Aside from conception and birth, Thursday was the biggest day in the boys' short lifetime. After 59 days in the hospital, they were released and finally got to come home!
The change came very quickly; when the feeding tubes were removed on Saturday the 27th, both the boys demonstrated a significantly increased vigor in their feeding. They also continued their stability in breathing and heartbeat. Before we knew it, we were getting orders to transfer the boys out of the Infant Special Care Unit and into Pediatrics. Suzanne spent all day Wednesday at the hospital, there for the transfer Wednesday morning and making the transition with them. Derek joined the family at 5:00 and we all spent our first 24 hours straight together.
The stay at Pediatrics was meant as a transition time; the medical staff felt that they boys were ready to go without medical care, but wanted to keep them there for at least 24 hours to make sure. It also served as a time when we could take over their care, but have staff nearby. What a transition it was! The boys were so fussy, none of us got any sleep until 5 am. Still, when noon rolled around, their health still looked great and we got our release orders, just as the snow started falling. It took several more hours to check out with all the appropriate folks and get the paperwork, and at 4:00 we were rushing down the hallway hoping nobody would come after us saying it was a mistake. We had envisioned taking the boys on a final tour of all the different wards and thanking the staff for their support, but Si had a bit of a melt-down (we think he was afraid of his car seat), so we made our escape quickly. Suzanne describes the trip down the hallway and to the parking garage as a really "out of body" experience - it was almost impossible to believe that after almost 70 consecutive days (including Suzanne's inpatient care) we wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
As intensive as our whole experience from September through last week has been, we know after four days at home with the boys that we're in for the ride of our lives. It's been as dramatic as if they were just born. It does feel like we've kept it together (we've been quoting Dave Best - "K.I.T. - Keep It Together") pretty well; we've both showered most days and we've been able to get most of our own meals down. However, it feels like it's only havoc nearly averted, with disaster lurking just around the corner. Both the boys have had some really rough nights. Why is it that they're up for hours at a time demanding food, attention, changing, or some other unnamed mysterious pacification from us only during the night and then they sleep all day eating only the minimum amounts? So, we're a little rough around the edges as we all find our routines.
We really shouldn't complain about the energy the boys have! Only a couple weeks ago, the Nurse Practitioner was expressing concern about their lack of vigor, and now they are both strongly and loudly demanding their feeds. Gabe smacked Suzanne in the face yesterday because she wasn't warming his bottle quickly enough.
We had our first outing yesterday; we took the boys to meet their pediatrician and get their first checkover by him. The Swedish Physicians Children's Clinic is just a block and a half from our house, so we bundled them up and strolled over. They both got clean bills of health, with just a few things to keep an eye on! It was so good to get out of the house and it was such a beautiful crisp day, that we walked another couple of blocks to the coffee shop and then to the food co-op even though we didn't really need anything.
All you very generous folks who have been offering to help out - now's the time! Here are the things you can do:
- Meals: A prepared meal is always welcome! Several folks have brought us frozen casseroles and they've been a blessing. Fresh, light meals are also welcome to sleep deprived, addled parents. Plus, it would be nice to introduce the kids! Our very good friend Kelly Bryant is coordinating meals, so drop her a line: 206-784-9599 or kbryant96@yahoo.com.
- Dog Care: Benji's doing great as big brother! He's super gentle and hasn't shown any signs of jealousy. Still, if you have time to take a walk with him he'd be your best friend for life.
- Break time: Family members are welcome to come by to take over care and let us sleep for a couple of hours. Give us a call.
- Chores: The house is mostly set up for our current situation, but there are a few pieces of work we meant to do and now will have difficulty finding the time: cleaning, firewood stacking, one last mow of the lawn...
- Supplies: We have the basics we need for the kids for right now. Still, there are a couple of items that might come in handy. We're trying to keep a registry updated at findgift.com.
A couple housekeeping items:
- We've secured the domain name www.birnietwins.com! Right now it will just bring you to this page, but it should be easier to remember and tell to others who are interested in the twins' progress or our chaotic story.
- We've moved our online photos to snapfish.com (free log-in required) instead of yahoo.com, uploading is quicker, there are no limits on the folder sizes, and you can order full-rez downloads in addition to prints (although you should e-mail us for those).
