Tuesday PM - The big event of the day didn't involve the twins directly. Every Wednesday the hospital hosts a meeting for parents who have one or more children in the NICU's. We made our plans around today's presentation by one of our favorite neonatologists, Dr. Dorothy Thompson. Her topic was about what happens after dismissal from the hospital. Suffice it to say, the the prospects are sobering. It's challenging to bring home a newborn, more so to bring home newborn multiples, but to bring home newborn premie multiples is going to be our biggest undertaking ever. Our confidence in their current caretakers is great, our confidence in ourselves is somewhat less than great. CPR classes and other learning experiences, along with a bevy of electronic contraptions to monitor heart rates, breathing rates, etc., should lessen our anxiety.

Those who know us well know of our mini-menagerie of 2 dogs and 2 cats. I know that everyone is lining up to volunteer to take one or more of these fine animals off our hands. Sorry to disappoint, but the doctor says that as long as the cats don't sleep in the crib, and the dogs don't lick them in the face for the first year or so, the animals can stay. Seems that slow and/or gradual exposure to certain things actually toughens up the kids' little immune systems. For the first few months we're supposed to limit visitors and use hand sanitizers (better because you don't have to wipe your hands with germy towels). As they start to grow they can start to crawl around on the floor, play with non-sterilized toys, and clean the cat box (OK, I just threw that last one in. They have to be a year old for that).

Heidi held both boys today, and I held Grant. Since Adam had been suspected of having an infection, we mistakenly thought that we couldn't hold him while they were checking his cultures. That proved not to be the case, and he and his Mom spent 45 minutes of unmitigated bliss this afternoon. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, but it was probably a tie.

Tomorrow, both boys will have their abdomen's x-rayed. If all is clear, Grant will go back to having his milk through a tube every 3 hours. Adam has to pass the x-ray exam as well as continue to have all three of his cultures remain negative before he can start taking milk again. But both could start feeding tomorrow, so Heidi has to get busy. By the way, both continue to gain weight even though they aren't taking in milk.

For once I'm wrapping a post before midnight. It's an early day tomorrow and I hope to have a good visit with both boys before going to work in the afternoon. Thanks for reading.