16 weeks!

What a week!  Their inching closer to their due date!  We have been really enjoying our time with them - it's been quiet, they've been stable and we're able to hold and feed so much!  We spend as much time up there as possible!  This week, thanks to Landon and rescheduled surgery, it's been more than usual!  The babies have been really making progress this week - some weeks they're stable, others they take off!  Here are pictures of our beautiful babies!  And did you notice what day this is!?!  Proud of myself! :)

 

Here's our stud muffin!  He had pulled out his feeding tube so was posing like a big boy! 

 

Brennan and Daddy being goofy!

Brennan Nicholas 5lbs 11oz (birth weight 1lb 4oz)

Brennan has been making great strides eating!  He's up to 50cc of 28 calorie fortified breast milk.  It's pretty much like sludge, but tasty sludge!  :)  He's been taking most of his feeds by bottle (at least 50% and finishing most of his bottles!).  He is the hardest to burp, but has reflux, so we've gotta get that extra air out!  Also, breathing wise...do you see something missing?!  He was weaned from 2 liters of oxygen to 1.5, then 1 liter.  Once he tolerated room air at 1 liter for a couple days, they took off his nasal cannula!  He has been off since Tuesday!  So proud of him!  He's way more portable too!  He's the easiest to move when we hold them all!  :)  It's hard to breathe, keep oxygenated and take a bottle, but he's starting to master it!  He's pretty messy though - here come the bibs!  We're just so proud of him!  He may be the front runner in the home stretch now!

Landon James 6lbs 11oz (birth weight 1lb 7oz)

Every week I am amazed at this little one!  He is doing such a great job gaining weight!  This weight was pre-surgery to it's true, well minus 10cc of cerebral spinal fluid.  You can read his update from surgery, but had a VP Shunt placed yesterday on his 16 week birthday.  He has been down to about 30% oxygen and taking more and more of his bottle.  We're really hoping to see a good difference in him now that he doesn't have all the pressure on his brain.  Already last night he seemed comfortable.  He did get some morphine and Tylenol for pain, but he looks much better!  I love this picture of him too!  He and Brennan do look a lot alike!  More of an update probably next week, he was uncomfortable for the past couple days and now in recovery mode.  Kids are so resilient!  I would've been such a wimp, but he (and so many of the other kids in the OR waiting room) were so brave!  He is a fighter, that's for sure!

Brooklyn Danielle 5lbs 6oz (birth weight 1lb 3.5oz)
Don't let this sweet picture fool you!  She is an angel, but a wide awake, eat everything in sight angel!  Last weekend she took all of her feeds by bottle, then tired out so this week she was only allowed every other feed by bottle (the other by feeding tube).  Well, that wasn't ok with her!  If you get your hand or her cannula or her blanket, or or or...anything too close she tries to eat it!  She's very eager, but takes too much and usually brady's (low heart rate).  She's really good at self recovering, but it takes a lot of energy out.  She has been able to wean her oxygen flow to 1 liter and about 23-25%.  Brennan didn't have as much lung problems and Brooklyn didn't have as much bowel problems as the others.  It's showing, and their excelling, but have homework!  She's getting there! 
Well, there you have it!  Their 16 week update, only 1 day late!  AND I've slept well this week!  Hailey is doing really well too, she loves going to day care and playing with her best friend Ella.  We are so thankful to so many for helping Hailey find some rest and stability in this chaotic couple months!  She is doing well, much in part to you all for your help!  She can't wait for the babies to come home too - even knows where Brooklyn's going to sit in our van!  Right next to her of course! :)  Can't wait til we have a houseful of babies, but we are enjoying our last days as a three-some.   

God has been so good to us and we are blessed with such amazing support and a terrific family!