The Biggest Preemie Milestone: Jensen & Everett's Due Date

Everett's having a bad day

Today is one year from Jensen & Everett's due date so that means they are 12 months adjusted!  I feel like we need to celebrate their birthday all over again.  One of my biggest regrets in life is that these guys didn't get to cook as long as we were hoping they would.  But they are doing so great all things considered and I am so grateful for that.

At 14.5 months old/12 months adjusted, Jensen and Everett are becoming quite busy little bees.  They are great at getting around by just keeping a hand or two on the furniture, and can even stand unassisted for a few seconds.  They could start walking any day!  I'm not sure how I feel about that... They have also recently learned how to climb onto tall objects like boxes and into their stroller and want to climb on everything.

They interact so much lately.  It is adorable.  They love to play with each other, but also tend to want to play with the same thing so sometimes they get in little fights over toys. They babble at each other and even learn tricks from watching the other one.  Everett learned to do this funny face where he breathes loudly through his nose during his cake smash when some cake got in his nose.  Since he got lots of attention for doing he, naturally he does it pretty frequently now (and I love it.)  The awesome thing though is that Jensen saw that everyone though his brother was cool so now he does it too.

My FAVORITE FAVORITE thing they do is dance!  Whenever any music comes on, whether it's from a toy or a ringtone or an actual song or a more upbeat hymn in church, they start boogie-ing.  Jensen gets really into it.  I am so happy that they love music.

They both know how to wave and Jensen is clapping too.  They are getting pretty good at throwing balls.  They love pushing around little toy cars.  They love going to church because everyone around us gives them lots of attention.  But they are also shy too sometimes.  They had their first trip to the park recently and seemed quite bored by the swing and the slide.  They were content just to ride around in their strollers, thank you very much.  They looooove being outside and get upset if the front door opens and they don't get to go out.  Their favorite things to eat include cheerios, cheese, grapes, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes.  Everett seems to be slowly weaning himself, but I think Jensen will nurse until he's 10 haha.

Everett still only has 2 teeth, but Jensen has 6 now.  He finally got his middle front teeth in addition to the next two upper teeth so soon he will look less like a vampire.  But I'll admit I kind of like his fangs.  He does seem to have a hard time with bright sunlight, maybe he really is a vampire.

The annoying thing about going out with twins is that so many people stop you to look at and ask about the babies.  For some reason EVERY SINGLE PERSON asks "twins?!?!?" and then "a boy and a girl?"  *Sigh*  My boys are dressed in matching, boyish outfits every time too.  I can't figure out why they think one of them is a girl and it drives me nuts.  Maybe because Everett's hair is longer?

We hit a big milestone a few weeks ago.  We had a weight check appointment and for the first time in their lives Jensen & Everett are both on the non-adjusted growth curve!  That means they weigh as much as a normal 14.5 month old would weigh.  Okay, they're like less than 5th percentile, but still.  I love how chunky they're getting.

I'm so grateful that I get to be the mommy to these two precious souls.  It is exhausting and hard, and I am always afraid of doing the wrong thing.  But I also get so much joy from watching them learn and grow, getting to know their individual personalities and dying over their cuteness.  They are becoming such wonderful little people and I am excited and terrified to see what comes next.  My only wish is that they'd stop growing up so fast! (And sleeping through the night would be great too.)

And now, a peek into a day in the life of Jensen and Everett.  I have entitled it: Everett Is Sad Because He Wouldn't Take His Morning Nap, Jensen's Just Happy To Get To Play On The Bed

Home At Last

One year ago today, I received a phone call from one of Jensen and Everett's doctors.  "We've looked at his charts and decided that Jensen will be able to go home today along with Everett," he says.  I can hardly believe it.  My OB had told us that twins almost never get to go home from the NICU at the same time.  Blake and I finish getting ready and drive the route to what I then called our second home one last time.

Blake drops me off at the front door, as he unfortunately has an important meeting to go to that he can't miss.  We plan on him being done by about 3pm.  I ride the elevator to the top floor and approach the handwashing station for the last time.  Faucet on.  Soap, scrub, rinse.  Up to the elbows and in the knuckle creases.  Under the fingernails.  My hands cracked and cuticles peeling from seven and a half weeks of vigorous washing multiple times a day.  Soap, scrub, rinse.  The front desk lady greets me, and asks if today is the big day.  I confirm, and she says she'll let everyone know.

I head towards room 3 and greet today's nurse.  She's excited for me.  I tell her that I didn't bring in any milk today, for obvious reasons, so she moves some out of the freezer to thaw.  We have a whole cooler full of milk in their freezer that we will bring home with us.  My babies are waiting for me in our little private room at the back.  It's care time, so I go through the normal process.  First up is Jensen.  Change his diaper and drop on the floor for the nurse to weigh, take his temperature, change the probe from one foot to the other.  Then I get to try to nurse him.  It's difficult to get a weak little baby to latch, even with a nipple shield.  He gives it his best go and then it's time for Everett's cares.  Repeat process.  Everett is difficult to nurse too, but he doesn't usually need the shield at least.  I tell them that today is the day they get to go home.  They don't seem excited, but I think they'll enjoy being with mommy more.  When they are both in their cribs, I use the hospital pump.  I'm going to miss that thing, it is so much better than the one I have at home.

The first person to visit me is one of the NICU lactation specialists.  She checks to see how everything is going.  "I'm going to call you in a week and see how you're doing," she tells me.  She wants us to attempt nursing two times a day like we had been doing, and move it up as they become stronger.  I am so grateful for the help they had given me over those last several weeks.  Then the social worker comes and asks for the name of our pediatrician so he can get that information to my insurance.  He gives us information about financial assistance if we need it and tells us to call anytime.  After he leaves, I nibble on the snacks I brought.  I'm not sure if you're supposed to eat in the NICU because I never asked.  It's a little late now.

Three hours have passed and it's the next care time.  Diaper, temperature, probe.  We do a bottle this time.  Nursing is hard work for preemies and they need to rest.  Hello hospital pump.  The next person to come visit is the NICU dietitian.  She is a cute girl with red spirals for hair and freckles all over.  She hands me a packet about nutrition for the babies.  She also gives me a box full of human milk fortifier, that will be mixed into their bottles to help make up for the 10 weeks of growth and nutrtion they missed out on in my belly.  We set up an appointment for a month after discharge to check on their progress.

It's 3pm.  Blake is supposed to be here but of course things are running late.  The nurses change shift at 4 and we don't have anyone assigned to us.  The guy from the oxygen rental company comes to deliver Jensen's oxygen and show me how it works.  I wanted Blake to be there to see that too.  It's simple enough though so I can teach him later.  Then the guy from the pulse oximeter rental company comes to give us our oxygen monitor.  It makes terribly loud beeping sounds when the oxygen level is too high or too low, which we will get to enjoy for the next month.

The next care time comes around, and they were able to find a nurse to cover for us.  Later, I look at the pictures from their birth and realize that she was there too.  She tells me that her husband is named Everett and it's not a name she hears often, and that her maiden name was Jensen.  So many coincidences.  My favorite nurse, Angie, comes in to say hi and tell me congratulations.  She gives me a hug and requests that I send pictures to the NICU so that she can see how the boys are doing.  I can't say enough how wonderful the nurses were to us.  Blake finally arrives a little while after she leaves, and the man who teaches infant CPR gives him his own private class so that he doesn't have to come back two days later to take it.  Infant CPR is a requirement if your baby goes home on oxygen.  I had taken the class the day before.  After his class, Blake brings our stroller and a large cooler up to our room.  This is it.  It's time to go home.

It's 6pm.  I hold Everett without wires for the first time.  We put the babies in their carseats strapped into the stroller.  We pile the stroller storage high with everything we can fit.  The cooler full of frozen milk, the buckets and leads and tiny blood pressure cuffs that will make mementos.  The piles of papers and box of fortifier that was given to me earlier.  A tote bag with handmade blankets in it that they give to every baby at discharge.  Somehow we fit it all in and our nurse escorts us out of the NICU.  The lady at the front desk tells us congratulations and for the first time in their lives, Jensen and Everett get to leave the NICU.  The nurse helps us get into the car and then we drive away.  These babies are all ours.

We bring them inside and then the tears come.  This is real.  They are home.  They are mine.  My heart is full at last.

My parents and sister come over to bring us dinner.  I'm starving because I hadn't eaten much that day.  My mom sets up a cute little cake that she made along with banners and balloons welcoming Jensen and Everett home.  My mom is awesome.  My dad sets up our new Mamaroo swing for us and puts it in their room.  Then they leave and it is just our little family.  At home.  Together. 

Many people say the day their child was born was the best day of their lives, but for us, the day they came home was even better.