Sunday, June 17, 2007

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Today was very eventful for the boys. Mom brought in special clothes for them to wear -- little onsies and shorts that said "Daddy's #1 Team" on them in Red Sox colors. (Thanks Aunt Diana!!! They are awesome!) We had our morning feeding and then Jennifer, one of our primary nurses, ushered us through our first bath (yeah!). It was so much fun. Kathy was sure they would hate it and worried about them crying the whole time, but both boys seemed to really enjoy their tub time. They liked the warm water and only cried briefly when they had to come out. We even shampooed their hair in the sink ala the salon! What a terrific spa day!

We then held a brief "I'm so clean & cute" photo shoot with dad on his special day. After such a busy morning, the boys took the afternoon off for sleeping and weight gain and we went to a movie. :-) It was probably our last movie for a year or so, so we relished the time.

We are also beginning to hear the first murmurings about the boys going home. Gabriel has increased his breast/bottle feedings back to ever other feeding time. Elias is now over 4 lbs and breast/bottle feeding all his meals. These are the big criteria to go home! Today he had a "Carseat Challenge". Apparently car travel is the equivalent of an extreme sport for premie babies. Before they are allowed to leave the hospital, they must be able to sit in their seats for at least an hour without any trouble. Elias made a valient effort today -- and seemed to enjoy the seat, but after about 1/2 an hour he couldn't keep his head in the right position and his oxygen level began to decrease. So...it seems he will need a bit more time at the hospital afterall. This is obviously disappointing for us, but at the same time, we feel strongly that we don't want them to come home until they are ready (and we would hate to be driving through the canyon and have something happen!) Also, we do not want to separate them if we can avoid it. Kathy's theory is that Elias threw the game today to give Gabriel a chance to catch up. We shall see! Elias is re-scheduled for his carseat challenge on Wednesday. Please keep your fingers crossed for him!

No comments: