Welcome to the Jungle

I feel like "Welcome to the Jungle" should be the Moran family theme song from now on because I'm pretty sure that is what my life is going to be like everyday from now on.
Jeff, Palmer, and I picked up The Queen B tonight around 5. Ashlyn Kay stayed with Laura & Ashley & big cat (ha) while we were taking care of business. After we gathered all of Blakely's belongings and got our million appointments set we were off. So here Jeff and I set out with the twins in tow and me sitting in between them. Not 5 minutes in Palmer starting crying because she had a bad diaper. Here goes Blake crying to make her feel better. So we stopped at the gas station, changed Palmers diaper, and off we were again. We picked up Ashlyn Kay and headed to the apartment. After taking a half a hour-not really-to unload three kids, their crap, and the stuff from the hospital...it began.
Jeff started to cook dinner and Palmer started to cry because she was hungry and so while Jeff was working on her bottle ashlyn kay was shaking keys in front of her face saying "hush baby sista, hush". Started feeding Palmer and here went Blake. So I started to feed Blake and then AK starts crying, "mac and teese, mac and teese". Okay, so now I am holding and feeding both twins, J is working on our dinner, plus mac and teese for big girl. I think by the time it was all over my shoulders were permanently stuck around my neck which is sure where they will be for the next oh lets say ever!
It is just so comical! We are so thrilled to have Blake home with us though. It is all becoming bittersweet and very real what has happened and what will continue to happen.
When you leave the NICU you are given a discharge summary which summarizes your child's stay. Upon reading what all happened the night she was born I was almost in tears. I never realized actually how terrible it was. She was born with no heart beat and they brought her back to life then lost her again and then brought her back...and here we were sitting in our SUV driving home. Oh Lord how much I love you for saving my angel!
Taking care of her bottom tonight was and will always be a constant reminder of her journey and our future journey to come.
I can't wait for Thursday but am sad at the thought of closing a very important chapter in my life. I also very sad to be leaving the Bradley family. They have been our saving grace and I will be indebted to their kindness and generosity forever. I love them so much!
Keep continuing to pray for a safe trip for us home and the ability to constantly give it to God.

AMAZING NEWS!

Everyday we get a phone call from the resident to update us on Blake's progress and other information we need to know. So like normal I answer and she goes over anything that has happened within the last 24 hours. She informed us that Blake took 98% of her feeds via the bottle. So they decided to remove her NG feeding tube since she was doing so good with her bottles. So that was great news! They had indicated we would have to go home with the feeding tube but thankfully she loves to eat.
On Monday she will be 12 days post op from her last surgery. Originally they were feeling the need to remove the sutures 14 days post op but this morning in rounds the surgeons said Monday would be fine because the sutures were ready. The resident told us that since she was eating so well, gaining weight, and getting her sutures out on Monday that she could go HOME! Hooray! So on Monday or Tuesday depending on us the Queen will be making her exit from Children's RCNIC. This is the most exciting news ever. This means we can leave on Thursday or Friday to head home to Bama. I am literally about to burst with excitement.
I just can't believe our journey here is coming to a end and we are finally moving on the next stage. It will be 7 weeks on Monday since the twins were born. I just can't believe how far we have come and in such a short amount of time. The doctors each time are amazed by how well she does with each task they give her. Meme says well of course she is doing good, God answers prayers doesn't he?! Our God is a awesome God for sure!
This time next week I will be sitting at my house looking at my three angels all together. What a blessing.
Lets all keep praying our journey continues to be positive!

Blakely & Palmer "friends for life"

The visit went great today! The snuggled a little and then fell asleep. Blake seemed to really enjoy herself and she calmed down so much while Palmer was there beside her.

Things are still looking up for both of them and Blake is doing great. She is now taking every feed, the full amount, by bottle. Coming home soon is so going to happen!

Funny Story

Last night Jeff, AK, Palmer, & I went to the Bradley's home to have dinner. After dinner we stayed a while to chat then the girls started to fall apart a little so we knew it was time to go. It was time for Palmer to eat as well. The Bradleys home is only a couple of minutes from our apartment so Jeff and I thought it would be okay for Palmer to hold off until we got home. Were we wrong! We buckeled the girls in and headed out of the drive. Palmer started crying or screaming because she was hungry then here chimed in Big Sis because we had left her "cup cup" and her "buh"! So AK is screaming "cup cup" over and over and Palmer is shrieking with hunger. Oh and we had also taken our trash with us to drop it off at the dumpster but of course we forgot to drop it off. So screaming kids and a car that smelled of poop! AMAZING! All we could do was laugh hysterically. Then Jeff said, "Just think if Blake was back there"! Ahhh!

A official meet & greet

I am just so stinkin excited because today will be the official meet and greet for Palmer & Blakely. Now yes, they did share a space for 31 weeks but have not yet actually touched each other. I haven't been able to hold both my girls at the same time nor even see them together. I just can't wait! My hope is that they just cuddle up together as if they have never been apart. Knowing my kids they will not even interact at all and just lay there like two babies-ha! I hope not. We will see I guess.

Palmer is obviously feeling better and cold free. Bless her little soul though I think she has some reflux but that is not shocking to our family. She is getting so big and is just as adorable as ever. Blake was doing great when I was there yesterday. She is now allowed to take a bottle every feeding. They give her 40 mL and allow her to take as much as she likes then they put the rest through her NG tube over 2 hours. She took 10 mL at the feeding I was there for and did really well. The OT and Speech Therapist will continue to work with her on that. She tends to want to suck it down quickly. If any of you know Jeff and how he eats this is not shocking one bit.

The discharge nurse dropped by again yesterday so we could discuss the possible discharge date. First of all I can't believe I am even getting to discuss discharge. I honestly thought this day would never come. On Wednesday she will have her sutures removed. From a surgical standpoint she is ready to leave, but from a feeding standpoint we will have to see. We hope by Wednesday she will be taking all of her feedings by either bottle or NG tube. A NG tube is the tube in her nose where they hook up a syringe and pour the formula in there and let gravity pull it down. So as long as she is doing good with feeds Friday is our discharge date. We will stay in Ohio for several days to make sure nothing is going to happen with her wound. Then on Monday or Tuesday we will head to Birmingham with a stop in Nashville. Blake still isn't able to put alot of pressure on her wound so riding on her hiney for such a long time would be too much. So hopefully October 4th or 5th we will be making our way to Alabama!

I just can't believe this day is almost here. Continue your prayers for her good progress!

another day

Well, Palmer woke up this morning sounding really congested and snotty. Jeff & I had planned on taking her to see Blakely this morning for their reunion. We were so excited! Just being on the safe side I thought it would be a good idea to take Palmer to the pediatrician to make sure her congestion wasn't a cold or something. Well wouldn't you believe it was! I am so upset. How did she get a cold? So not only does she have a cold which could always turn into RSV she didn't get to see Blake again. Can you say disappointing.
Then once I got to the hospital I found out that Blake threw up everything she ate yesterday. Whoever decided to start her feeds pushed a little too hard and she wasn't ready for all they were giving her. So she didn't do well and she has lost a fair amount of weight. Which was upsetting.
So her plan was changed again and they are going to start much slower like Jeff & I suggested. She was 5 pounds 2 ounces on Saturday and today she was 4 pounds 9 ounces. Ugh. Oh the upside everyone has been asking how much Palmer weighed. She is a whopping 6 pounds 4 ounces. Can you believe it?
We are hoping both girls are better tomorrow.

B Pod here we come

So today was a big day for the Queen! After surgery rounds this morning she was given the A-Okay for feeds. Hooray. We were knocking on the door of 3 weeks without food, poor gal. But that has all changed. The nurse called and said they decided to go straight for the bottle and no feeding tube. Jeff and I thought it was a little premature, but they are the physicians, not us. I arrived just in time for her first bottle feeding. They want her to take a minimum of 35 mils a feeding every 3 hours. She did pretty well with her bottle the first go round. She only took 25 mils, but the nurse said that was okay. About a hour after she ate she had a drop in heart rate, but I was told it was probably reflux which we know she has. So the nurse said she would see how she did at her following feeding. She was promised to be moving to B pod which is the private room so that Palmer can come and visit.
I called back tonight to see how things went and to see if she got moved. She did get moved, hooray! I am sad to see G pod go, but I am happy that Palmer will be able to come and visit. I just feel strongly that the girls need to be together. The nurse informed that her feeding went okay, but she did have some trouble breathing while she ate, so they went ahead and put in a feeding tube to start her off with. I was sort of happy about this. I really felt like they were throwing way too much at her way too fast. I don't want to overwhelm her, taking it slow is much better in my opinion. Hopefully she can work up with her feeds and then start back with the bottle again in a couple of days.
I also got to change her diaper today. I have only changed about 3 so far for her. Her bottom looked well and wasn't read and swollen so that is good. Her incision seems to be healing really well. It is still a little strange because her little hiney is so different from well babies. I am sure we will get used to it eventually.
I am as always appreciative of your prayers and need them to continue that all things keep going up!
Tomorrow after my 6 week post pardum check Jeff and I are planning to take Palmer to visit her sister! Hope she likes her as much as Ashlyn Kay.