Babies One Month!!!

Happy One Month (and 33 weeks gestation) to our four beautiful babies!!!!!

Our sweet handsome Tanner Man!

Our little lady Lauren

Sweet Hannah girl!

Big Boy Tyler!

 I can't believe a month ago they were born!!!  You know in some films where a camera will pan down a hallway, getting closer to the end door (think "The Shining") but at the same time it makes the hallway look miles and miles long, and what's visibly a short distance looks long, but oddly what's visibly a long distance looks short?  Stay with me here...
That is how the NICU life seems to me.  While it has flown by, it strangely has also felt like months and months and months already.  And with relatively few changes in the kids the past couple weeks (or months, depending on how I look at it!) I feel like all I want is to reach that doorway but it is just not within reach yet. 

But so many blessings we have to celebrate!!!  First, although all but Hannah are back on CPAP, they are all extremely close to going off for good and Tanner & Hannah are close to having their isolette covers removed because they can just about regulate their body temperature.  They both are also flirting with close to 4 lbs... Yeah!

I had my postpartum doctor's appointment this week, and found out some interesting news based on the "placenta" studies done.  We knew that Tyler's placenta was not good and he was not getting the nutrients or oxygen he needed, so that was why we needed to have the c-section at 28 1/2 weeks.  However, we also found out that Lauren's placenta was not very good either!  The doctor said a few days more and her vitals would have dropped too.  Tyler & Tanner shared a placenta (confirming they are identical) but Tanner was not getting very "good" nutrients from his placenta, either!  The only one with a "healthy" placenta was Hannah.  What a blessing Tyler caused them all to evacuate when they did!   Interestingly it has been Tanner, Tyler and Lauren with more health issues since birth and are all smaller than Hannah.  The doctor agreed that there can be a definite correlation between these two!

Footprints--- look how much bigger  Tanner (green) is from Tyler! (blue)

Today, on their official one month birthday, I had their footprints taken.  I was so excited to see the night nurses also made cute little hand-print birthday cards for them!  Have I mentioned how awesome the staff is there in the NICU?

Jenna was so well behaved as I snuggled Hannah!

Yesterday, Andy Jenna & I had a great family day going to the Children's museum and then to the hospital to spend some time with the babies.  It was a great day of "family" time, and some special time with Jenna, too!

Nurse Michele helps Jenna say "hi" to Lauren

Daddy cuddled Tanner and Jenna loved talking to him!

Jenna saying sweet things to Tyler in his isolette.  

Jenna holding Lauren's hands carefully

Jenna will be SUCH a great big sister to all 4!

I made a sign for each baby's isolette with a special verse on each one.  These individual verses jumped out to me as I thought and prayed for them.  They seem to fit each one so well.  And now that they are a month old, I also have a better feel for who these little people are turning out to be and what their personalities are shaping up to be.  I love it!  Every day that I see them & hold another precious child of mine, the more I fall in love with them and still sometimes catch myself in disbelief that God has indeed blessed us with five beautiful children!  Amazing how love multiplies!!


 Baby updates:

 Lauren- our sweet little baby girl.  I call her my little ladybug a lot because she is so tiny and does not seem to fuss much at all.

Lauren has been gaining weight steadily (3# 3 oz) and is soooo close to going off CPAP, I can't wait!  I have not been able to really see that girl's beautiful face yet and although this is a completely selfish reason to want her off, I still am very ready to get to that point so she can start feeding from a bottle and nipple. 

Lauren has light hair and eyebrows and looks a lot like the boys.  Her fine features look more like Tyler's, but they are both smaller so who knows who will look like whom later on.

Her health has been fine, although she did need a blood transfusion a few weeks ago.  She seems to be doing good with the supports she has and hopefully will wean off them well.  I love my precious little Lauren so much!

 

Our Sweet Hannah girl...

Hannah is the room's little diva.  She has a very healthy set of lungs and lets everyone know it!  Any time anyone messes with her or if she is uncomfortable, she will let you know!  The biggest at 3#14 oz, she looks HUGE and fits well into preemie clothes. 

 Technically, her doctors orders still have her on CPAP, but due to an irritated nose, Hannah has been on the nasal cannula for a few days and I hope she can just stay on it!!!  I can see her face much better and her hair (and she is tolerating it very well). 

Hannah has features that remind me of my first baby photos, and she has very dark hair.  Jenna and I both were born with dark hair, and then it all fell out and grew back lighter.  Who knows what Hannah's hair color (& features!) will end up looking like?  The more she grows, the more she really resembles Jenna's baby photos, too.  Love my sweet little Hannah bean!

Our handsome little Tyler!

I love this verse, because although technically Tyler's  umbilical cord was coming off the side of his placenta and it was due to this that he had issues, GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!!!

God intended Tyler to have his start this way.  I may not fully know why, but I know not to doubt God's sovereign ways!  He has a way of making perfection from imperfect things & beauty out of brokenness.

My little buddy Tyler is so sweet and just loves to cuddle with me!  This past week he had a little bit of a health issue, as he was pale, not himself, alarming a lot, and had a poor hemoglobin level.  They did a blood transfusion and put him on antibiotics to rule out an infection.  He responded very well to the transfusion and results showed he did not have an infection, so that is great!  He is still on CPAP and is getting closer to 3# (he is 2#12 oz). 

 Tyler has fair hair and eyebrows and lets himself be known if he has problems but also is often pretty laid back.  He loves to snuggle.  The nurses affectionately call him the "stinker", because he really can have VERY odoriferous poops...

But I just love him!  I even love changing his diapers.... for now!

Our handsome Tanner Man...

I love this verse for him (Tyler, too!).  Not that girls aren't awesome, but on Andy's side of the family there were no grandsons...  and now BOOM!  Two sons and two daughters to add to our family!  Children, definitely, are a reward from the LORD!!!!  We are so rich!
 Tanner is a wonderfully growing boy and is 3# 10 oz now.  He looks like Tyler in features, but much larger ( a pound difference is a lot when you are less than 4 lbs!).  He also has fair hair and eyebrows and loves to wriggle around in his isolette.  He hates having a dirty diaper and will shout about it until you change him, and he also is a little sensitive to noises.  Hmmm, do I have a sensory kid in my future?!?  Good thing I know a thing or two about sensory integration being an OT!

"Please...  no flash photos!"

Love the silly face, Jenna!

Besides that, though, I think Tanner is very smart and I can't wait until he is off CPAP and I can try feeding him.  I love him so much!








This blog is for me to document our journey and for people to follow our journey.  But, it is also for the babies and will probably serve as their baby book (or will have more detailed info than any baby books I can make)!
 So I think today I will end with a note to them.  Thanks so much for sharing our journey~

Happy one month birthday, Lauren, Hannah, Tyler & Tanner.  I pray that you all will grow big and strong.  I pray you will learn about God and choose to love Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind & all your might some day.  I pray you will be pinpoints of light in a dark generation, that you shine like stars in the universe.  I pray God gives your daddy & I wisdom, patience, love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness & the self control needed to raise you right.  I pray these things for you and your big sister continually...  I love you so fiercely!

Love, mommy