Eddie and Jen, Cinematographers

Before Gracie and Luke were born, Eddie bought a digital camcorder. Our goal was to record every moment in the babies' lives so that we could have them years later. We haven't done as well as we had hoped, but we have a short video we thought we'd share from the night the babies were born.





We hope you enjoy our first attempt at movie making. Check back soon for some adorable scenes of Gracie and Luke in their first days home.

P.S. There appear to be typos in the titles! I don't know why! I just checked and they are correct in the movie editing software. Grrrrrrrrr.

Our New Family

I've sat down about a dozen times to write this post and each time I do, I hear a whimper or a cry from another room and have to get up to check on the babies. Having them home is so wonderful. No more NICU! I really love taking care of them, holding them, feeding them. I am constantly awed by the fact that I am somebody's Mommy, let alone, two somebodies.

It isn't easy. I don't have anything to compare this to, but I can certainly say that I am exhausted and am desperate for some sleep. It has been hard because Eddie is in his wheelchair and can't help me with everything I need for the babies. We haven't gone grocery shopping either. He needs someone to help him and I need him to get someone else to go with him. The babies are generally fine for the first hour or so of an outing, but if I can avoid going out with them, that is the preference. It isn't that they aren't perfectly wonderful on a trip. It is just that an outing is like planning a military campaign and by the time the babies are in the car, I'm ready for a nap.

Gracie and Luke are growing like weeds. Gracie has already gained a pound and a half in the week or so since they have been home. Luke has gained several ounces, but they would like him to be gaining more. He is a pretty hefty 6.25 lbs, while Gracie is 4 pounds 12.5 ounces. Pretty great considering we haven't reached their due date yet. The nurses keep telling me the babies shouldn't even have been born yet. Gracie's face is filling in and she is looking great! Slowly, she is starting to look like a baby instead of a preemie. Luke has the sweetest face and makes these adorable sounds when he sleeps.

This Thursday will be the end of our second week home with them and they will be 4 weeks old. I promise to try to be better at posting updates!

They're Coming Home!

So many things have happened this week. I had every intention of sitting here and writing about how much the babies have changed, the challenges of pumping (what seems like constantly), getting to feed the babies bottles, etc. But all of that has flown completely out of my head because the Twinsies are coming home today!

September 20th has always been a special day for Eddie and me. It is the date he first asked me to go out on a date. In fact, it was 19 years ago today that he got up the nerve to call me. Now, it will be even more special because it will be the day the Twinsies came home from the hospital.

Once they are home, I will sit myself down with a baby on my shoulder and tell you all about it. Right now, I feel like crying from the joy!

Gracie and Luke are One Week Old!

I can't believe it has already been a week since Gracie and Luke were born! So much has happened in the past 7 days. I can't even begin to take you through all of it, so I'll just share the highlights and info about the babies. Of course, a post about them would not be complete without pictures!

As I wrote last week, Gracie and Luke were born about 8:55 pm on September 5th. Both were taken to the NICU where they both started in Room A. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is arranged by room numbers indicating the level of care a baby requires. Room A is for the most critical babies and babies progress to Rooms B, C, or D as they improve.

By last Friday, Gracie had made her way to Room B and then on Saturday was moved to Room D! She is wonderfully healthy and just needs to grow. She started out at 3 lbs 7 oz and lost a bit of weight as the amniotic fluid was flushed from her system. On Sunday, she weighed 3 lbs 5 oz and is gaining a little bit of weight every day. The NICU measures weight in grams. She is currently at 1650 grams and when she hits 1800 grams, she will be moved to a regular bassinet instead of the intimidating isolette where she currently resides. She is already drinking from a bottle and has already expressed her preference for Mommy's milk instead of that yucky formula! I got to feed her her very first bottle on Monday, the 10th. She has made great progress in the feeding department and is taking an ounce of milk every 3 hours. This may not sound like a lot, but considering that she was only taking in one-sixth of that last Thursday, it is awesome! If she can only gain 9 more ounces and drink from a bottle at every feeding, she will get to come home.

Luke was in Room A until Monday, when we came in to visit and he had been moved to Room B. Luke's main issue continues to be his respiration. He was born needing lots of help getting in enough oxygen. His lungs were not quite ready for the real world and so he had to use a lovely nasal canula. He still has them now, but they do not have to keep him on the same levels of oxygen as they did early on. His chest moves slower now and he does not lose his breath as much. He gets the hiccups often; not surprising since he had them 3 to 6 times a day when he was in my tummy. he no longer needs any antibiotics and had his IV removed yesterday. He is much happier now! As for his eating, this past Sunday, he was only eating 10 ccs of formula. Today, his nurse reported that he is up to 45 ccs (an ounce and a half). He is eating more than his sister, but he has a bigger body to maintain. She still wins for the first one to an ounce. The neonatologist called us this afternoon and told us that he is now on room air and the nasal canula will be removed tonight. If he does well with out it and can drink from a bottle for the next 36 - 48 hours, he will be able to come home this weekend!!!!!

Yesterday, they moved Gracie over to be with her brother in Room B. They like to keep twins together, so now, Daddy and I can visit the twins together. We were able to take our first family photo today! How exciting that it happened on their One Week Birthday!

Daddy and I visit the Twinsies every day and are already changing diapers, holding pacifiers, and staring at them for hours on end. Daddy has already been practicing lullabys with them. The other Moms and Dads will smile when they hear him singing and the Twinsies just love it. They smile at him and hold onto his fingers.

We are so excited to be a family and can't wait for the babies to come home!

The NICU

Within moments of being born, Gracie was wisked off to the NICU. Being only 3 lbs 7 oz at birth, she was too tiny to make her way to the regular nursery. She is very tiny, but when I see other babies in the NICU, she is good sized. Luke started in the regular nursery, but had problems breathing and soon found himself in the NICU as well.

Nurses can tell you about the NICU, but they can't really prepare you for the emotions you will go through seeing your babies there. I did not get to see the babies until the day after they were born. Daddy had already seen them three times and was already much more comfortable in the NICU than me. He knew his way around the NICU: how long to wash your hands, carrying a piece of paper towel so that if you need to touch something outside of the baby's area you don't need to rewash your hands. He had already seen the NICU and was prepared for the alarm sounds and the wimpering of the tiny babies there. I wasn't ready for it. Seeing Luke laid out in the bed with the oxygen and multiple leads attached to his chest was almost too much for me. He looked so small and the machines around him very intimidating. He was one of the wimpering babies. His chest rose and fell rapidly in an unnatural pattern and was very scary to watch. Gracie was slightly better. She was simply lying in her bed, much tinier than her brother.

It is very scary seeing the babies you have held safe in your tummy for 36 weeks lying spread out with tubes and wires attached to them. I feel an incredible sense of guilt whenever I see them. If only I could have kept them inside me for a bit longer, maybe they would have been stronger and would be able to be with me in my room. Instead, because they came so early, now they are lying on those beds where I can't hold them. It makes me so sad to see them there. I feel absolutely helpless.

Daddy tries to get me to look at the upside of it all: Luke is breathing room air with the aid of those fancy nasal tubes you see on ER all the time and Gracie is already demanding food. She is known as the sassy one and was such a screamer, that they had to move her to another room. Both babies have their Daddy's blood type and Luke looks just like his Daddy. He has the hairline to prove it! Once Gracie puts on some more weight, I'll be able to tell who she looks like. Right now, she is rather skinny.

The nurses seem to think that the babies will only need to stay in the NICU for a few weeks. I'll be going home tomorrow. Being separated from them will be hard, but Daddy assures me that we will be here all the time and as soon as we are able, we will get to feed Gracie.

There is a support group for the parents of NICU patients and Daddy and I are planning to go. We need to feel more of a connection to the place and get reassurance from the nurses who work there. While they are very supportive, I don't think I have been really paying attention to what they tell me about the babies. I am so focused on my babies that I shut out everything else.

Please keep Gracie and Luke in your prayers.

Gracie and Luke are here!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Graciela Eva-Loretta and Lucas James entered the world about 8:55 pm on September 5, 2007.

Gracie weighs 3 lbs 7 oz.


Luke weighs 5 lbs 8 oz.

They are both in the NICU, but are doing well. See more pictures here.