Echo cardiogram results!

GREAT news!!!! Cole's echo cardiogram results came back today and there was no evidence of a PDA, which means it is still closed. Momma is RELIEVED!!!!

Things are great with the babies and Luukas is continuing to adjust to having siblings. He is very cute. He calls Olivia "girl." He loves to help us feed them and calm them down.

We hope you all have a great weekend! It's snowing again here, which means George will be working for 1-2 days. Thankfully, my mom is here helping out!!

Twins update!

Olivia and Cole were seen by the pediatrician again today. Their appointment was scheduled for this coming Wednesday, but Mommy decided to change it after seeing snow in Wednesday's forecast and also after a few sleepless nights with Olivia.

Olivia weighed 5 lbs 3 oz today. She gained 3 oz since last Friday. Cole weighed in at 6 lbs even today!! The twins are eating George and I out of house and home, as Cole is already eating over 3 oz per feed and Olivia more than 2 1/2 oz per feed!!

Our little girl is following Luukas' footsteps and was diagnosed with Acid Reflux (GERD) today. I have suspected this diagnosis since she was about a week old and in the NICU, as they had to take her off of breastmilk and cow's milk early on due to signs of Reflux. For the last week or so, she has spent lots of time up at night, making grunting noises, crying a lot, needing to be held constantly, and suffering from gas that Mylicon doesn't even touch. Dr. Antone prescribed Zantac twice per day for Olivia and said that she may need it three times a day and/or the formula may need to be changed. Dr. Antone said Reflux usually shows up around 3 weeks of age, so Olivia is on par with that. Right now....it's 3 a.m. She's been up for 2 hours and is sitting in my lap as I type this. :(

As for Cole, his follow-up echo cardiogram is this Thursday at 8:30 a.m. He will have it done at Crittenton Hospital, since Dr. Humes from Children's Hospital has a subspecialty clinic there. Also, Dr. Antone is able to pull results quickly since he has privilages at Crittenton.

The best news of the day to share is that both Olivia and Cole got their first Synagis shot to fend off RSV on Monday afternoon!!! They will have the shots monthly until April. We still have to be very careful and can only take the twins out for doctor's appointments until the weather breaks.

I've added a slideshow! We had a wonderful weekend with my sister, Sarah, her husband, Ken, and son, J.J. They were a great help and took Luukas for most of the weekend in order to allow George and I time to sleep. Luukas loved spending time with his cousin!! Also, I couldn't resist, so I added pictures that my sister in law, Rose, and her mom took on Sunday. They are too cute!

Cole just woke up so it's time to feed him and then hopefully I can get some sleep for 2-3 hours! We hope you all have a great week!!

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Weight Checks!

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Luukas sings a lullaby to his baby sister! The next day, the twins "explore" each other for the first time since being in my belly!


Today, Olivia and Cole saw Dr. Antone for weight checks. Olivia now weighs 5 lbs (according to Daddy - Mommy thinks the nurse said 4 lbs 14 oz!) and Cole weighed in at 5 lbs 14 oz. He's gained a WHOPPING 4 oz in just TWO DAYS and has officially outgrown his Preemie diapers and clothes!! We have gotten into a schedule (somewhat) and are feeding the twins at the same time, every 3 hours during the day, and up to 4 hours apart at night. Olivia was falling asleep during her feeds and I finally figured out that she needed preemie nipples for her bottles. She is now wide awake during feeds and doing much better! As for Cole, he's doing pretty well too! His pulse ox was 98 today, which is great. His poor mommy is still worried though that his PDA may have reopened so Dr. Antone is allowing him to have an echo cardiogram within the next few days to double check that it's still closed. Dr. Antone has not heard a murmur in either baby....but I know from our experience with Luukas that you don't always hear murmur's with PDA's. Thus, I worry - it's a Jewish mother thing!! Both babies also have follow-up appointments with Dr. Humes, cardiologist at Children's Hospital, on January 20th. Lastly, we should know next week (when we go for another weight check appointment on Wednesday) whether or not Cole and Olivia will be eligible for the Synagis shots (RSV).



Luukas loves his brother and sister!

Cole's 1st pediatrician appointment!

Today, Cole had his first pediatrician appointment. He weighed in at 5 lbs 10 oz and was 18 1/8 inches long. The appointment went very well. Both babies will have weight checks this Friday and then see the pediatrician as well.

We wanted to wish each and every one of you a joyous New Year!!