Join me in my new blog home.

I have started a new blog mostly detailing my parenting experiences- I think my baby making days are over, so it’s time to move on.

You can find me at http://uppermiddlemom.blogspot.com/

It’s been a journey and I’ve appreciated your support.

Update, thoughts and reflections @1 month adjusted.

Ok, Ok, so long time no blog…

Let me tell ya, keeping up with 5 kids is tough!  Every spare moment is spent doing dishes or laundry, my minimal computer time is during my pump sessions (3X a day is all I fit in at this point).

We’ve been here for less than a month and I’m getting things settled- we have a pediatrician, the babies have already had their first appointments with the GI specialist (more on that later) and my little girl has her cardiology appointment in the next week.

They aren’t sleeping the greatest, but not terrible either- so trying to get all the sleep I can.

He is still nursing like a champ and we are bottle feeding her (long story), the GI specialist diagnosed him as having a soy/ dairy intolerance, so my diet has changed drastically (goodbye cheese!).  She continues to have reflux regularly, that we are working on controlling.  She’s finally hit 8 lbs.  so a huge milestone for her.   He is over 11 lbs. if not more (had a difficult  time converting the kg).

I bought my oldest son a fish yesterday and he is super excited, I was happy to do something special for him.  Hard not to feel like he’s getting the short end of things.  I walk him to the bus stop/ pick him up every afternoon now that my mom has returned home.  My quad stroller gets lots of looks, but has been a lifesaver!  We take walks around the neighborhood every evening and really enjoy it!

More later.  But yep, overall things are going well- just busy, busy, busy!

 

Talk about a case of the Mondays…

DH left this morning and is well on his way to our new life in FL.

I got the call last night that my little girl was being moved back into the more intensive unit and that her x-rays didn’t look good.  They are doing some tests right now and we should have a better idea of what is going on later today.  It looks like she may need surgery.

I went to the hospital this morning to see the kids only to get a call a couple hours later from daycare saying one of the older kids is sick, so I had to leave to pick them up.  So of course I’m anxious about everything going on, but there isn’t really anything I can do right now.

 

 

DOL 53, in other words- 54 days of NICU Hell.

Can you tell I’m not having a great day?

They just did rounds and neither baby is on track for coming home this week.  I was hopeful that O boy would be home Tuesday, but he had another apneic episode today, so at least Sun/Mon before he’s eligible assuming this doesn’t happen again.  My little lady had more projectile reflux today and is still only doing about 50% oral feeds, this is unlikely to resolve in a matter of just a few days.

DH leaves tomorrow, for good.  I am hoping to join him the second week of March, but my schedule is at the mercy of the new babies.  If that doesn’t happen life will get challenging- we will no longer have childcare for the E boys, so my daily visits to the NICU will become nearly impossible.

Trying to take it one day at a time, but in true preemie fashion- I get hopeful and then am brought to my knees by my utter lack of control and yet another setback.

Only hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Day of Life 49

Today marks seven weeks since the birth of the O babies, both of them are still in the NICU.  There is the possibility we could have them home within the week, but I’m not holding my breath- I know all too well how things can change out of nowhere.

O boy is up to 7 and a half pounds- so HUGE!  I keep telling him the little babies are going to start making fun of him if he doesn’t spring himself from the NICU soon.  His latest hiccup is an eye infection but it seems to be under control now.  He is on day 1 of 7 (so excited to not be on day zero- again!) without apnea required to come home.  He is feeding like a champ, breast or bottle- he can’t get enough!

Little O is doing better than her brother in the apnea department and is 7/7 days required for homecoming, so barring incident really just needs to start eating better.  She has more trouble with her feeds because her heart medication makes her sleepy and she just isn’t as robust after her latest infection.  Tomorrow is her last day of 14 on Vanco, so her system should start to recover.  As of right now she’s doing about 50% of her feeds orally, so progress, but a ways to go.  6 lbs. 13 oz. so not too shabby a weight.

The move is fast approaching, well at least for DH who will be leaving permanently in less than a week.  I plan on joining him in a couple of weeks assuming the babies cooperate.  It’s going to be a stressful and overworked couple of weeks wrangling all the kids without him.  Luckily my parents will be helping me out and my mom will be traveling with me on the plane with the FIVE kids- yikes, a bit nervous about that still.  A bit sad he will miss the O babies homecoming, but really we had expected them to be home by now- so it is what it is, we kind of need him to bring home a paycheck.

The stress of it all is starting to set in and the squabbles have not surprisingly picked up.  DH is tired, but the last thing I want to hear is about how tired he is when I’m just as exhausted and not using it as an excuse for everything.  I can’t wait to have things be back to normalish again, but that may be awhile.  My complete lack of infastructure worries me- he will be back to work all day and I will be in a new unfamiliar place with no help other than the few weeks my mom will be there initially.  Trying to keep the faith that it will all work out.

Overdue update!

I believe today is our 40th day in the NICU, the roller coaster ride continues.

My little girl is sick (again) with something so nasty they had to move her back to the old more intensive unit for powerful antibiotics.  She’s struggling with it and it shows, she’s really irritable and whimpers if you disturb her.  Because of this I’m not trying to nurse her and just making sure she’s really cozy in her bed.

Her brother is still healthy and is starting to nurse well, there is talk of him coming home soon.  I think he’ll hit 7 lbs. early this next week, huge growth!  I never expected him to be the first one home and had hoped they’d both be ready real soon.  Having only one of them home is going to be really stressful, more so than having them both there (other than the indication that it means he’s doing well).  Getting a lot of pressure to start him on bottles, something I don’t want to do- but short of moving into the hospital it’s the only way I can get him home.

Praying she knocks this out soon and can come home, week after next is the earliest that can happen- so I’ll set my sights on that.

Update

The latest on O&O

Both of them have graduated to open cribs- maintaining their own temps well.

He is back up on his feeds, now 35 ml and will have his latest PICC line removed today.  She is getting 48 ml. now every 3 hrs. and is also tolerating that well now that she has it on the feed pump over an hour (she had reflux issues).

She no longer has supplemental oxygen!  -So a BIG step for her!  We are working him towards this stage, but it will probably be awhile.

Her weight is up 19 oz. over birth weight, he is up 26 oz- and has outgrown his preemie clothes already!

There is talk of moving them to a less critical NICU unit very soon, so that’s very promising.

Both of them are attempting feeds at the breast.  They have very limited skills and stamina at this point, but I have seen minute bits of progress- hoping for better in the coming days.

 

The Move

The trailers have been packed and are gone from the old house, DH will meet them down at the new house in about a week to unload.  The crap from our house filled an entire semi!!!  I don’t think we expected that, but I did know we have a lot of stuff… Not much left in the old house, most of the furniture is borrowed from my parents for now, the rest of it will fit in a small uhaul trailer when we all move to the new house.

It’s been a bit of a hassle getting everything ready for closing, there are a number of things I have to get signed (and notarized) and of course the first time, the papers didn’t print right, so now I have to do them again.  Not a huge deal, but with everything else going on, it’s been annoying for sure.

E & E

E & E seem to enjoy the house being almost empty, they watch songs on TV and dance around the large open space in the living room- never mind that mommy and daddy have no place to sit   The have transitioned well to their temporary sleeping arrangement (in pack n’ plays) so thankful for that, as we weren’t sure how it would go.  Their next transition is away from their bedtime bottle (yes, we still do THAT) so we are reducing their bottles by an ounce a week, and by the time we all get settled they should be done with them (or so that’s the plan).  I continue to show them pictures of the babies and Big E gets really excited, little e- not that interested, I’m curious to see if this is the way things are when the new babies come home.

X

X is as headstrong as ever and I’m not sure he ever listens to me the first time I say something.  Last night he colored all over the counter top with purple marker ON PURPOSE!!!  Thankfully I was able to get it to come off.  He had no explanation for why he would do that, and became very upset that I had confronted him about it.  But really, you don’t want time out, don’t do things like that!  He is still excited about our move, so that’s good, and I won’t have to keep finding his snow pants when we are in florida

Me

I’m holding up well, but can feel the NICU fatigue setting in.  Also sick of the round the clock pumping, and fear of not getting the babies to breastfeed.  Trying to look forward to after the move and how nice it will be to feel settled again, just know it will be a long road getting to that point.

DH

DH prides himself on “handling stress well” but in reality, it makes him irritable, regardless of if he notices.  I love the man, but dang, it’s enough to make me scream sometimes!  I know once the move is complete and the babies are home and healthy he’ll be back to himself- thankfully!