A NICU Survival Kit: NICU day 55

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! 

We had a W O N D E R F U L Christmas with both of our families. We were surrounded with lots of good food, fun games and of course great company! What's better than all that? We hope you all had a great Christmas too!

Lets see, we visited the babies on Christmas Eve before we had the Coffey Christmas and before church. We changed them into their little Christmas outfits (made by Aunt Angie) and we filled their stockings with a few extremely cute Red Raider things. Here are some pics we took that night. 

Carter on left, Luke on right

Luke says "Look at me, Look at me!"

Carter says "But, what about me, Mommy?"

Uncle John got their attention and Luke seems to be clapping.

 

 The boys are doing really, really good. Each day we see them they are more and more awake and alert. They follow our voices if we're standing around them and they have started to really stare at us when we hold them. There have been no changes in anything. They tried to lower Carter's oxygen flow to 5 but he seemed to have been breathing pretty heavy so they put it back up to 6. When both boys can handle a lower oxygen flow, (specifically down to a 2) we can start the bottle feeding process. Sean and I both expressed to each other that we wanted to just handle them without a big blanket swaddling them. Just holding their little bodies and feeling how real they actually are is such a better feeling than always holding them wrapped up like little burritos.

On Christmas, we didn't go to the hospital until 8pm. We had a fun filled day at my parents to say the least. Well, it was a big pajama party and there was lots of laughter!!! 

Here's how the babies looked at 8 when we got to there.

Absolutely PRICELESS.

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When we got to there, I was surprised with a little Survival Kit from a sweet family who has been through this whole process about two years ago. If it gives you any idea, here are the special items for survival! 

A sweet note reminding us of all the prayers being said. And a reminder of "We've been there, done that and survived it all with healthy little twin girls." The envelope also held a suh-weet little gift card to IHOP, which just happens to be right across the street from the ol' Hospital. =) We LOVEEE IHOP!

 

 The cu-ute book, On the Night You Were Born book. "Life will never be the same." It fits just perfect! We read to the babies a lot already so new books are really great. And I do believe the moon smiled on the night you were born.. =)

 Receiving blankets to swaddle the babies. A mother with twins can probably never get enough of these!? 

A journal to record all the little milestones..OF course!

Thank you cards for the all the wonderful gifts we've received and for any extra special nurses.

Delicious smelling Hand Sanitizer. What's more important than C L E A N hands when dealing with babies? and ESPECIALLY preemies!

And last but not least, LOTION!!!!!!! You have NOOOO idea how dry our hands are right now, 

1. from washing for three minutes at each visit and 2. it being Winter. 

Lotion (a purse size) is golden these days!

There ya have it! A survival kit for families experiencing many, many days in the NICU. 

Thank you so much Owen Family.