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!!!