Friday, August 13, 2010

Together again

This evening, Colin graduated from the NICU and into the nursery. They had to do some baby shuffling, but he and Veronica are together again (in Nursery 4) for the first time since they were born. I have no idea if they remember each other from in the womb, and am anxious to see what happens the first time it works out that one of us will be able to hold them both at the same time. 

This will making visiting both easier and harder. Easier because we no longer have to go back and forth between the NICU and the nursery (not a long distance, but still not as easy as having them in the same room). Harder because we will now know if Colin is getting upset while we’re holding Veronica, or if Veronica wakes up while we’re spending time with Colin. It will be good practice for the rest of our lives. 

Ethan is very excited because he will now be able to visit both his siblings, and may even be able to touch Colin. Unfortunately, Colin is still very easily overstimulated, so it may be a while before he can tolerate much interaction from Ethan (who is, after all, still only a six-year-old). But this will be the closest Ethan has been able to get to him since the twins were born. 

Today was also a big day for Veronica, who had a very successful first breastfeeding session — she nursed for half an hour without any problems, and was able to take enough that she didn’t need a follow-up bottle or tube feeding. She slept through the second attempt, but I wasn’t expecting her to be able to manage two feedings in a row. 

As the good news keeps coming and we make further progress toward getting the twins home, Ethan and I have been working on getting everything ready for them. Today we organized all of their newborn clothes and cleaned out everything that has been piled up in their co-sleeper. Ethan and John already have dusted off the car seats and the stroller. We have the diapers mostly set — I still need to wash the new cloth ones, and we’ll have to exchange some of the preemie sized ones for newborns now that Veronica is so big. 

I do think we may at least be organized before they are discharged. Whether we’ll be ready is a different story. But who can ever really be ready for two new babies, especially ones who were born so early? We’ll just have to do what parents have been doing throughout the ages — we’ll wing it.

4 comments:

  1. I suspect (from what I've learned about you through following this journal) that this experience has made you & John flexible enough to wing it!

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  2. How exciting Becki. I'm so happy the twins are doing so well. YEAH!

    I suppose it's nice now to actually have a baby to nurse instead of a pump. I didn't even think with everything that was happening that you would be pumping. YEAH for you!

    How's it going to work with two babies? I'm sure at some point you'll have both of them nursing at the same time. I've always wondered how that would work with twins. First come first served or two at a time???? he he

    Congrats again to your little babies!

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  3. If anyone can figure out how to make it work, you two ought to be able to do this. John has learned to run his own business. Becki, you seem to be able to handle anything thrown at you at work, including writing about yachts...we have confidence you will hurdle this task as well...blessings on ALL of you!

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