The Rowland Twins: Tobi's home and the girls are doing well

Today was a big, although emotionally difficult, day for our growing family. The great news is that the girls are really learning how to eat and are emptying their bottles quickly. Just two days ago I was very discouraged/partially distraught when it didn't seem like they would ever learn how to eat...and then just 24 hours later they were feeding on formula and breast milk with the best of them. Because Paige and Virginia were born about a week and a half before they would be considered full-term, their brains aren't as developed and things that would come easier for a full-term infant are a little more difficult for our girls. But they are progressing really well even though it's hard to see all the time. While I couldn't see much progress from one feeding to the next (they're feeding every three hours right now), when I thought about what they were doing the day before at the same time it was amazing how much better they were getting at something I initially took for granted--that they would be able to eat without any problems. But they are getting the hang of it and are eating enough that the neonatologist decided to remove them from their IVs yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, yesterday was a really great day. Not only did the girls get their IVs removed, but we had a really great visit with their doctor. He apologized for not being in the room more, but he said the girls were doing so well that they hadn't commanded much of his time. He was very happy with the progress they were making and that they were eating so well and said they may only have to spend a few more days in the NICU before we can bring them home. But they still do have some obstacles to overcome before they'll be allowed to come home. Paige has been having some difficulty keeping her body temperature up, so she's currently in an isolette. The good news is that they are very close to putting her back in her open-air crib. There is still a chance that she could go back into the isolette, but right now she's coming along nicely. Both girls are having some apnea issues. Basically they will momentarily "forget" to breathe. Right now they're mostly having this problem when they eat. Because they have premature brains, they're having some issues working out that they need to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time. As long as they're having those issues, they'll remain in the NICU, but we hope as with everything else they'll progress well from day to day. Finally, they need to stop losing weight. They have lost what the doctors consider to be an appropriate amount of weight so far, but they'll need to stop losing weight (although not necessarily begin gaining any weight) before they can come home. That brings us to today.

The great part of today is that Tobi is healing very well and that she was discharged from the hospital. We are back at home and enjoying resting in our own living room on our own couches (and watching our very own HD TV). We're both really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight. It is nice to not have the constant noise and interruption that came along with staying in the post-partum wing of the hospital. But the great thing about staying at the hospital was that the girls were just down the hall and we could go over to see them whenver we wanted. During the middle of the night when I walked Tobi's milk over to the NICU, I got to peak into the room and talk with the nurse. I was getting updates and little stolen moments with my daughters every three hours.

Leaving the hospital this afternoon was bittersweet. You never imagine that when you go to the hospital to have your children that you'll leave without them. Even though Tobi and I had prepared ourselves very early on in the pregnancy for the probability that Paige and Virginia would have to spend at least some time in the NICU, it was still hard to walk out of the hospital today without our girls in our arms. And even though logically you know that the girls being in the NICU means you'll probably leave the hospital without them, it is still a little bit crushing when it happens. Tobi and I both know that the NICU is the very best place for our girls right now, but we really would like to be able to have our entire family at home. All of the nurses have been really great though by almost demanding that we go home and spend some good time resting while the girls are in the NICU. Inja, our nurse for the last two days, has thankfully made some decisions for us, telling us when Tobi should go back to her room for rest and how much time she should spend at home while the girls get better. The women in that NICU have been really incredible to us and our girls. They keep telling us that with twins we're going to need all the energy we can muster and that we should take this opportunity to do that. And they have made sure to tell us that it is completely acceptable and expected that we don't spend every waking hour in the NICU with the girls. Beginning tomorrow we'll be there for at least two feedings during the day (probably the 11 AM and 2 PM feedings) and one feeding at night (the 8 PM feeding).

Speaking of tomorrow, the girls will get to meet their Uncle Lloyd for the first time. My brother has been so excited about their arrival and we can't wait until he gets to hold them...and change some diapers! For the time being, we have decided that as long as the girls are in the NICU we are only going to have family visit them. The girls (and their parents) need all the rest they can get right now, and the NICU isn't the most conducive place to have a lot of visitors. That being said, we are really looking forward to the day when we can show them off to anyone who will pay attention!

The girls' grandparents (Grandma, Grandpa Dude, Mimi, and Pops) have been really great to all four of us since Friday. They have done so much for us already that it is hard to imagine going through this without them. Tobi and I have been blessed with wondeful parents and the girls have been doubly blessed with amazing grandparents. They have set an amazing example for Tobi and me, and I hope we can be as great to our girls as our parents have been to us.

Okay, enough rambling from me. On to the pictures... (Sometime soon I'm going to set up a flickr account or something like that so we can put up all the pictures. We'll post here when that's up and running.)

FYI, you can click on the pictures below to bring up the full-size version!