Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Back in Blogging Business!

Wednesday, September 25

Our computer has been discharged...we are now a complete family again! It's amazing how much you depend on computers these days. I am so thankful to have it back, and I know the blog fans are too!

What a week it has been! We have settled into a routine...well, sort of. Although the girls are not on an exact schedule yet, they eat about every 3 hours during the day, and about every 4 hours at night. Dad and I each claim a daughter before going to bed, and we wake up with that girl throughout the night. So we are getting some sleep:-)

This picture sums up our home lately....
(Not that I would be any happier if I was wearing those awful casts).

The difficult part has been trying to keep Devyn happy. She has been miserable lately. I'm sure she is uncomfortable in her casts. We went in to see her orthopedic doctor on Monday, and he said her feet are looking great after only one week wearing her full-leg casts. So, while we wait for her braces to be made she has to have only half-leg casts. I assumed this would make for a much happier baby now that she can bend her knees....I was wrong! She still screams unless she's being held. I don't mind the extra snuggle time, but it sure makes it hard to do ANYTHING else (like feed Kinley, do dishes, or change out of my pajamas sometime throughout the day).

Devyn in her new casts. They don't quite reach her knees this time.

Well, tonight Devyn had apparently had enough. She somehow managed to wiggle one of her feet completely out of its cast! SO, now I need to call the doctor in the morning and get an appointment to replace the cast. I'm dreading it though, because he said that if this happened she would get the full-leg casts back.
 How did she do that?!?!

The girls had their first follow-up appointment with the eye doctor on Friday. Everything still looks good. They still have some under-developed blood vessels in their eyes that he has to monitor a while longer, but they never developed any of the other conditions common in preemie babies.

Good thing we didn't have triplets! We've only got two hands!


A few more pics from this week:
 Daddy and Kinley

 Thank God for pacifiers!
 
 Relaxing!

Going to visit Frank and Jada...have to wear our Jayhawks gear!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Braces and Casts

Wednesday, September 18

The Marsh girls don't have any teeth yet...and aren't old enough to play sports to break any bones, and yet we've already had two casts put on and have been fitted for braces.

Devyn had her appointment with the orthopedic doctor on Monday. The doctors think Kinley was squishing her while she was in the womb, and when she was born her feet were turned in towards each other. The physical therapist worked with her while she was in the NICU, and it has gotten much better, but her feet are still very stiff and she doesn't have a very good range of motion with either foot. So, I was eager to get her in for this appointment to continue correcting the problem before she gets older and it gets more difficult to fix.

After a short visit with her orthopedic doctor we learned that there are only two ways to correct this type of problem: surgery or casts. Luckily, the doctor doesn't think her feet will require surgery. Instead he said she would need casts on both feet/legs to correct the problem. After that she will require braces and additional physical therapy to maintain the correction. So, poor Devyn had a terrible morning. After the doctor upset her during her initial examination, she had to have moldings taken of her feet to order the braces she will eventually wear, and finally we went back to the doctor to have the casts put on both legs. Even though the problem is in her feet and ankles, the casts reach all the way up her legs.
Full leg casts:-(
 
She was pretty miserable....which made us pretty miserable. It is incredibly awkward to carry her or try to position her in any way. She looks uncomfortable in almost any position.

She will receive new casts each week for 2-3 weeks until her braces arrive. Basically they look like a plastic boot. I'm not sure how long she'll have to wear the braces. From what I understand she may only have to wear them some of the time-perhaps only at night.

The swing seems to be the most comfortable for her. She spends a LOT of time here lately.


On Tuesday Kinley had her first follow-up appointment with her neurologist. The doctor was pleased with the results of the MRI that was competed before she left the NICU. It showed only a small affected area on the right side of her brain. There is no treatment that can be done for a brain bleed, so she will be monitoring her for the next couple years to watch for any complications. If there are any, they would show up as motor delays such as delayed rolling over, walking, etc. Only time will tell....

Kinley Grace
 
Our computer is currently at its own hospital. The "doctors" have ordered a new screen for it, and hopefully will be able to revive it. I'm dying without a computer! And I know some of the blog fans get concerned when there are no updates. Hopefully it won't be much longer!
 
A few pictures from the past week:
 Kinley in her bouncy seat.
 
 My movie partner (Kinley) crashed on me.

 NMSU Aggie fans already. They have adorable matching bows, but their heads are still too small!
 
Kinley's Aggie shirt. Can you see the carpet cleaner in the background? We had our first projectile vomit experience this day.
 
Personalized outfits....just what every girl needs!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

12 Weeks Old!

Thursday, September 12

Okay, okay...so I'm a little late with the 12 week post. The blog fans are beginning to get restless, so I can't put it off anymore.

Devyn and Kinley turned 12 weeks old on Monday. I can't believe three months have gone by already! It's been a very busy week, with many more to come I'm sure!
Kinley loves her bouncy seat!
 
Monday was Devyn's pediatrician appointment. She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was just shy of 21 inches long. She must have had a growth spurt recently, because Kinley was beating her in the length department for a while, but now Devyn is in the lead again (Kinley was 19.5 inches long at her appointment last Friday).
Guess who!
 
Tuesday...is a blur. I don't remember what happened on Tuesday:-(

Wednesday was girls' day out. We spent the afternoon out shopping with Grandma Carol. We learned that many shopping carts aren't big enough to hold two carseats. I guess my future shopping trips will be limited to stores with good-sized carts. And these carseats are heavy! I'm going to need to build up my muscle strength so I can carry them both at the same time.
Ready for their first outing together!

Today the girls had their first professional photo shoot! What an exhausting adventure! I followed all of the photographer's instructions for a successful shoot... We gave the girls a nice, calming bath before heading over for the shoot. I made sure the girls were hungry so they could eat as soon as we arrived. Grandma and I did the best we could to keep them awake so they would sleep through the photos. Well, all that had work did not pay off.

Kinley fell asleep almost immediately. Devyn, on the other hand, had other plans. She was awake for at least an hour after arriving. We spent a LOT of time waiting for one of the girls to go back to sleep.  Each time the photographer started to arrange them for the picture, someone would wake up and start screaming. I believe each girl was punched or kicked a few times by her sister. Grandma and I were exhausted from rocking, consoling, and soothing upset babies. After a four hour shoot, I am confident we got some great photos! I can't wait to be able post some to the blog. I'm sure it will all be worth it once we see the pictures!
Here's the sneak peek our photographer posted to her Facebook page. Isn't it adorable!?!?! Love those girls!

Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to Grandma Carol:-( She has been the most amazing helper over the past four weeks. She wore many hats while visiting the Marsh family: cook, gardener, landscaper, housecleaner, mover, babysitter, painter, decorator, and many more. We sure are going to miss her, but I'm sure she needs a vacation after all this!
What will we do without her?!?!

Blog fans...you'll know if we can survive on our own if you get to read another blog post from me. Stay tuned....
 

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Ready For Some Football!

Sunday, September 8

Well, it didn't take long for Dad to begin preparing the girls for a life of sports. I think he's hoping for a better response from the girls than he's gotten from me. When I woke up he already had Kinley in her Minnesota Vikings jersey, and mine and Devyn's were ready and waiting.


 



Our first night with both girls went pretty well. Better than I was expecting actually! The girls cooperated nicely and each waited for her sister to finish eating before she decided it was her turn...for the most part! I did walk into their room at one point and Dad was holding both girls trying to convince them to wait patiently for their feeding.

Tomorrow is Devyn's turn at the pediatrician. We'll see how much bigger the "big" sister is.


The girls did NOT appreciate this photo shoot.

Together At Last!!!

Saturday, September 7

After 82 days in the NICU, Devyn Marie came home today! She weighs 7 lbs. 12 oz. (born 3 lbs. 3 oz.). Our family is now complete:-)

 In the elevator
 
Devyn's first car ride.
 
 Although they took amazingly good care of our girls, we won't miss this place. The NICU (above) and St. Rose hospital (below).
 
The Marsh girls were reunited this afternoon when we arrived home from the hospital with Devyn. Even in the hospital, the girls were kept separated. With the exception of two occasions when we were allowed to hold them at the same time, the girls have not come close to each other since they were born. It's been hard to try to compare their features and size when they were so far apart.
 
Reunited
  
The Marsh family....complete.
 
We spent the day showing Devyn around the house and enjoying having both girls together again. She tried out some of her baby gear and ended the evening with her first bath at home.
 
 Trying out the bouncy seat.

 Side by Side
 
 Kinley's bath

Devyn's first bath at home.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Due Date

Thursday, September 5

The Marsh girls were due to arrive today...I guess they didn't get that memo. Devyn and Kinley are 80 days old already.

Kinley is doing well at home. She had her first outing today when she went to lunch with Mom and Grandma Carol, and then did a little shopping. She is already ruling the house. She likes to be involved in what's going on around her. Tonight she fussed each time I set her down, so she ended up "helping" me clean the kitchen after dinner. 
Kinley with Grandpa

We have some great news to share about Devyn...she should be coming home on Saturday! Her feeding troubles seem to have disappeared almost overnight. On Tuesday morning when we left the hospital with Kinley, Devyn pulled her own feeding tube out. Apparently she was trying to tell us that she was finished with it. Her feedings for the rest of that day were so-so, but then Wednesday and all day today she has been eating like a champ! Her feeding tube is still out and she has been finishing all of her bottles on her own. 
 Devyn meets her uncle Derek.
 
Devyn is so excited to come home!
 
Tonight I brought in Devyn's carseat so she can do her 90 minute challenge tomorrow. Now that she is so close to coming home, she does not have to be on a set schedule in the NICU. She is allowed to eat whenever she is awake and interested. She loves to sleep! Sometimes the nurses have to wake her up because she's been sleeping so long. 

I can't wait to get the girls back together again. Sometimes I wonder if they even remember each other! And Devyn needs to get home before Kinley completely takes over the house!  
 Kinley's first pediatrician appointment.

Kinley with Grandma and Grandpa Marsh

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Three Quarters Home

Wednesday, September 4

At 78 days old, and weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. (born 2 lbs. 12 oz.), Kinley Grace finally came home late yesterday morning! At over 11 weeks old, she had her first car ride and first breath of fresh outside air. We are thrilled to have her home!
 Mom and Kinley getting wheeled out of the hospital.

 Her first car ride.
 
Streeeetch!!!

Kinley and I spent the day visiting all the rooms in her new house, and trying out all of the new baby gear. She has been such a good baby since coming home. She is very content to sit and watch as Grandma Carol and I put the finishing touches on the new house. She was a pretty good sleeper last night too, so I actually got some sleep as well!

Unfortunatley, the downside of bringing Kinley home was leaving Devyn behind at the hospital. She needs to get her feeding troubles fixed before she will be allowed home. No word yet from the doctors exactly when that may be. The good news is that when I went back for my daily visit today, the nurse reported that she has been taking all of her bottle feedings very well. This is exciting because until now she was only able to take an entire bottle once or twice a day. She doesn't even have her feeding tube in now!
 Devyn with no feeding tube!
 
This is what Devyn's chart read when I came in tonight.

Now that Kinley is home we have to start scheduling all of her follow-up appointments. Her doctor ordered follow-ups with her neurologist, cardiologist, lung doctor, and eye doctor; in addition to her pediatrician. We're going to be busy!
 

Kinley's first bath at home.
 

We look forward to bringing Devyn home soon and having the whole family under one roof. It won't be long now!