4 oz. and Hank weighs 2 lbs. 5.7 oz. We're really excited and can't wait until they're big butterballs! The nurses say that they are competing with each other, since Hank is now on nasal cannula, and Hayden is back on CPAP. We will visit them tonight with Jay's sister Kendall and her husband Gil. How weird is it that our kids have 2 Uncle Gils? They'll call my brother "Uncle G" to avoid confusion. Anyway, we're all going to the rodeo and will visit before we go. If I have anything to update, I will, otherwise check back tomorrow. Thanks, everybody!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hayden and Hank received so many visitors today as part of their Valentine and 4-week birthday presents. My mom, Maw Maw Gilbert, my daddy, Uncle Vernon, & Aunt Marie all visited this morning. Jay & I went over late this afternoon, and there were V-day cards in their beds from Daddy, LeWair, Nanny, and PaPaw Sam, and my mom gave them two little stuffed Boston Terrier puppies (just like our dogs D-O-G and Shug). H & H even had a present waiting for me next to their beds! I got two charms for my charm bracelet--a little girl with Hayden's monogram and birthdate and a little boy with Hank's initials and birthdate. I can't wait to put them on my bracelet and show them off. They were both doing good today. The hospital called this morning to ask permission to stick a needle in Hayden's lump thing to see if anything would come out. Her dr said he just couldn't stop obsessing over her, trying to figure out what it is, so he asked a pediatric orthopedist to come look at it to make sure she didn't have an infection in her hip joint. Nothing came out of the lump, so now the hip infection is ruled out. What a mystery! It looked better to me this evening, though. Her nose was getting irritated from the CPAP, so they put her back on the nasal cannula, but at higher settings (poor man's CPAP they call it). Hank has been moved up to 20cc of milk, but it seems that this Elsie the Cow is running low, so they've had to start them on formula. I'm taking a drug to increase my milk supply, so we'll see what happens over the next few days... Oh, well... I tried.... Hayden weighed 2 lbs. 1.6 oz. and Hank weighed 2 lbs. 3 oz. They look huge compared to some new twins that were just admitted that weigh 1 lb. 2 oz. They were born at 22 weeks and are so tiny. I can remember when ours were the smallest in the NICU, and I can't believe that a month has already gone by. We know that they are growing and getting healthier because of you and your prayers!

Boy, do we have some wild kids!

Hank was Mr. Wiggly tonight, while Hayden kept sticking her little booty in the air. She would grab her oxygen tube that goes in her nose and pull the prongs out and jerk on her feeding tube until it started coming out of her mouth. The nurses were all laughing at Hank, saying that when they change his diaper, the minute they get it off of him, he immediately puts both hands on his crotch. We actually saw him do that on one of our ultrasounds and have it on video. I guess he'll either be really modest, a baseball player, or a rapper. :) Hayden kept raising her head up off of the bed--I had no idea she was so strong. Her nurse told us that we'd be surprised at how strong they can be... she's had a preemie about the size of H & H roll over before! Not too long after she said that, Hayden tried to do it herself. She was on her belly and got her left leg up under her, extended it like she was trying to stand up, pushed her booty in the air and almost flipped over--AMAZING! It looks like we're going to have our hands full!!! Health-wise, everything is looking good. Hayden's bump thing is going down, but we still don't know what it is. Both babies weighed 2 lbs. 2 oz. today, and for those of you who are keeping track, they'll be 4 weeks old tomorrow. I can't believe it's been that long. Time flies when you're....exhausted ;) Thank you so much for your continued interest in our babies... We can't wait to be able to show them off to you!

Good news

We finally got some good news on Hank's head scan! It seems that the swelling is diminishing--yippee!! We're still cautious, and it will be years before we know the long-term effects of the bleed, but we are glad to finally have something go his way (besides his ability to eat like a horse!). We're still unsure of what is going on with Hayden's lump in her groin. Her bloodwork revealed that she does have an infection, so they started her on antibiotics. A pediatric surgeon was supposed to look at her this evening to give his opinion, but we haven't heard from him, yet. Thanks so much for your prayers... We don't know what we'd do without you!

Still puzzled...

Well, it doesn't look like it's a hernia, but they aren't sure exactly what it is. They had thought that it might be an ovary, but thankfully it wasn't because that would have warranted its removal. Basically, she has a swollen knot in the crease where her thigh meets her body. It doesn't seem to bother her, and her breathing and heart rate haven't been affected by it. They are just going to watch it and see what happens. One doctor mentioned that it could be a swollen gland or lymph node. Nobody's really quite sure what it is. Just keep praying that it's nothing major and will resolve itself without surgery. And don't forget about Hank's head scan results that we'll get tomorrow. I watched them do the scan today, but I had no idea what I was looking at, so I haven't a clue whether the results will be good or bad. We're tired and calling it an early night. Y'all have a great day!

What's wrong with Hayden?

We knew these boring days weren't going to last forever. It looks like Miss Hayden needs your prayers. We aren't for certain, yet, but we think she has a hernia and will be needing surgery possibly today. We're waiting on word from the urologist and will let you know as soon as we know something. We're hanging out for the afternoon at Jay's cousin's house in Jackson, so that we can be nearby if surgery is required. Please keep her in your prayers, and we'll keep you updated.

Bow-Head and a special surprise for Mom

I wasn't a very girly-girl when I was little (nor am I now), so I was surprised to see a hot pink bow in Hayden's hair when I arrived at the NICU! Apparently, one of the nurses put it in her hair today. I uploaded a pic to the photo gallery for all to see (scroll down and click the photo gallery link). We had a fun visit with the kids tonight. My brother Gil (aka Uncle G) and his friend Trisha met us at the hospital, and we had dinner after our visit. We had a good time. I got to take Hank's temp again, and I changed my first diaper. I got more than I bargained for, since I just thought it was wet, but he had a little package hidden inside for me--YUCK! I was still excited about it, though. He treated me with respect and didn't poop on me like he did the nurse last night... and it was the same one he had pooped on before! Must be something about her... Both babies were doing well. Hayden was off the CPAP, but she had too many apnea spells today, so she'll probably be going back on the CPAP tonight or tomorrow. Hank's head scan is tomorrow (results on Thurs. probably), so keep him in your prayers. Have a great day!

I'll have a teaspoon of milk, please...

It's another boring day... We visited with the babies this afternoon, and we spent a good amount of the time talking to the nurse practioner. She answered a lot of questions we had and was very easy to talk to. Hank weighed 2 lbs. 1.7 oz. and Hayden was 2 lbs. 0.6 oz. She is doing very well with her breathing, so she will probably go off of her CPAP and back on the nasal cannula tomorrow--just for an extra oxygen boost. They gave her some more blood yesterday, so she should start perking up from that soon. That means I'll get to hold her again! I don't know when I'll ever get to hold sweet little Hank. He needs to buck up and start breathing better, so I can love on the little booger! Hayden is getting 5cc every hour (that's a teaspoon)... Can you imagine a teaspoon of milk filling up your belly??? That's how small they are. Hank is getting 18cc every 3 hours, so she has almost caught back up with him. He'll get another head scan on Wednesday, so start praying now that we'll see a decrease in his brain bleed/swelling. They haven't seen an increase in his head diameter, so that's a good sign. Both babies need prayers for their lungs--that they will keep maturing, so they won't depend on anything to help them breathe. Thanks everybody!

Tiny set-backs

Today Grandma & Granddaddy Harrison went with us to see H & H. Both babies are up to 2 lbs. Now, that could change since they go up and down so often, but we're still excited about it. They have increased Hayden's feedings to 5cc an hour and Hank gets 18cc every 3 hours. No wonder they're growing! Hayden has joined her brother back on CPAP, so we were unable to hold her today. She had a few apnea spells last night and her heart rate had dropped, so they decided to help her out a little with the CPAP. Everything else pretty much remains the same. H & H are beginning to get Valentine presents from folks, since this is their first holiday... how fun! I guess I'll have to eat all the candy (darn). Everybody, have a great week. Thanks for everything!

Happy 3 Week B-day!

We had a great visit with the twins today. They had lots of special visitors--my dad, LeWair, Nanny, PaPaw Sam, Aunt Theresa, and Uncle Danny. Of course, they all agreed with us that they are the two most beautiful babies on the planet! I held Hayden again, and Hank got jealous, as usual. Maybe my holding her will give him some incentive to strengthen his lungs, so he can get back off the CPAP and be held again. Dr. Owens called us today with the news that Hank's head scan looks like the bleeding has stabilized. That's great news, but we still have to keep watching it week by week. Luckily, the weeks seem to be flying by--we should have these babies home in no time! Hank's a big enough boy now to start getting vitamins. I asked the nurse if they were Flintstones, but she didn't seem all that amused and explained to me that it was a liquid that was added to his milk. Like I thought they were chunking a big Dino in his little mouth... it must've been a long day for her or something. Thanks again for all of your prayers. Keep up the good work!!!

Gaining weight

Sorry for the late update. After Jay & I got back from our visit with the babies, I plopped down on the couch and am just now getting up. Both babies were doing well today. I held Hayden again today for about an hour, and she was as sweet as ever. Again, she had her eyes wide open the entire time. Hank was getting jealous in his bed. He squirmed and cried trying to get some attention, but we can't hold him again until he's breathing completely on his own like his sister. Hank did make it to 2 lbs. today. Of course, the way they fluctuate he could go back down tomorrow, but it is a small victory, and we're so proud of him. He's up to 15cc of milk every 3 hours, so he definitely ought to be putting on weight. Hayden is getting 4cc every 1 hour continuously, so we should see her gaining weight soon. Today, she was at 1 lb. 13.6 oz. They did Hank's head scan today, but it was late in the afternoon, so we hope to have results tomorrow. We are so overwhelmed by all the people who are checking out the website and signing the guestbook. We wish we could email each one of you to thank you personally but that would take forever! Please know that we are so very grateful and will forever be indebted to you for the prayers you have lifted up for our children. We wouldn't be where we are without you!

Getting used to this...

I was able to hold sweet Hayden again today. Hank has gone back on CPAP and has been a little unstable, so we were unable to hold him. Hayden was wide awake the whole time and really tried to focus on Jay & me. Her eyes would move from one of us to the other with the sound of our voices, so that's a good sign. They didn't do Hank's head scan today. There was a mix-up, and it will be done tomorrow instead. We had a great visit with them both. Hank held hands with Jay while Hayden and I rocked and talked girl-talk. I'll be sure to update tomorrow on the status of Hank's head scan as soon as I hear something. Y'all keep praying out there--It's working!!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

We got to hold our babies today!!! I can't tell you how excited this momma is...how wonderful to finally love on my babies! I actually only held Hayden, and Jay held Hank, but it was still amazing. We'll switch tomorrow, and I'll hold Hank while Jay holds Hayden. We just didn't want to over-stimulate them. Hayden was awake the entire time I held her, and she looked into my eyes the whole time. I'm sure she couldn't really see me, but I'm going to pretend she could--makes me feel better! I told them about the moo cows we saw on our way to Jackson and the green grass and the blue sky, the white clouds, the yellow sun... I know they thought they were already in school... Gotta start making them smart sometime! I'm on Cloud 9 and probably won't be able to sleep tonight knowing what's in store for tomorrow! Until then, please keep us in your prayers--that we'll have many more days like today. Also, Hank has another head scan tomorrow, and we pray that it brings good news! Check out the photo gallery by clicking the link at the bottom of this page for some more pics of the babies... Enjoy!

Breathing alone....

Both babies are off of their CPAP and breathing completely on their own. Hayden has been doing so since today about 1:00 p.m., and Hank has been since midnight last night. They each have a nasal cannula that delivers supplemental oxygen to them. If they continue to do well through tonight and tomorrow, I may get to hold them tomorrow or Thursday. I'm so excited I can barely stand it! Hank is getting 11cc of milk, and they are adding calories to it to help him gain weight. Hayden is still on her continuous feedings and doing well. Hank didn't fuss one bit when his nurse changed his diaper tonight, but Hayden did, so they gave her a tiny little pacifier. She took about 3 or 4 sucks, which was enough to calm her down. They'll let me bring the pacifier home, so we can always remember how little they were (not that we'll ever forget!). Please keep our babies in your prayers, especially Hank's brain bleed and Hayden with her food tolerance. Thanks y'all!

Still off the vents...

We are getting used to these boring days and pray they stay this way. We visited the babies this afternoon, and they are still doing well. Hank's feedings have increased to 9cc, and Hayden is getting 2cc. Both were resting very well while we were there. They took Hayden off of her CPAP today to try to see if she would breathe with just a nasal cannula, but she only lasted 30 minutes. So, they put the CPAP back on, and she did fine. This marks Day 5 of their being off the vents, and I'm surprised they're still doing well. I'm sure we owe it all to you and your prayers. We are witnessing little miracles right before our very eyes, and we are so amazed. Keep praying for more boring days and for Hank's brain bleed to be resolved. The Man upstairs is definitely listening!

Ride' em Cowboy

We visited the babies tonight but didn't bother them very much. Their nurse said they had been very restless earlier, so we left them alone. She thinks Hank will either be a diver or a rodeo cowboy. He scoots and bucks until his head is at the very top of his bed, and he's completely out of all his little bundlings. He looks as if he is about to dive right out of his bed. His nurse from the other night has nicknamed him Houdini, because he wiggles his nose until he gets his nasal prongs out. So little and such personality, already! He & his dad watched their first Super Bowl together tonight (they had it on the NICU tv). Even though Hank slept through it, we're still going to count it as his first game with his dad. Hayden was her sweet little self while we were there--sleeping under her pink blankie we received from the Monsours (thanks y'all--Hank loves his, too!). They are both still off the vents and continue to amaze us. Thanks to all our prayer warriors out there--we are so very grateful.

Happy February

H & H are doing fine today. Both are still off the vents (yay!) and doing well breathing on their own. Hayden's heart rate dropped a few times this morning, but she seems to be stable now. Hank's feedings have been increased to 7cc, and Hayden's feedings have been stopped. She wasn't tolerating them very well, so they will re-evaluate her in the morning. Jay & I will be going over this afternoon or evening (haven't decided yet) and will have another update then. Thank y'all for everything!