Day 91 Update

Hi All! Sorry for the long delay in posting. Things have been exhausting here. Leah and Micah both have colds that are pretty bad. We have been to the pediatrician twice for Micah and once for Leah. I am so glad they have both gotten the Synergis shots so we are relatively sure this isn't RSV. Micah has bronchiolitis (a swelling of the smallest parts of the lungs that babies are prone to) and the doctor figured Leah wasn't far behind. He prescribed albuterol nebulizer treatments for both of them to alleviate the congestion. Micah had one in the office because his blood oxygen level was down to 93% and if it didn't come up we were heading to the hospital. Thankfully it responded and came up to 95% which was acceptable and we were able to take him home. We have to watch their respiration rate and make sure they aren't tiring from breathing so hard, and suction their noses when they sound too congested, but the nebulizer seems to be making it a little easier for them. The down side is that they are now catching up on the sleep they missed from earlier in the cold and we are having a really tough time keeping them awake to get enough food into them. And, when we visit Golda now we have to wear masks and gloves and, if we hold her against us, a gown. She has been giving me such funny looks, trying to figure out why Mommy's voice keeps coming from behind the nurses' mask! But, it's worth it since it would be horrible if she got a cold - I can't imagine what she would go through not being able to swallow the mucus she brought up with her coughing.

Golda has been slowing in her weight gain, although she is now 2.45 kg (5 lbs. 6.42 oz.). The doctor at St. Mary's says that the only way for her to leave there is for her to gain weight so they aren't going to be happy with little gains here and there. They have added MCT (medium chain triglycerides) to her Simulac pre-mature 24 formula. That means that she is now getting additional fat in her already higher calorie formula. The MCT lipids don't require any energy to absorb, utilize or store so they are a good choice for adding weight. She's been on it since Monday, but it's too soon to tell if it's doing enough. The doctor said there are many different things they can do to fatten her up and not to worry if this doesn't work. On the plus side, the therapies they are doing are really bringing her up to speed. She is now much more alert and focused and making facial expressions and some little noises. It's nice to see since I was a bit worried that she wasn't as responsive as Leah and Micah. She is still lagging behind on some of the physical strength, as should be expected - like she can't really support her head and she doesn't like being lifted to a sitting position or supported by her arms - but she is getting there. The physical therapist and occupational therapist are both working with her for a half hour twice a week on these skills.

What Golda does like is standing! She will push her upright from a sitting position and look all around. I can even support her with only one hand and she will remain standing! I have been doing "flying baby" with her - holding her in the Superman position and moving her back and forth - and she loves it. She will stand there and push off with her toes to try to jump up to do more. It's really cute to see. The other thing she really likes is when you talk to her. She craves company and has all the staff in the nursery (and some of the other parents) wrapped around her cute little fingers! They try to leave and she cries and they stay - one poor volunteer couldn't go for three hours because she couldn't bare to leave Golda crying!

Leah and Micah are getting really expressive and developing such cute personalities too. Micah's favorite thing to do is to lay on the changing table and talk to "his lights" that are above the table. He lays there and babbles and coos to them with a smile on his face. If Jon should go to the dimmer switch and adjust the brightness while he is talking to them he just starts wiggling and smiling even more! It is really adorable to watch. He also enjoys watching the sunrise after (or during) his morning bottle. He will just sit and watch it with a look of enjoyment on his face. Oh, and the other thing sure to get a smile is his morning "exercises". I do a bunch of stretching exercises with them - hands up and down, out and in, legs up and down, out and in, head, shoulders, knees and toes, and leg bicycling followed by baby-sit up - I hold their hands and lift them to a sitting position, trying to get them to pull up and support their heads. They both really like it since it stretches them and they get real one on one time with mommy. Micah gives me such adorable huge smiles - I just sit there grinning the whole time.

Leah is a rough and tumble little girl who has Daddy wrapped around her finger. She loves nothing more than to cuddle up to her Daddy and sleep on his chest. Trying to remove her without waking her is really hard - first you have to peel her off of him and remove his shirt from her fists! She likes it a lot when Daddy tosses her in the air and spins her around - always catching her safely in his hands. Mommy's heart stops each time, but Leah just smiles and eggs him on! She will also reach up and grab a fistful of Daddy's beard while he holds her and she looks all around.

Both babies love their big brother. Since Leah is lighter, Harry gets to do more with her. We have let him feed her a few times. He is so proud. He sits back on the couch, with his legs crossed and the boppy on his lap and I place Leah in his arms. He then feeds her until she needs burping and calls me or Jon to do it, then continues feeding her until she starts fussing. Then one of us takes over. He has taken baths with both of them, holding them carefully in the tub while Daddy washed them. But, Micah, only has eyes for Harry. If Harry starts talking to him, Micah will turn his head and stare at him. A real problem when we are trying to calm Micah and Harry yells - Micah will instantly jump and start flailing around trying to find Harry. Unfortunately, hearing Harry doesn't always calm him, especially if Harry is upset himself or Micah is already crying. Harry will try though, singing "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep Micah (or Leah)" very quietly. We've been making a real effort to spend more time with Harry without the babies and I think it's finally paying off. He got into the "doghouse" at school twice and really wasn't thrilled the kind of attention that got him. We now have a deal - he gets a sticker from his teacher (only one warning or time-out a day) for four days in a week with no doghouses (three warnings in a day) and he gets a special trip with Daddy. His first one will be taking the train (on a route of his choosing - the A to the 42nd St. S train shuttle) to Grand Central Station to see the train exhibit and a shirt in the Transit Museum store. He is one day away from earning his trip this week. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for him!

A bit of sad news to report too. Unfortunately, we had to put our cat Tycho to sleep yesterday. Jon had noticed a week or so ago that Tycho had some lumps on his jowls, and then this past weekend, on his side. Sunday he noticed Tycho using his paw to push food out of his cheek and leaving most of his meal over. He had also lost a lot of weight and looked too skinny. Jon was torn about whether to bring him to the vet and confirm his suspicion of lymphoma or just continue in ignorant bliss. When Tycho continued having trouble Monday, we decided to bring them both in for checkups. The vet scared us when he examined Hanns and said he had a growth in his stomach that he wanted to x-ray. Luckily, Hanns just has the largest bladder the vet has ever seen and, aside from a blood glucose level of 600 (which according to the vet meant he should be dead) he is fine. We are in the process of adjusting his insulin levels. When he examined Tycho though, he recommended an ultrasound and blood tests to confirm our suspicions of cancer. Sadly, they showed he did have some kind of cancer, most likely lymphoma, that had spread all over his body. When the vet told us that Tycho was now unable to swallow, we knew what we had to do. He brought Tycho out, we said our goodbyes, and while he was purring while Jon pet him, the vet gave him a sedative, followed by a further medication to stop his heart. He went very quietly without pain. While we are both upset by his loss, Harrison is taking it particularly hard. Tycho had been letting him pet him lately and Harry had grown closer to him. He didn't want to come with us to the vet because he didn't want to watch Tycho die because, as he put it, he "is in love with Tycho". He gets distracted by things and forgets for a while, but then he remembers again and starts tearing up. Hanns is also at a loss. He wanders around meowing plaintively for his brother and looking in all the spots Tycho used to sleep. Then he lays down and stares at Tycho's favorite sleeping spot. Last night he finally hauled himself up into the spot and has been sleeping there. He seems very sad and lonely. Luckily, these kids keep us all too busy to dwell on it for too long and we are muddling through. Who ever thought the diabetic Hanns would outlive his brother?

Okay, I think I've brought you up to date on all the goings on around here. We have a return visit to the GI doc scheduled for tomorrow, but we may wind up cancelling it depending on how Leah and Micah are doing. If I don't post before then, Happy Chanukah!!!

Day 82 - Photos

I don't have time to write a full posting now, but here are the links to the photos I managed to post over the weekend! Enjoy! (I will try to post some here later on for those who can't access picasa.)

http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/NewRandomShots#
http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/HarrySThanksgivingShow#
http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/GoldaSEyeDrAppt#

Day 79 Update

Hi Everyone! So much for the posting daily! I have been quite exhausted after all the running around this week and haven't had a chance to even think about posting.

Tuesday we had a break from doctor appointments, thankfully. Wednesday we had the urologist for Micah. The appointment was scheduled for 8:45 am and they said to be there a half hour ahead of time if it was your first appointment, so 8:15 am! We got out by 7:15, dropped Harry off by my dad so he could take him to school and headed out. We got there a few minutes early and found no one even there! So annoying. We rushed for nothing. We sat there and waited until someone appeared behind the window and I interrupted her to find out if we had time to get some breakfast at the cafe across the hall. Luckily we did and we felt much better afterwards. They took us at about 9:15 am and even then the doctor wasn't in the building yet. Anyway, he examined Micah and said that he has testicular hydrocoeles on both sides not just one. He did an ultrasound to make sure nothing else was going on and said that we should just watch it. If we see that his scrotum looks larger at a particular time of day then it might indicate a hernia and we should bring him in. If not, then we have to return in six months and by then it should have resolved on its own. In the event that it hasn't they will intervene (probably surgically) to reduce the swelling.

After the appointment we headed over to see Golda. Since we were planning to take her for her appointment on Friday we had to be fully trained in her care. It's amazing how much we needed to learn. We went over CPR, baby Heimlich, how to prepare and administer her feeding, how to end the feeding and clean the tube and the bag, how to ensure her feeding tube is properly positioned, how to work the portable suction machine, how to change her bandage on her g-tube. We still needed to learn how to replace her g-tube and repogle in the event that they came out, but we didn't have time. It was quite overwhelming and really re-enforced why she isn't at home.

Thursday Jon had to go into work for his bi-weekly meeting so Deena and I were on our own for the appointments at the high risk clinic. I also had to stop by Golda beforehand so they could install the car bed in our minivan for the appointment on Friday. We were quite pleased that it had arrived in time. We went upstairs and I left Deena with three sleeping babies and two bottles for when they woke up. I met up with the occupational therapist who was going to install the car bed and we went upstairs to learn how to position Golda in it. It was pretty simple and she was not pleased. It kind of looked uncomfortable since her legs couldn't stretch out. We went back downstairs and he started installing it. We got it all in place and I realized that we had tilted the car seat back too far backwards and I wouldn't be able to get the other car seat back in there to go home! That stunk since it was so difficult to position the car bed and now we had to remove it again. And, unfortunately once we did and we returned the car seat back to its proper position, we couldn't get that stupid car bed back in securely again. We even got two other physical therapists over to help and every time I was able to pull it loose quite easily. When 12:00 rolled around and it still wasn't in, I had to go because our high risk appointment was at 12:30. It was decided that since it couldn't be secured in the car and we had to cancel the transport that day to avoid charges, Golda would go in the transport this time and next time she would be big enough for her car seat and it wouldn't matter.

The high risk appointment involved seeing the neonatology fellow and attending from the hospital, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and an education specialist. They each examined the babies to make sure they were developmentally okay and showing no delays. They weighed and measured them too. Leah weighed 8 lbs. 11.5 oz (I guess the new formula mix is doing it's job!) and was 20.5 inches long. Micah weighed 11 lbs. 1.25 oz. and was 21.3 inches long. The cool part is that on the preemie chart and the regular chart (adjusted age) Leah was 50th percentile for height and length and Micah was between the 75th and 95th percentiles for weight and between the 50th and 75th percentiles for height! The doctor was really pleased that they were not only on the full-term charts but plotting so well on them! While we were talking about it, Micah cheesed all over my shirt and pants and the doctor's desk and floor. Oops. She said "And there goes the reflux, yup, he has it alright!" I wiped it all up and we continued. Then while I was holding him for the scale, I said out loud - "this is really dangerous, not keeping him covered" and then he peed all over my shirt, the floor, the scale and Leah's car seat cover! Argh! That was the first time either of my sons has gotten me like that. Any hoo... all of the specialists were quite pleased with both of the babies muscle tone and strength. They were doing exactly what they should be doing at this point for full-term babies, not adjusted! We have to return in March.

Today was Golda's ophthalmology appointment. I left the house at 9:30, stopped by my parent's house to grab Golda's blanket and headed out. I got there around 10 am and found her fast asleep, finishing up a feeding. I got her stuff ready and then got her ready. They weighed her before we left - drum roll - she was 2.33 kg (5 lbs. 2.18 oz.)!!! Woo Hoo! The physical therapist who helped me the day before came by and said they did a car seat trial with Golda and she performed fine. She said that if I wanted I could take her by myself, but since Jon wasn't there to drive while I watched her we needed to use the transport anyway. That was fine since I wasn't fully trained yet. The ambulance arrived and off we went! Let me just say that my ears are still ringing from the incredibly loud sound of that stupid portable suction machine. I had two options for the transport - Golda could ride in her car seat even though she might be a bit small for it or I could ride on the stretcher and hold her. Do I need to say which option I chose? She looked so tiny in her car seat with all the blankets piled up and all the medical equipment around her on that big stretcher! But Golda was up for the adventure! Her eyes were wide open the whole time we were bundling her up, setting her up on the stretcher, heading downstairs, loading on the ambulance and the first half of the drive (especially this part). Then it lost its luster and she started yawning and fell asleep. She woke up when we got there and looked all around again. She didn't care for the eye drops and made that known, although by the second round she was much calmer. The doctor came in and examined her using the instruments (unlike the other doctor who examined Leah and Micah). You know the ones - that thing they used to keep Alex's eyes open in Clockwork Orange. Golda was very upset about that and cried and cried (and being that she was on a heart monitor we heard the alarm beeping like crazy). After she took the instrument out there was an impression on her eyelids for a while. I wasn't too thrilled with this whole procedure, especially since the other doctor was perfectly fine not using the tools. Oh well, we don't have to go back to this one again. Golda was cleared for retinopathy of prematurity and doesn't need to be seen for another six-twelve months. When we got back to St. Mary's the nurse helped me settle her and I got her next feeding going. Then I sat down to snuggle my little girl. I held her while she ate until she conked out. She was so exhausted by her adventure that she didn't even stir when I put her down in her crib! When I got home I found a strung out daddy. Micah and Leah kept him hopping all day. One would cry and when he finally settle that one, the other would start. The only good part is that they are so tired now that they are fast asleep!

That's all here for now! What a busy week! Next week - no doctors! Phew!

Day 76 Update

Good Morning All! The babies are now almost 11 weeks old - can you believe it!??! Things are starting to settle into a pattern, thankfully. Sorry it's been almost a week since the last posting, but that pattern is kind of stuffed to the gills (or stuffed like a bird as Harry says).

Let's see. We went to Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving. We went earlier in the day to visit Golda. She was doing well. Thanksgiving was very quiet, just us and Aunt, Roy, Eric and later AnnMarie. Well, not quiet, per se, just not too many people is more like it ... with two infants and a five year old it's not really ever quiet! Friday, I spoke to the nurse at St. Mary's and insisted that they speak to the doctor about starting Golda on oral antibiotics since the topical one wasn't really doing the trick. They started her on them that day and ever since her G-tube site is looking better and better. There is very little red now and it is mostly just darker pink. Mema, Harry, the babies and I went shopping to Babies R Us. We used most of the gift cards we received (that hadn't already been spent on formula!) - thank you - and bought size 6-9 month clothes. I can't believe that we are at the point of needing that size! They are wearing mostly 3 month and some newborn clothes now, but I needed to know we had the next size with the way Micah has been growing! Golda is in newborn size and looking absolutely adorable in them!

We visited as a family on Saturday - it was kind of nice, although somewhat overwhelming, to be "just" the six of us for a little while! I took some more photos of the bunch, although mostly in pairs this time. Sunday, Mom and I actually made it get pedicures and manicures again! It was my first since August - the last time I was feeling up to going. It felt heavenly! Thanks Mom! Jon spent the day working, working, working, trying to get caught up. I too spent time working and doing laundry. And, sigh, Harry seemed to have a lovely case of pink eye blooming. I called the pediatrician and he called in an antibiotic. With all that going on we didn't go to see Golda - especially since Harry was still contagious until he had been on the antibiotics for 24 hours.

Yesterday we had the GI doctor for Leah and Micah and I went to see my GP as well. I got prescriptions for my allergy meds again - yeah! and got cleared for pink eye - phew. Then I came back home and helped Jon get Leah & Micah ready and we headed out for the GI doc. We checked in & were taken back almost immediately (I had asked to wait in the back since the waiting room was full of sneezing coughing people) by the doctor. She was very nice and seemed knowledgeable. She took full histories (as full a history as an 11 week old can have!) and then examined them both. She said the reflux wasn't too bad and is possibly within the range of normal, although she did not want to remove them from Zantac at this point nor change their formula. She said that she thinks that from their symptoms, both what we told her about and that she witnessed while we were there, that they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (thanks to me, poor things). She would like to try treating it with suppositories to relieve their gas, the main thing causing their symptoms, and some constipation. We are going to give them suppositories three times a day when they seem the most fussy and in pain. We have given them to Leah and Micah twice already today and Mylicon once. It definitely helped them move their bowels and pass gas, but I don't think it's stopped the general crabbiness that occurs after every feeding. I suppose this will take some time though since there has been a general build-up of gas that needs to be relieved first. Patience. Pretty hard to come by these days! Oh, and Micah weighs 10 lbs. 10 oz. and has been steadily gaining, but Leah is still coming in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. We told the doctor that she has been down and now back up, but is pretty stagnant at this weight for about a month so we are now mixing her formula more concentrated to increase the calorie count per ounce. Let's see how that goes! We have return appointments on the 18th.

Golda is doing well. As I said above, she is on oral antibiotics and they are doing the job finally. The nurses have also switched the gauze they are putting on her g-tube site to try to get it to absorb the excretions better. She is getting so much more alert too. When I am there she is usually wide awake and happy to be interacting. She likes to be held more now and likes when I hold her up and let her "stand" or sit her up and "dance" her around. I even got a little smile out of her yesterday when I nibbled at her neck! Jon went to visit her tonight and she took the opportunity to nap with Daddy. Daddy was cradling her on her tummy (woo hoo) on his chest while reclining in the rocking chair and she conked right out. Then Daddy conked right out too! The nurse kept out of their way to let them enjoy each other (so nice!). When Daddy woke up he put Golda back in her bed and the nurse showed him how to give her the antibiotics in her G-tube. Cool. Then Golda cried and cried :( It took Jon about 15 minutes to calm her enough that he felt comfortable leaving her.

Golda has an ophthalmologist appointment set for Friday at noon. I got permission to take her in our car using a car seat, but when they checked out her car seat they realized that she wasn't big enough for it (the minimum weight is 5 lbs) and so she would need to ride in a car bed. They have them at St. Mary's but theirs happened to have expired and can't be safely used now. They are ordering new ones since they need them anyway and are trying to get one here in time for us to use, but if not, then they will arrange a medical transport and I will go with Golda alone. Otherwise, it will be Jon and I taking our littlest girl to the doctor! And, now the big news that might affect these plans too - as of yesterday, Golda was weighing in at 2.26 kg (4 lbs. 15.97 oz.)!!! That means she may be big enough to ride in the car seat after all - but I will call tomorrow to check on that since they may still want to be more cautious with her.

Harry is doing okay mostly. He is really annoyed that he has pink eye and is in fact in complete denial, even though his eye is now finally looking a little better and has less goop and his throat is a bit sore. Oy. But at least he is no longer contagious and we can let him kiss the babies again. He gets really sad when we tell him that he can't touch them or kiss them. Although, with the crazy crying jags they have been having I am waiting for him to say he wants them gone - so far he has managed to check himself before saying that. For instance, when they were crying tonight and I had to pay them attention and couldn't play another game with him, he said in anger "I wish they" and stopped. When I asked what he was going to say he said that they wouldn't take all my attention and that they would just be quiet and not have belly problems. I commiserated with him, but I don't think he was too impressed. What helped was telling him that in a couple of years they will be able to play with him too. That made him a little happy, like all this craziness might actually pay off for him :) poor thing! But when his teacher asked him what he was thankful for he answered "my family and my triplets!".

Okay. That's about it here for now. Tomorrow we have the urologist for Micah (to check his testicular hydrocoele), Thursday we have the high risk clinic and neurodevelopmental clinic for Leah and Micah and Friday the ophthalmologist for Golda. Phew, a busy week! I will try to post daily so it won't be so long each time! And, I know, photos, too.

Day 70 Update

Good Morning Everyone. I hope everyone is ready for Turkey Day tomorrow!

Yesterday we had the pediatrician for Leah and Micah and the treatment team meeting for Golda. Golda's meeting was first, at 11 am. Pepa came with me to St. Mary's so he could feed and watch Leah and Micah while I was in the meeting. He propped the bottles in their carriers and then took them out for burping - luckily the babies were in cooperative moods and it went smoothly. In the meeting I was introduced to Golda's OT (occupational therapist), PT (physical therapist), ST (speech therapist) and pediatrician. The social worker rounded out the team. The OT and PT do the same things in babies this young; they are working on getting her to do regular baby stuff - support her head, push up on her arms, sit up with help, lay on her tummy, stretch out her arms and legs as well as follow objects with her eyes and head. Physically, she is a little delayed, but not "officially" since with her adjusted age she is only two weeks old! But, because of her low weight she doesn't have the muscle mass yet to hold up her head or really push up on her arms, but she is getting there! The speech therapist has been working with her so she keeps her suck reflex - she puts her pacifier in her mouth while she is eating and works on oral stimulation. The pediatrician said she is doing well medically, but isn't fully stable yet. Her G-tube is still looking red but is getting better with the bactroban topical antibiotic (stronger bacitracian). Her ankle wound (from Golda pretending to be a grasshopper) is also looking better now. She is up to 2.06 kg which is finally an improvement (4 lbs. 8.7 oz.) over the 2.03 kg she was hanging out at. The pediatrician is pleased that she has starting gaining again since moving there. They are anticipating that she could medically stabilize in two to three months, as she grows bigger and at that point we can re-visit the idea of her coming home to wait for her surgery. They feel that she will probably be covered only by Medicaid at that point and that they will pay for a nurse to watch her for eight hours over night while we get some sleep and/or tend the other babies. I am not getting my hopes up since it may not happen, and in fact we may choose not to bring her home before the surgery so she can continue to get the care she needs while we continue to give the other babies and Harry the care and attention they need. The good part is that we can do trial runs - over night visits with her at St. Mary's and at home - before making any decisions.

Leah and Micah went to the pediatrician for scheduled vaccinations. I asked to speak to the doctor as well because of a few issues. First, we have all been fighting off coughs and colds and I wanted to make sure they didn't have it before getting the shots. Their throats were fine and their chests were clear so that was good. Next, Leah actually lost a little weight over the last week. She was 8 lbs. 4 oz. but this week she was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and we were concerned. Micah, however, keeps right on gaining regardless of how much he spits up! He is now 10 lb. 4 oz. Additionally, the AR formula was working to keep the food down during burps, but they still spit up and complained often while eating and after. The doctor recommended changing the formula to Alimentum since that is the next one the GI docs will recommend we try.

We got the formula last night so they have been eating it now for five feedings. It definitely comes back up much more than the AR (much more) but they do seem a little more comfortable on this formula. We are going to stick with it at least 48 hours and see how it goes, but oy, this stuff stinks when it makes its return visit!

Harry had his Thanksgiving show on Monday at school. He looked so cute in his pilgrim outfit! I saw him wearing the hat and shirt while he was sitting in his chair waiting to go up to the stage. When it was his class' turn his hat was missing in action. No clue what he did with it! Anyway, he was the last in the line to go up to the stage and I was watching with anticipation to hear him say his lines since I knew he knew them (we practiced almost everyday). Little stinker just stood there looking around and didn't say a word! Luckily they said the lines to the poem and sang a song as a group. He added a half a line at the end of the poem and sang the last line of the song, but that was it. To see him up there he didn't look nervous, but he certainly acted like he had stage fright - imagine! Harry, shy! Who'd've thunk it?!?!?!

I will be going shopping today with some gift cards (thanks) for some baby clothes. I can't believe it, but Leah, Micah and even Golda have all outgrown their preemie clothes and Leah and Micah are starting to outgrow their newborn clothes! It's great that they are growing so nicely, but geez, it's going so fast!

Okay, that's it for now. I have some photos that I want to post, but I will have to do that later. We wish everyone a very happy turkey day! Gobble Gobble!

Day 67 Update

Good Morning Everyone! I am sitting at Mema's computer typing this morning update. All of our kids spent the night away from home last night, giving Daddy a much needed break. He got some good uninterrupted sleep and will now be able to get some real work done today.

I spent the night at Mema and Pepa's house with Leah and Micah. We set up the pack n play in Harry's room and I slept there with them. It wasn't too bad. I got a little more and better sleep than when I sleep in the living room at home with them and they only woke up Mema (Pepa slept through all their complaints). And they were pretty good too. Only a few ear splitting screams, not the all out freak out we usually get. Now, Mema is finishing up Leah's bottle and Micah is enjoying sitting with Pepa at the computer while I get a few minutes to type an update!

Harry spent the night at the Y last night - they had a Parents' Night Out where kids could come and swim, eat ice cream sundaes, play games and watch movies, then sleep over! In the morning they get breakfast and then get picked up by 10 am. He was very excited about the whole idea. When Jon picked him up this morning he said he had a great time and was quite exhausted! Jon said he felt a little guilty dropping him off at Sunday School because he was so tired he probably wouldn't be able to really participate in anything! I am so relieved that he had such fun during his first night sleeping away from family. Phew!

After we dropped off Harry at the Y, Jon and I went to visit Golda. She is doing well - weighing in at 2.03 kg (4 lbs. 4.76 oz.)!!! She is completely off breast milk now too (which means I have stopped pumping fully now for a week - ouch) and is eating Enfamil Premature 24 formula (the 24 means it has 24 calories per ounce versus 20 for breast milk or regular formula). I guess it's doing good for her since she is finally starting to put the weight on again for the first time since her move.

When we arrived she was crying, but she calmed down when she saw her Daddy. After she finished getting her food, we took her out for a little walk around the building. This time we took the portable suction machine (man, that thing is so noisy we couldn't sneak up on a deaf person with it!) and stayed away for about 45 minutes. We strolled back and forth on the floor, then headed downstairs so Daddy could get a soda. When we went back up we went into the family room and just hung out together. I took her out of her car seat and held her, sitting on my knee, while Daddy played some nursery rhymes on the toy one octave piano. Golda seemed to enjoy listening to it. Then I handed her off to Daddy and she snuggled in. We returned her to her bed and got her all set up and comfy before we headed out (that process took another 20 minutes of course!).

Here is a photo I took of her in her car seat - I couldn't get over how much she looked like Micah!

Speaking of Micah, we weighed him yesterday and that little monster is now 9 lbs. 10 oz.!!! Oy! Not that Leah is any lightweight mind you, she is now 8 lbs. 4 oz. Phew. Holding them for any length of time is starting to become a bit more taxing, lol.

Here is one each of Micah and Leah that I just took with my cell phone so you can compare.


Okay, I'm gonna go now and eat some breakfast! Have a good day and, in case I don't get a chance to post again before Thanksgiving, have a very Happy Turkey Day! Gobble Gobble!

Day 64 Update

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the long delay between postings. I started working again on Monday so that has been taking most of my "free" time. It's actually been kind of nice to be using my brain again for something other than wondering when the last time Leah pooped was! I have also been enjoying my visits with Golda. It's so much nicer to see her in the cheerful room instead of the NICU.


When I visited Golda yesterday, I took her "out" for a walk around the hospital. She was able to be off her suction for a half hour so we were relatively free. I put her in her car seat in the single car seat stroller (thanks to Scott and Sharon for the hand-me-down - I guess you were right Sharon - we did need a single, too!) and off we went. First we went to visit David, but he was in a meeting, so we went down the hall to visit the lovely ladies who helped us during the admissions process. They were happy to meet Golda and very appreciative of our small thank you of Sugar Bun cookies. We went for a little circuit between the two elevators and then back to Golda's room. The entire time she was all wide-eyed looking around at everything! It was a lot of fun to finally get to walk her around and expose her to new things.

Here is little Golda is her huge car seat. That's her ducky pacifier in front of her, she has her oxygen sensor on her wrist and her suction collection vial on her side, but doesn't she look so comfortable!??!

Leah and Micah have been doing okay. They are growing nicely in spite of their reflux. Unfortunately they aren't eating as quickly as they had been after we first switched their formula, but they are still doing better than before. The spitting up has picked up again, too. Oh well, at least we got a little repreive. They have a gastroenterologist appointment the first week of December so we will find out more then. They also have an appointment at the high risk clinic at LIJ North Shore that week. The clinic evaluates them for the various preemie issues like developmental delays, eye problems, etc. And Micah has a urologist appointment that week too. Sheesh! For such little people they have a lot of doctor visits!

Harry got his first report card. He is doing very well academically, now if he can just learn to keep his mouth shut and stop being so obnoxious, he will do great. Argh. We have our parent teacher conference today so we will discuss it with his teacher and get her perspective. Harry has been growing like crazy lately. I cannot believe how big he is getting! Most of his size 5 clothes are getting too snug and his size 6's are fitting nicely - just a month ago though they were large on him. His new sneakers are a size 2 1/2 and 3 and they fit nicely too. Argh again! I told him to cut it out - he's not allowed to grow anymore! He just laughed at me.

Okay, back to work now!

Day 59 Update

Good Morning! Things are finally settling down here a bit. Leah and Micah are doing much better now with their reflux. We have them on twice daily doses of Zantac and they are eating Enfamil AR (anti-reflux, it has rice starch in it to thicken it). The Zantac is starting to do its job - keeping down the acid. Although they still have some acid reflux with most feedings, the Enfamil AR is doing it's job and keeping the food down so there is much less spitting up. That means more content babies after each feeding and during each feeding there is less fighting with them to get them to keep eating. Last night we switched them to Level 2 nipples on their bottles and that really did the trick - feedings went from 45 minutes to an hour with each of them to 15 and 20 minutes with each of them!! And today, I propped their bottles so they could both eat at the same time, and so the one not being burped could keep eating, and they were both finished eating and burping in 25 minutes! I was sooo excited! We even had time to dance to some music together before they fell back asleep! Imagine, getting to enjoy the babies! What a concept. And all of this combined with their new four hour feeding schedules means that we can actually plan to do things now and get some things done in the house too.

This is a very good thing since I am scheduled to start working again from home on Monday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! Thankfully, my boss and I agreed before I even went on leave that I wouldn't return to the lab until January. It would have been incredibly difficult to leave now. We are going to start looking for some help - ideally someone to come in from 7 am until Noon every day so we can both get some uninterrupted work done. Most ideal would be someone we know, so if there are any volunteers out there, wink wink, let us know, wink wink!

Harry has been having some more difficulty with the whole sharing of the attention business - especially since his share has decreased from all of it to one fourth of it. He has been acting up at school and is now paying the price for that kind of attention, but we spoke to him about it and are trying to find some more alone time with each of us for him. Yesterday, just Mommy and Harry went shopping and out to dinner together, then to visit Golda. He was very, very happy.

I realized that some people can't access Picasaweb from wherever they most frequently check their email so here are a couple of the photos I posted of the whole family, and a couple of new ones too.

Day 57 Update

Hi Everyone! I am completely exhausted so this will be brief.

Deena helped me bring Leah and Micah to the ophthalmologist today. Thankfully, he said everything looks fine with their eyes - no signs of retinopathy of prematurity - and since they are officially full-term now, they are free and clear. We have to come back when they are a year old since they are at risk for other eye conditions, but that's not too big a deal.

After the eye doctor, we went to see Dorothy and surprise her with her great grandchildren. She was very happy with the surprise and proud to show them off to everyone. She even held both of them for a while.


We then came back home, ate some lunch, did Harry's homework and headed out to see Golda - all of us! I cannot begin to tell you how great it felt to have all of my kids in one room for the first time! Jon and I were quite happy - and a little overwhelmed. Like when I was holding Golda and Jon was feeding Leah and Micah started crying. Hmm, now what??? Luckily Mema was there and took care of him, but it certainly made us think about how much harder (and noisier) it will be when we do have all of them home, alone. Not that it won't be great to have them here, but wow, it's gonna be hard! Harry got a little over zealous, both because he was excited by having all his babies together and because he was jealous by the attention they received. It is definitely something we are trying to work on, but it's not too easy to give him the attention he wants and take care of two and three other babies. Also, from all the excitement Golda got a little over-wrought as well and we calmed her down and left so she could get some rest. Poor thing - her bed was invaded by two other babies and she didn't know what to do!


Okay, I need to go collapse into bed now. I have posted some photos from today's family meeting. Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/FirstMeeting#

Day 56 Update

Hi Everyone! Wow, it's been an exhausting day! We are back at home now and getting ready for bed. Golda is all settled in at St. Mary's in her new crib. I cannot believe how tiny she looks in that big crib! But the whole setting is so much more cheerful and vibrant I know she will love it. Her heart rate was high when we got her there - a sure sign she was excited. Everyone at Schneider Children's Hospital was very helpful in getting Golda ready to go. Unbelievably the social worker there was actually taking all the credit for getting her into St. Mary's and making this happen! I didn't care who got the credit as long as she was there - and besides it was everyone's doing that made this happen. I have been speaking non-stop to two women in admitting at St. Mary's who have worked their butts off to get her in there, and they have been in conversations with the people in finance there; David has been asking about it frequently, keeping Golda at the top of everyone's to do list; the social workers from LIJ have been calling both St. Mary's and the insurance company; and I have been calling everyone at the insurance company I could as well as all the people at St. Mary's and LIJ to really impress upon everyone how important this was to us and facilitating the interactions between all parties. Completely exhausting, but absolutely worth it now that she is there.

Golda is in the orange room of the nursery and has a window crib. She is by far the tiniest in her room and, I think, the only one without a trach. She has a cheerful mobile on her crib and an aquarium toy to watch as well. We are going to bring her some toys and blankets tomorrow. She will be evaluated by physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech (feeding) therapy over the next few days and then they will set up a meeting for us with all of Golda's service providers to discuss their treatment plans. The main goal is to fatten her up and keep her on track to meet all of her developmental milestones.

Leah and Micah spent the day with Mema and Pepa, and Harrison when he got out of school, but in the future they can come visit their little sister as long as the unit isn't closed to kids (when there is an outbreak of a particularly nasty bug in the winter months). That, to me, is one of the best parts of Golda being at St. Mary's - our family can spend time together as a family.

Okay, I am completely wiped out. It's 9:20 pm and astoundingly, I am going to go pump, and then go to bed! Jon will handle the 10 pm and 2 am feedings (oh, yeah, we have put them on a four hour schedule today and so far so good). Tomorrow we have opthalmology appointments for Leah and Micah. Good night! Oh, and here are some photos of today's adventures: http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/GoldaSBigDay?authkey=0mBlwosCo3M#

Day 56 Brief Update

Hi Everyone! Just a really brief update: We are rushing around getting ready to head over to the hospital so we can sign Golda out for her transfer to St. Mary's!!!! She is finally all set and it's really happening! I will post more when I can, but I just wanted to share that as soon as I could.

Day 55 Update

Hi Everyone! Things have been finally happening! We found out that Golda has a bed at St. Mary's, but they were still waiting for an authorization code for the admission from the insurance company and they were still trying to get someone on the phone to negotiate their rate. The facility is in-network but they have to re-negotiate the rates due to factors beyond our knowledge and so we are stuck in the middle - St. Mary's doesn't want to take Golda until they know how much they will be paid and the insurance company doesn't want to negotiate. It's beyond frustrating to say the least! I can understand St. Mary's point of view - once they take her they might be stuck taking a lower rate that can set a precedent, but at the same time I really want my baby to move already and get out of that NICU. ARGH!!! LIJ was working on the assumption that everything would be settled today and set up a transfer for tomorrow, but they had to cancel it at the last minute because it was not in fact settled yet. Hopefully it will be tomorrow and she can then be transferred either tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning.

I went to visit our little Golda yesterday and found her really alert again. Her weight was 1765 g (3 lbs. 14.25 oz.). Today we had the pediatrician for Leah and Micah. They received their Syngergis shots and got a general checkup. According to their scale, Leah is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 inches long. She is measuring -5th percentile! Micah is 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long and is measuring -5th percentile for length, but 3rd percentile for weight! Leah got a clean bill of health as did Micah, although the doctor recommended a urology consult for him. He checked out the testicular hydrocoele and saw a darker area that isn't completely consistent with that diagnosis. He said he didn't think it was anything too serious, but a consult wouldn't be a bad idea. He also recommended a gastroenterology consult for their reflux. Additionally, we are going to give the Enfamil AR formula a try. We used the Carnation Good Start AR with Harry, but we can't seem to find it this time around. So, hopefully it will make a difference for these little ones. Oh, and the best part was that he said we could try to move them to a four hour eating schedule instead of a three hour one!!! Woo Hoo. Let's hope they adjust soon so we can maybe get some rest and get some stuff done during the days.

After the pediatrician we went to pick up the formula from Babies R Us, then the Mema from the train and headed out to see Golda for Sibling visiting day. Harry was very happy to finally get to see Golda again. We have a photo they took for us of Mema holding Golda and Harry. I will try to scan it soon. Golda was doing well today. She is now eating 36 ml of milk and weighs 1813 g (3 lbs. 15.96 oz), just shy of 4 lbs!!!

Okay, I just posted some random shots for your enjoyment. http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/RandomShots#

I will update again when I know what's happening with Golda's transfer!

Day 53 Update

Good Morning! Wow, I can't believe it's still morning and I am sitting here, especially this morning!

Last night we decided that Harry was really really bored and feeling like a second class citizen and needed some big boy time out so we took him to the Fun Zone on Route 110. He was very happy with the whole idea as you can imagine. First we stopped at the hospital to visit Golda. I went up while the rest of the crew waited in the minivan. Jon fed the babies while they waited - well mostly just Leah since Micah couldn't bring himself to eat a cold bottle and spit out immediately most of what he was offered!

My visit to Golda was really great. It was the first time that I have seen her so alert and content, although apparently Jon often sees her this way. She was pissed off when I first got there and disturbed her sleep by picking her up, but then she calmed down and just laid there looking at me and all around while I was having a conversation with one of the nurses. She was completely calm and content. It was really nice to see. Then when I put her back down she started crying so I unwrapped her to make sure no wires or tubes were pulling and she calmed right back down. The best part was seeing her laying there in her clothes, eyes fully open, looking around and waving her arms and legs like Leah does all the time! As I said, I haven't gotten to see this side of her since she usually just passes out in my arms and I was kind of confused when the doctors and administrators said they would be doing different therapies with her when she went to the intermediate care facilities. I couldn't' figure out how they would wake her up let alone get her to focus on anything since I never really saw her looking that cognizant before. Now that I have seen it, I am doubly glad that things are falling into place for her to go to St. Mary's since I realize how much she really does need to be out of there.

Anyway, on to her stats. Yesterday Golda weighed 1771 g (3 lbs. 14.47 oz.) and today she dropped a little to 1765 g (3 lbs. 14.25 oz.). She is still eating 35 ml of milk and otherwise doing very well. Her g-tube site looks so much better - there is only a little pinkness left.

Okay, so after the hospital we headed out to Fun Zone and had Nathan's first. Harry gobbled down his corn dogs and fries and wanted to head over to the rides before Jon and I had even finished our hot dogs! We finished up, changed babies and headed to the rides. The way the pricing scheme worked out, if Harry rode 8 rides it was cheaper to do the pay one price, so we decided to get that. At first he didn't realize that was what he had and was only picking his favorite rides and only once. Then I explained that his bracelet meant he could go on as many rides as he wanted. He looked at me and said "oh", then proceeded to ride the "roller coaster" three times in a row! By the time we finished up the night we were afraid he was going to fall asleep on a ride! He and Daddy played Bowlingo (a smaller version of bowling) then we got babies changed and headed home. Harry was asleep before we hit the highway! He was disappointed that he didn't get to play more games, but we explained that we would do this again when we thought he needed big brother time and that this was because he was such a good big brother for letting the babies always go first (for dinner and attention) that this was a thank you to him for it. He was okay with it then and started planning the next big brother night already!

Last night though with all the messed up feedings the babies were all out of sorts. Jon took the early shift so I could get some sleep, but the babies were very crabby. I got up for the 3 am feeding and took them out to the living room after their bottles. They didn't stop moaning and groaning so I kept them out there, trying to give Jon a chance to get some uninterrupted sleep (his eyes have become permanently bloodshot these days). Micah slept in the bassinet and Leah in my arms while we dozed on the couch. It's amazing how quickly three hours go by when it takes and hour and a half to feed them and you sleep through most of it! Jon and Harry woke up around 7:30 am and came out to find us in the living room. Jon took over the end of Leah's feeding and I went to crash for bit while Jon finished up and got Harry ready for Sunday School. Micah let me know when they had left and I went out to calm him. Jon returned soon after, made me some breakfast and then fed Micah. I fed Leah when I had finished eating and Jon left shortly after to go on a much needed shopping trip to Costco. Micah chose that time to completely fountain most of his bottle - straight out of the bassinet and over to get me sitting on the couch! While I tended to him, Leah spit up too. Such fun! After changing them, cleaning up and trying out different spots for them to rest I wound up swaddling them and putting them in their bed in our bedroom. Finally some quiet! I loaded the dishwasher with bottles, then sat down to pump and write this. Well, so much for getting to this in the morning - it's now one o'clock and Micah has eaten again! Jon is back and will feed Leah now. And I wonder why we get seem to get out of the house before noon!!!

Okay, enough complaining. I am off to take a much (much, much) needed shower, then attempt to make it out of the house. Oh, I almost forgot, I spoke to the surgeon on Friday and he said that he is going to order a "button" for Golda (it's a device that sits flush against her skin for feeding instead of the g-tube which sticks straight out) on Monday or Tuesday. I asked what the actual name of the "button" is and the medical fellow gave me material on two kinds, but didn't know which would be used - the mic-key or the bard (see www.mic-key.com if you want to see what it looks like). I will let you know which one it is when I find out! The button will make life much better for Golda since she will then be able to lay on her tummy and wear regular clothes and eventually, to learn to crawl. Okay, okay, now I am really off to the shower!

Day 51 Update

Hi Everyone! Some interesting happenings in the last 24 hours. I spoke to many people involved with Golda's placement yesterday and things were looking very bleak for her to be going to St. Mary's, from insurance coverage, to bed availability, to transport coverage and medicaid coverage, nothing seemed to be going in our favor. This morning though someone from the finance office at St. Mary's called and said that they finally got clearance from medicaid that they would cover what needed to be covered beyond the insurance benefits and ... there is a bed!!! I was overjoyed of course! A few minutes later though the head of business development (the woman who is in charge of all matters business with respect to Golda's transfer) called and explained what's happening to me. It seems that the hurdle of medicaid coverage has been surmounted, but they are still negotiating with our insurance company. I asked if this would put the bed in jeopardy and she said there isn't one available yet - it should be open next week. This works out well since that gives them time to finish negotiations quickly to get her in. Fingers crossed that all goes well and she will be moved to Bayside next week! I can't tell you how relieved we are feeling - like a weight has been partially lifted.

So, Jon went to visit Golda last night. She was wide awake and interacted with him. She weighs 1750 g (3 lbs 13.72 oz.). She got her Synergis shot today in preparation for the move next week. I called the pediatricians and they said that Leah and Micah can get theirs at their scheduled appointment on the 11th and still be on the same vaccination schedule with Golda so we will not have to make another visit for that.

Leah and Micah are still growing nicely, but their reflux is frustrating. They seem to be doing a little better in terms of more feedings without issues, but there are still some really bad feedings - complete with poor eating, grunting, groaning, squirming and topped off with baby milk fountains. And even when they eat well and don't spit up too much, they spend the next half hour to an hour crying off and on while burping up bits of milk. We feel badly for them since they seem to be so uncomfortable.

Harry is doing well. We have put in our request for the best time for our very first parent-teacher conference at his school. That will be in a couple of weeks. I asked Harry whether we would hear more good or bad and he said more bad! We told him that will probably not be the case, but if he thought so he should really work on that. We will see when we go. So weird to be on the other side of these conferences!

That's about it for now. More later!

Day 50 Update

Hi Everyone! Thanks to Grandma Deena, who is on Baby Duty now, I have a few free minutes and can actually sit down and do something! I have already cleaned out Harry's closet so he doesn't pull out clothes that are too small on him anymore and now I can turn my attention to the neglected blog :)

Let's see, since I last posted Golda has been increasing her weight nicely. Tuesday she weighed 1669 g (3 lbs. 10.87 oz.), Wednesday 1672 g (3 lbs. 10.97 oz.) and today she is 1698 g (3 lbs. 11.89 oz.)! She is still eating 35 ml of milk, which is a full feed for her and she is tolerating it nicely. Very encouraging is that while she is "eating" she really goes to town on her pacifier, sucking for all she is worth. It figures that she would be the one that could probably nurse successfully! Oh well.

She is now the same weight Leah was when she came home. And since she is doing so well, I guess that is why they are starting to push us to make a decision about when and where to move her. They have a bed available at Blythedale and can move her today or Monday. We have requested that she not be moved today and that we revisit this on Monday. The doctor agreed and so we are hoping for something to happen at St. Mary's so we don't have to move her to Blythedale.

Golda has received her Hepatitis B vaccine and will be getting her Synergis vaccine soon. We are trying to hold it off as long as possible so we can get all three of them to have it on the same day - that will make life easier throughout the winter and early Spring.

Leah and Micah are doing okay. They have been on their Zantac now for three days and while it does seem to be helping, they are still having feedings where they fountain whatever they have eaten all over the place. And there are still times an hour after feedings where they make nasty faces and then vomit up large amounts of milk. I have to call the doctor tomorrow to update him on how it seems to be working so we will see what he says.

We weighed them this morning and you won't believe it! Micah is now 8 pounds even and Leah is 6 lbs. 8 oz!!! They have both more than doubled their birth weights in seven weeks! The good thing is that Golda is on course to do the same if you correct for the two weeks she wasn't eating. Micah is looking so big these days! He has the baby fat creases on his arms and legs now, which is so nice to see. Leah is getting there - you can see where her creases will form, but she hasn't packed on enough weight for them to be real baby fat yet. It will be nice when she does since she still tends to get too cold when she isn't fully covered up, while Micah can hold his temperature a little longer. They are both starting to really pay attention to the world around them and are showing some interest in toys - trying on occasion to reach for them. Both have been able to hold up their heads and turn them while on their tummies for a few weeks now and Micah is starting to try to hold his head up when you hold him in a sitting position, but that noggin is so huge that he can only do it for a minute at most! Leah tries, but she isn't big enough yet to really get it.

Last night Pepa thought he would give Harry a treat and take him out for dinner. Harry picked Burger King and off they went. Well, it turns out that the Burger King near us has Kids Night every Wednesday. They have painting, coloring, balloons and a whole bunch of other stuff too. Poor Pepa. Harry has now declared that Wednesday nights will be dinner at Burger King with Pepa!!! You know what they say - No good deed goes unpunished!

Okay, that's it for now. I hope everyone is doing well - drop us an email when you have a chance - or even post a comment :) Oh, and Jon has promised to have the Birth Announcements ready for mailing by Sunday night, so hopefully, if his printer cooperates, you should have them in your mailboxes by Wednesday!

Day 47 Update

Good Morning. Sorry about the missed posting yesterday. We actually left the house so that means there was no time for anything else of course!

Saturday, I called the pediatrician and got one of the other docs in the practice. She wasn't comfortable calling in a prescription on Zantac for babies so young and little and wanted us to wait it out over the weekend and she would see if she could get us an emergency appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist today. She also wanted us to try switching them to a soy formula to see if that made any difference. It made a difference alright - it's a lighter formula so it was easier for them to spit it up! I called again this morning to speak to the doctor we saw on Thursday and he agreed right away to call the prescription in to the pharmacy. I picked it up on my way back from visiting Golda and we have started it!

Golda is doing well. She got her last dose of antibiotic today and they took out her IV. I have been asking about when she will get her Synergis shot (the RSV vaccine) and her hepatitis B vaccine and they finally told me today that she can have them and they will discuss it tomorrow at rounds. She had a repeat CBC today and it showed that her white blood cell count is back down to normal. Phew. It also showed that her hematocrit (proportion of red blood cells) was borderline low. They are going to watch it before deciding to give her another blood transfusion. The interesting part here is that the intermediate facility cannot do blood transfusions so she may have to stay a little longer until they determine that she is hematologically stable as well! We will see what happens.


I have actually gotten to see Golda two days in a row. I went yesterday with Auntie and Auntie was so excited because she got to hold her!

Yesterday, Golda weighed 1622 g (3 lbs. 9.21 oz.) and today she weighed 1658 g (3 lbs. 10.48 oz.)! I went to see her again today because I had an appointment at the medicaid office at LIJ. Babies that are born weighing under 1 kilogram and / or are in the NICU for at least 30 days are automatically eligible for medicaid. I had to bring in paperwork so they could file the application for us. Then I visited with a supervisor for the social workers since I am not happy with our social worker. Aside from lying to me about the possibility of St. Mary's she hasn't been the friendliest or most helpful of people. This woman was much more helpful and is going to look into the treatment plan the doctors are going by now so we can have some idea of when Golda will actually be ready for a transfer. After that stop I went by the Child Health Plus desk to inquire about it and got some information. Next I went to the admitting office and gave them our new insurance cards, or rather cards, since six people do not fit on one card! They went over all our information with me and gave me a booklet on hospital services and policies complete with the state's patient bill of rights. That was what I have been wanting so we can figure out our recourse if they want to transfer Golda before we are ready. I topped off the day at LIJ with my visit with Golda. Her g-tube site is looking much better and she was sleeping calmy, very soundly once I was holding her.

Anyway, I am going to sign off for now since I am quite pooped after all my running around. Remember, tomorrow is election day - don't forget to vote!!! Obama '08!

Oh, and I posted some photos of Harry's school parade. You can see our little train engineer parading around. Enjoy! http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/PS232HalloweenParade2008#

Day 45 Update

Hi Everyone. I was too exhausted to post yesterday. Jon was trying to make his quota at work and had to be at the computer as much as possible so I was handling all the feedings solo. Jon took over last night at midnight, giving me much needed sleep, although he is still running on fumes... and caffeine.

I took Leah and Micah to the pediatrician on Thursday (with help from Linda, thanks Linda!) to discuss their possible reflux. I merely described their symptoms and he watched them lay there and spit up repeatedly while he examined them and he started explaining what reflux was and why they had it. Needless to say, I stopped him and said I knew all about from myself and from Harry. We agreed that we would try adding cereal to their bottles for three days and if that didn't work then he would call in a prescription for Zantac for them both. The good part is that they both have gained weight nicely so the reflux isn't affecting that thankfully - of course, that's because we are taking an hour and a half to feed the two of them. Micah weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz. and Leah at 5 lbs. 14 oz. We couldn't believe how much they had gained - two pounds for Leah in the 20 days since her last visit!

He also checked Micah's circumcision and said it looked fine, but his left testicle was swollen! Apparently Micah has a congenital testicular hydrocoele - in English, he has fluid filling the sac surrounding that testicle. It usually resolves without any intervention within the first year or two of life and doesn't cause any pain or problems, but is merely something to keep an eye on and make sure it doesn't change or worsen. Also, we need to keep an eye on the area just above and to the side of his penis to make sure it doesn't show swelling because that could indicate that this problem is a hernia and not a hydrocoele (although the doctor doesn't think that is the case).

In spite of the plan, I called the doctors' office this morning to ask them to abort the cereal trial and call in the Zantac now. Both babies had really bad nights complete with copious spitting up and writhing in pain. I am waiting for them to call back.

Golda is doing well. Her g-tube site is looking better and less red so they are continuing the antibiotics for a full 7 day course. After today she has one full day then one day with two doses. While it stinks that she needs to remain on them for so long, in a way it works to our advantage - there aren't any beds yet in St. Mary's and she can't be transferred while they are still resolving this issue so it buys us some much needed time.

Golda is now up to 35 ml of milk each feeding and is tolerating it well. The day before yesterday she lost a little weight and was down to 1588 g ( 3 lbs. 8.01 oz.) but she gained most back last night and weighed 1601 g (3 lbs. 8.47 oz.). I went to visit her last night and found her wide awake and looking all around. Her face is looking more full and cuter now too. I was sorry I didn't take my mom's camera from the car. Oh well, next time.

Harry had lots of fun trick or treating with Mema. He almost filled his pumpkin! The funny part is that he doesn't really like candy so it will sit there until we decide to throw it away (or eat it).

That's about it for now. Have a good weekend!

Day 43 Update

Good Morning! Sorry about the missed post yesterday. I had my six week post-partum check at 1 pm and it seems that whenever we try to actually leave the house we run ridiculously late!

My appointment went well. They were very happy to see Leah and Micah and one of the nurses even disappeared with Micah for a while - to show him off! I was given a clean bill of health and can resume normal activities as my body allows. It will take some time to be back to normal especially with the extended bed rest I was on (thankfully not strict bed rest or I would be really a mess now!), but I am making progress. The shocking thing for me is that I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight! Of course, my clothes still fit badly since everything is about three inches lower now! Ah the joys of pregnancy, especially multiple pregnancy. Oh well, it's not like I was wearin' bikinis before this.

After my appointment, we went to see Golda but the entire unit was closed. They were doing a surgical procedure in one of the rooms and so there were no visitors allowed for about two hours! That is the worst part of Golda being in a NICU - being barred from seeing her during the short time we have allotted for a visit. We went home and fed the babies; it had been almost five hours between feeds for them and they were starting to really complain. They both gobbled down their bottles and fell asleep. Micah woke up about two hours later and screamed bloody murder. We realized after a bit that he was hungry (for those of you that heard Harry, Micah is learning the "hun-gee" cry too! really weird) and gave him two ounces. He ate it slowly but steadily and then fell back asleep. We put him in a rocker and ate dinner ourselves. Then he started crying again! It was time for the regular feed now so we decided to try giving him the full 3.5 oz. Well. That little piggie ate all of it making a grand total of 5.5 oz! This morning I gave in and filled a large bottle with 5.5 oz and he ate it all. Leah took 3.5 oz and almost seemed to be looking for more too. I can't believe how much they are eating now.

On that note, we have become a little worried about their eating habits over the last week. Both of them, but especially Leah, grunt and groan and squeak while eating. They turn their heads all over like they are trying to get away from the bottle and sometimes actually shove the bottle out of their mouths. But if you try to take it out they suck it back in and if they shove it out then they open their mouths right up for more (after burping). And if you lay them down after eating too soon hiccups will start inevitably and sometimes even while you are burping them. I posted about this on the triplet site and got four responses. One was "it's normal, they'll outgrow it" and the other three were "mine did the same until we got them zantac or prevacid for reflux". Grr. Just when we thought we had escaped that this time around. Oh well. We have an appointment with the pediatrician today at noon to discuss this.

Golda is doing really well. The antibiotics and Ilex are working their magic and her g-tube site is looking significantly better. They increased her feeds to 33 ml over an hour every three hours yesterday. She is finally gaining really nicely too - her weight yesterday was 1574 g (3 lbs. 7.52 oz.) and today is 1607 g (3 lbs. 8.68 oz.)! And I spoke to her new attending yesterday and was told that she will most likely be ready to transfer to St. Mary's or Blythedale on Monday. That was a surprise, but I called the liaison at St. Mary's to get everything rolling. She is going to let us know if a bed will be available - fingers crossed everyone! LIJ will let us wait until Friday for a bed without too much of a fight, but more than that might be an uphill battle, so, really, cross those fingers, toes, eyes, whatever you can!

Harry has his first class trip today. They are going to a farm for the usual fall activities and because of the need to wear clothes that can get dirty, he got to go to school in regular non-uniform clothes! He was quite pleased! And tomorrow they are allowed to wear their costumes to school for the parade (8:45 am in the school yard, weather permitting) and the carnival (starting at 9 am for school kids only). They will be trick or treating in the carnival I think. Harry's costume arrived yesterday - he is going to be a train engineer. The costume fits perfectly and he looks adorable in it. I will take lots of photos of him and post them tomorrow.

That's it here! I hope everyone is doing well and staying warm. Oh, and for those of you who got snow, digging out! I can't believe we are talking snow already!

Day 41 Update

Good Evening! Sorry for the late posting, but this is literally the first chance I have gotten to write.

I went to visit Golda last night for the evening session (9 pm) and my mom came along. We found Golda in her new room at the end of the hall. She was resting quite comfortably and the nurse was about to do her vitals. While I was scrubbing, Mom and the nurse uncovered Golda and as she was waking up she pushed her Repogle right out! I haven't seen her actually get the whole thing out before, but I guess she has really built up her tongue trying to push it around! I jumped on the opportunity though to get some photos of her cute little face without anything in it. I have put them up at Picasa along with some other photos of the bris and random other stuff. The links are below.

Anyway, Golda was doing okay. We got to see her get her sponge bath and I changed her clothing. That wasn't nearly as easy as for Leah since Golda is still hooked up to many wires and tubes, but I managed. The nurse suctioned her and replaced the Repogle then I got to hold her. It was one of those really rare occasions that she was wide awake while I was there! Such pretty eyes she has! She was getting cranky waiting for her meal and then got really calm and happy when it started flowing. A really good sign was that she was hungrily sucking on her pacifier while waiting and during the feeding. Hopefully she will retain that reflex through the wait for her surgery and we won't have as many feeding issues afterwards.

The nurse told us that one of the doctors felt that Golda had an infection in her g-tube and had started her on antibiotics. This was, of course, after they had removed her broviac that morning so she had to have an iv started. Really poor foresight on their part and I wasn't too pleased, but really, what could I do at that point? I spoke to the resident in charge of her case today on the phone because I had some questions that couldn't be answered last night. Basically they feel she has an infection even though they haven't done a culture because her total white blood cell count is elevated, although her lymphocytes and neutrophils are not, and because she has a white discharge from the site that doesn't seem to be milk. She does not have a fever and hasn't exhibited any other signs of infection (like apnea) which is good and might indicate that they have caught it early. She has been on the antibiotic two days now and will remain on it for five to seven days. This should not interfere with any transfers to St. Mary's since it should be gone in a week and the transfer would not likely be before two weeks.

They have also changed from putting the Maalox on her stomach to using Ilex, a petrolatum-based paste that is made for this use (to protect her skin from stomach acid). Aside from all that, she weighs 1512 g (3 lbs. 5.33 oz.), about the same as the day before.

Leah and Micah are doing okay. They gave us some trouble last night. Micah seemed to be in some pain from his circumcision and was making a lot of noise causing Leah to wake up and become cranky. Thankfully today I was able to remove his dressing and that really made him feel better. I didn't have to do that for Harry - Jon took care of it because I couldn't bring myself to so this was the first time I saw it looking so raw :( Jon said that was how Harry's looked too so it should be fine. Poor little guy, I would cry too!

We are also thinking that Leah and Micah are showing signs of possible reflux. Like that wasn't expected. They grunt and groan and complain while eating and after. Burps are accompanied by the "icky face" and crying and lots of spit up. Even an hour after eating they are sometimes still burping up milk and they do better if we leave them sitting up after eating. Such fun! We are going to wait until Micah heals a bit more to make sure this isn't from that and then we will take them to the pediatrician.

I weighed them today and was shocked to find that Micah is now 6 lbs. 15 oz. and Leah is 5 lbs. 5 oz.! They are really packing it on, especially Micah! And they are both looking so much longer than they were. I can't believe how fast they are growing. I suppose some of their crankiness could be due to growing pains, too!

Harry was feeling much better today. His sniffles were almost completely gone, his voice was back to normal and he only coughed once or twice. The day off did him a lot of good and he was happy to get back to school today. And he even managed to make it through the day without getting any warnings / time outs!

That's about it for now. Here are links to the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/BrisAndBabyNamingX2#
http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/BBBVisitToGolda#
http://picasaweb.google.com/WindyNYC/GoldaSCuteLittleFaceWithoutTubes#

Day 40 Update

Good Morning! Things are a bit out of sorts here today since our schedule got completely screwed up with all the bris/baby naming happenings yesterday. The bris went well aside from the last minute aspect of it all - we were of course running late. My mom and Brent came over to help us get it all together and get out of here before we were actually late - thanks to them! And thanks to everyone who helped get the room in order before everyone else arrived. And of course thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate this special occasion. After all the worry, it was nice to celebrate the arrival of the babies!

Micah handled it pretty well. He cried during the actual bris and a little after, but nothing like his big brother. Harrison cried solid for three hours after his bris! He wouldn't eat or calm down for anything. I am so glad that in spite of Micah crying at every little thing, he wasn't as upset - I don't know if I could have handled that! Leah, of course, was fine - she wasn't the one going "under the knife"! She just had a hand on her belly while a prayer was said.

I would appreciate it if everyone who took photos could send them to me. I will then put them up and post a link. Needless to say, we didn't actually get to take many photos.

I called last night and this morning to get updates on Golda. She was moved yesterday from the NICU room to the step-down room! I think these are just names for the rooms since the step-down room is still in the NICU suite and still requires all the precautions, it is just a lower level of care for babies that are more stable. This time we are fine with this move and think she is ready for it.

She had a good day yesterday and was getting fussy when I called - it was time for dinner and she was hungry! This morning when I called I was told they stopped her caffeine (which made her more alert so she wouldn't forget to breathe). The last time they increased her caffeine dose they said that they don't usually increase it - they give an adequate dose for their weight and then let them outgrow it until the point where it isn't having any effect any longer then they stop it. I guess we are at that point now for Golda! I was also told that she had a repeat eye exam today, but we don't know the results yet. I will try to call the doctor's office later on and find out. Her weight today is 1516 g (3 lbs. 5.47 oz.). We will be visiting Golda later on.

Harrison is home with us today. His "allergies" have blossomed into a cold and we have to get this under control as soon as possible so the babies don't get it. He is spending the day resting away from them, with frequent hand-washing, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that they haven't already gotten it.

Okay, that's all for now! More tomorrow!