Our Kids

(I couldn’t think of a good title, and the girls are a bit floppy, so…)

Hi!

Quick update from Billings…

Sounds like a repeat, but… the girls are continually improving, but sometimes they throw us a curveball every now and then. That happened yesterday (wednesday) when we came back from lunch to see Piper under the bili-lights. This is basically a tanning bed setup in order to decrease the bilirubin count that had been inflated a bit with her.

It’s pretty common, especially with premies, but it still is a little scary to see your child under the lights. Little piper had blockers over her eyes and it looked like she didn’t enjoy being there since she couldn’t have a blanket or anything to make her cozy.

Today, though, her bilirubin count returned back to normal, so she came out from under the lights after just 24 hours. We were happy and I think she was even happier.

Lela’s contiuing to ramp up on her feedings and she’s been doing really well. She’s up to 20cc every three hours and probably by tomorrow she’ll be up to 25cc. She’s almost caught up to Piper who is at 29cc. If Lela continues to handle her feedings well, she’ll have her IV out in a day or two which means she’ll be getting all her nutrients from mommy’s milk.

We still don’t know for sure if Lela’s PDA is closed or not, but they’re not going to do any more medicine for it anyhow, so they’re just going to give it some time before ordering another EKG. I
suspect it’s still a little open, but all her other vital signs are great, so not too much to worry about.

Mystique’s doing awesome after going through such a “fun” labor, delivery, and recovery. She’s cruising around pretty well and already showing what an awesome mom she’s going to be. I think she could watch the kids for hours on end… she laughs more at their facial expressions then anything else I’ve seen her laugh at.

Anyhow, that’s it for the kids… we feel blessed everyday that our kids are doing so well, getting such great care, and are in our lives.

More later!

jason

Hey, there is so much to report since we last posted. First of all the girls are doing really, really great. The NICU unit here is fantastic, the nurses and the environment. They did a complete remodel in August of this year and we could not be happier that the girls are in such a great place that can help them grow.

Both girls are back up to their birth weights, so 3.3 for Piper and 3.10 for Lela. Lela has gotten totally off her oxygen and is breathing room air and holding her own, she had the last lead removed from her stomach (she started with two tubes in her belly), she started eating breast milk through a feeding tube in her nose yesterday and she is eating every 6 hours, 1 teaspoon full. So she is making big strides. Piper is doing even better than that. She has had her IV removed so she is totally on breast milk. She is eating almost an oz every 3 hours. So she only has the feeding tube in her nose, she is getting really good at pulling it out which is no fun for the nurses.

Piper had her first bath yesterday and that was fun. We put her in the warm water and she promptly pooped in it:) Must take after her dad! So we gave her a warm bath and I think she started to like it after the initial dip. Then we had our first family photo, our first visitor, my friend Shelby (other than granny and grampy haslup), daddy got to hold Lela for the first time, and the girls got to snuggle together for the first time since the womb. So it was a huge day for the girls and for mom and dad.

We are at the hospital most of the day and manage to get a few hours of sleep a night. We love our girls and are happy that they are here even if it is a little early. Thanks for all the help and support that you all have provided. Every kind thought and gesture is appreciated and we feel blessed to have such great friends and family.

Hello from Billings!

Just a quick update here… Mystique and I are with the kids in Billings and they’re doing really well. We’ve been able to hold Piper a couple times, and today Mystique got to hold Lela for the first time (for either of us). It was really nice seeing Lela out of her Isolet and in her mother’s arms.

Piper’s been beeing bed mystique’s milk the past two days, and we were just told that they were going to increase her feeding, so that’s a great sign. Lela is having an issue with her PDA (ironic, since her dad loves his PDA). This is a little valve that controls blood or oxygen (I forget exactly) and is supposed to close when the child is born. Lela’s is still open, which is sort of common with premies, and they’ve given her some medicine to close it.

The first round of medicine ended today but didn’t completely shut the valve. They’re starting her on another round today to see if they can get it shut. While she’s taking medicine she won’t be feeding, but we’re hoping in 36-48 hours shel’ll be able to feed.

So, all is well with the kids… it’s been nice spending time with them, and they’re getting just incredible care from the doctors and nurses at St. Vincents in Billings. Grandma and Grandpa Haslup are her for Christmas in Billings, then it’s back to watching the mutts in Bozeman. We appreciate all the help and support from everyone.

More soon!

jason

There’s a new “movies” category on the right and I put my first iMovie up there. There are two sizes… for modem users, the smaller one is probably a good idea.

Quick update… heard from the doctor and nurses last night and this morning and it sounds like the kids are doing well in Billings. Piper’s on “room air” which means no oxygen is being given to her, but Lela’s still taking some oxygen hits. Last night the doctor went over a lot of info with me, but the bottom line was that she doesn’t expect any complications at all. But, she does expect them to spend the full time (usually up to the original due date) in the hospital. That could mean we won’t get to take the kids home until February. But, at least when they’re able to, they’ll be transported back to Bozeman.

Mystique is doing better this morning… she’s excited that she might even be able to take a shower today. We’re still expecting her to be released on Thursday, maybe Friday

I should have some pictures on the right –> over there. Between all the tubes and hoods, those are our two beautiful little girls

jason

Summary: Mystique delivered (via cesarian) two beautiful baby girls to this world right around noon today. Lela came out at 3 pounds, 11 ounces while Piper weighed in at 3 pounds, 3 ounces. Mystique was at about 33 weeks, but based on their weight and some other tests, their maturity is around 30 weeks. They’re too small for our Bozeman hospital, so they’re being flown to Billings tonight. We’re not sure exactly how long they’ll stay in Billings but the primary pediatrician guessed from 7 to 10 days. Overall, though, the kids are doing very well… Piper’s pretty much breathing on her own, but Lela is in an oxygen hood for now. Mystique and I will head to Billings as soon as she’s released.

Mystique is doing very well… there’s a great story behind all this it’ll have to wait until we have more time. I just want to say, though, that Mystique went through a pretty rough 36 hours in order to give our kids some more time to develop their lungs and it obviously paid off. I couldn’t be more proud of the way Mystique not only delivered our children safely, but also how she took such good care of them throughout her pregnancy. I am forever grateful.

Today I signed forms and had the honor of writing “Father” on a form for the first time in my life. It’s the little things that reality uses to remind you of what just happened.

More soon!

Lela & Piper’s dad

Checked off another item from the “do before babies” list… we got our video camera over the weekend. I think the grandparents are most interested in that tidbit… we decided on a fairly mid-level Canon model (ZF 85, I think)… it doesn’t have all the ultra-cool features of their other models, but it also doesn’t carry the higher price tag. For the first few years of the girls, this camera should do just fine, though. Once they get more active, we’ll think about a high definition camera.

We did some babysitting over the weekend for some friends of ours… they think we were doing them a favor, but actually they were doing us a favor since we could experiment on their child with our baby stuff We learned that the vibrating bouncy chair might not be the best idea so soon after feeding (had a bit of a spit-up), and that I have no idea how to hold a baby for feeding time. Other than that, the night was a success… this time I didn’t even poke the kid’s eye with their sippy cup (which happened when we did some sitting for some other friends)!

That’s about it… this week’s activity is just a doctor’s appointment on Thursday to say hello to the kids… then on the 20th we have another ultrasound in beautiful downtown Billings with the doctor straight out of the X-Files.

jason

We had a good doctor’s appointment today. Dr. Peters measured the length of my cervix (an indicator of early labor) and it is holding strong way above average. We checked out the babies heartbeats and caught a quick glimpse of them on the ultrasound. Piper’s heart is working a little harder than Lela’s but that is probably just because she is catching up on her growth. Pipers was in the 140 range and Lelas 130 range, both normal.

I am measuring at about 36 or so weeks when I am actually 31 weeks, so that is normal. For all of you who have been pregnant before that will let you know that I am beginning to get more breathless (as if that were possible) and even less bendable (as if that were possible). I have been taking it easy in the afternoon’s working from home and resting. My mom and Jason have been a huge help. I feel really good and will continue to take it easy so that the girls can stay safely in their “apartments” for as long as possible. Check back on friday for another update:)