Rough Day...Boys are still doing great!

Yesterday we had to leave our two precious boys at the hospital and I think it was the hardest thing we have ever had to do.  I thought I would be ok with it, but then we went to see Bennett and he was awake and crying and it broke my heart.  There was nothing I could do but touch him in his isolette and all I wanted to do was hold him.  I think the thing that irritated me the most was the nurse practitioner and nurse were both standing there and weren't doing anything to comfort him.  Granted you can't hear him cry because he is intubated, but I feel that he should be watched close enough that they should know when he is upset.  He calmed down a little when I held his hand and talked to him, but when monitors and alarms started going off in the room (which is all the time) he would get upset again.  Finally they gave him a little sedation medication to help calm him down, but it was too late...my heart was broken and I did not want to leave him.

They had to put a PICC (a long lasting IV) line in Bennett's foot yesterday.  He tolerated it well and hopefully he won't have to keep getting stuck over and over to get IV's.  Yesterday was the first day we got to see Bennett awake.  It was amazing.  He just stared right at Jason and I.  It was strange how much he looks like his brother.  I feel like every time I see him he changes!  He is tolerating his feeds and had his first poopie diaper this morning.  We were very excited!  The physical therapist started working with him yesterday to straighten out his right arm and the nurse said he did not enjoy his time with her.  They are going to make a brace for him to wear a few hours a day to help him eventually be able to move his arm.  The doctor called this morning and they are going to have to give him a small blood transfusion, which is normal since they do so much blood work every day...his little body can't keep up.  They are also going to increase his feeds today.  He is currently on 27% oxygen, at times last night he was on 21% which is the same as room air.  He still needs the assistance of the ventilator to help with pressure to keep his lungs open and to help get rid of carbon dioxide, but the doctor said he feels that his lungs now have the reserve to do it on his own some day.  Right now his lungs still need to grow and hopefully now that he is starting to eat that will happen.  I am so proud of this little guy and how much he as accomplished in such a short time. 

The first time we got to see Bennett's eyes.  I fell in love with him more than I knew I could!

Video of Bennett awake for the first time!

Blake is doing wonderful as well.  He was very sleepy yesterday.  Jason and I tried to feed him twice yesterday and he would not wake up.  The nurse had to work her magic to get him to take his bottles, which he did.  He no longer has the tube in his nose and if he keeps taking all of his feeds from the bottle they won't have to put it back in.  He also got the IV taken out of his head.  He is a free baby other than the cardiac monitor!  Today he weighed 3 pounds 12.3 ounces (4pounds 1 ounce at birth) so they are going to start adding extra calories to his milk to help him gain weight.  He is out from under the bili lights and hopefully won't have any other issues with his biliruben levels.  I love getting to go see Blake and just hold him and kiss his little cheeks.  It brings us comfort to be able to snuggle with one of our babies since we are still waiting for the day we get to cuddle with Bennett.

Daddy feeding Blake for the first time

Mommy snuggling with Blake

Dress up session number 2...the first hat Mommy knitted in the hospital