Wednesday PM - Just a quick post, nothing much new to report. Adam is gaining weight but not nearly fast enough to suit anyone. They are trying some new formula, with more calories, to try to speed things up. He's starting to smile at us a little more every day and is very alert. It's a typical Catch-22. The cardiac surgeons don't want to operate until he weighs more, but the neonatologists say that he's not gaining weight because he's using extra calories due to his heart condition. Hopefully the new formula will be the answer.

Grant keeps plugging along, gaining weight and wanting attention. He's very entertaining and can change moods from one second to the next. It looks like he's going to be our fiery redhead. But for now he's sleeping quietly which means I should be taking care of my next chore.

I hope to have more pictures in the next day or so. If you can't tell, I'm WAY behind in labeling the pics. But for now, Grant's the one without all the tape on his face...

Friday PM - FLASH - new pictures just posted to the Yahoo photo album. Anyone needing the link should send me an email to the usual.

Friday AM - A belated Happy Thanksgiving to our family and friends. We had a Luby's turkey and ham dinner last night. For those in other parts of the country, Luby's is a cafeteria chain that's not exactly gourmet but it did provide us the opportunity to have something other than burgers or pizza.

I'm taking advantage of Grant being in his swing right now, although he's starting to make those "pre-fit" noises so I don't know how long I will have here. He is eating and growing like crazy, and I would not be surprised if he weighs over 10 lbs. He's becoming more baby-like everyday and we sometimes forget that he was a premie. He continues to smile and laugh and he interacts with us more and more everyday. It seems he has a possible career as an art specialist, but I think he needs to hone his skills just a bit. At the present he's very taken with the two pictures hanging over the couch in our apartment, staring at them for minutes on end. Hey, anything that a baby does for minutes on end qualifies as a long time.

The news on Adam is really not anything new. The cardioligists and cardiac surgeons reviewed his case this week and decided not to do anything until he puts on more weight. Just like before, I guess we can take comfort in the fact that they don't feel pressured to operate before he gains more weight. When he gets to 7 - 8 lbs, they will likely do something then. For now he is in a real crib. It's difficult to watch the developmental difference between him and Grant, but Grant gets more of our attention by default. We visit with Adam at least once a day, sometimes twice, and a few of the nurses pay extra attention to him, but it still isn't the same as him being home. We want him home but he needs to gain weight and get better, so we will be thankful for the progress he has made, be with him every moment we can, and pray for his continued improvement.

To make it even more interesting, we're moving out of the apartment on Saturday December 2. It's not financially possible to stay here and we really need to take care of things at home. We'll be farther from the hospital, but we're coming up with a plan so that Adam does not lose any time with us. Somehow during all of this, Heidi is also going to start back to work part time.

Grant is calling and it's time for his mid-morning snack. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend...

Thursday PM - Parenthood. What a concept. Last night was a tough one. It was one of those nights that only someone who has kids (and you know who you are) can understand. Grant had chronic gas pains or colic or both, or something, but what we had was a sleepless night. We've been told he's just about the right age to have these issues, so I guess we'll just work our way through it. On the up side he now weighs 9 1/2 lbs, and shows no sign of turning back. Even when he has a bad night, we're completely "eat up with him." For those who don't know what that means, email me and I'll explain.

Since the last post Adam has not been doing quite as well. He's lost a few ounces, but still weighs just over 5 1/2 lbs. His breathing is fast at times due to his heart condition, and that interferes with his ability to take his food by mouth. They have gone to straight tube feeding through the tube in his nose. The good news is that he's completely off IV fluids and feeding, and all the IV tubes are gone. His liver functions have improved as a result. The cardiologists will discuss his case and present it to the cardiac surgeons early next week to determine when to do his surgery. He's taken many steps forward but this is probably a step or two back. Such is the life of a premie.

I have some more pictures to upload, but not sure when I can get to them. Keep checking and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers...

Thursday PM - OK, don't faint, but 2 posts in a week!!! This will be a quickie about Adam. He moved to the Level 2 unit and is now in a crib, with bars and everything. He's taking just over 1 oz of milk or formula every 3 hours and should be coming off his IV nourishment within the next day or so. Most of his lab test results are normal, although he's still somewhat anemic. Nothing that a little blood transfusion won't cure. No word from the cardiologists as to when his surgery will be, but he's getting bigger (5 1/2 lbs at last report) and should be able to tolerate it well whenever they decide to do it. One Grant factoid - he now weighs 3oz under 9 lbs). Sorry but that's it for now...

Tuesday AM - I hope I haven't lost any readers since I last posted. The scariest thing is - there's only one baby at home!! What are we going to do when Adam comes home? The little guys really are an adjustment to life and living. We have been very fortunate to have help from our family. I know we're not the first to bring home twins, and we're not the first to bring home premie twins. It's just a very daunting and very big change, and we're making the adjustments. Blogging has taken a back seat to daily activities. I know some of you have been waiting and maybe even wondering if everything and everyone is OK. As of today all is well.

Since last Tuesday's post, Adam progress had been slow but steady. He is now over the infection and is classified as Level 2 status, which means he's doing quite well. He is in a "bucket" type crib, his first time ever. You all know how much we hated the isolette because it was hard to see and interact with him, but that's all behind us now. Smiles are more frequent and he's interacting with us more. The doctors are talking about sending him home before his heart surgery, which is good news and frightening news at the same time. We'll be using monitors and oxygen and probably will be walking on eggshells, but if the doctors think he's up for it then so are we.

Let's not forget Grant. He's doing as well as we could hope. He eats more and more everyday, and I think he's growing quickly. It's hard to tell since we see him every day, but we have a doctor's appointment today that will tell us how much he's grown since two weeks ago. If he's grown enough, I think the doctor will let us go to feeding every 5 hours at night. That's great news, especially if we can get Grant to go along with the program. For some reason he still wants to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and he doesn't really have a grasp of what "day" vs. "night" is. He really keeps us entertained, and I'm going to try to get his pictures posted soon after I finish this post, if he'll let me. I don't have any recent pictures of Adam. He had a lot of fluid retention after his surgery, and I didn't want to have pictures of him when he was struggling so much. I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do or not, but it's too late now and so far I have no regrets. We'll be adding to his portfolio very soon.

Grant is starting to stir and I want to get his picturs in the Yahoo folder. Please continue to be patient with me and my erratic posting schedule. Gotta go...