update on babies

The babies are doing well. She is now 3lbs 10oz and he is 3lbs 6oz. They are telling us that soon she will probably be in a crib and that she might be able to get a bottle soon. And there is still hope for them or at least one of them to be home for Christmas. So this is very exciting.

So far there is no change on the situation with her brain. It has not gotten better but not worse either. It seems like this will be something ongoing rather than something that can just be rectified before leaving the hospital. Which I guess we kind of knew but at the same time, is upsetting to us. As it is, both of them being preemies mean they will have many more doctor appointments than the normal baby and now with this situation, she will have many more than her brother. And while we were not too thrilled with putting them in day care to begin with because of the danger it poses to preemies, we don't trust anyone else to watch her right now. So it looks like I will not be going back to work and we will be struggling financially. Also, while the fluid on her brain may drain on it's own, the ventricles in her brain are misshapen. So that means that her brain did not form properly. Hopefully she will have as little difficulties as possible because of this.

Now with him, his brain is fine but we found out yesterday that he has a hernia. They don't seem to think it is a big deal, it is not that bad and very common but it is just another thing for our babies and us to deal with. He will probably have surgery done to correct this before he leaves the hospital.

It is really hard dealing with all of this. We are so grateful that they are here and are healthy for the most part but still it is just so hard. We see other babies in the NICU for a day or two or even a week but then they go home and our babies are still there. We see other babies getting bottle fed or breastfed all the time, but ours are still getting tube fed. And to get to the NICU, you have to walk past all the rooms of the new mothers and we seem them with their new babies in their rooms. And then at the end of each day, we go home empty handed.....again. All we want is to take our babies home and live our lives.