Noses, Bugs, and Noodles
Life is never dull for too long around here. Never ever.
Last weekend, I met another mom of conjoined twins who lives in the DFW area. Her babies were born in last year. She has an angel baby (in heaven), a 4 month old, and two older children. I got to hold her formerly conjoined baby who is a cutie patootie. He and his brother were born a little early, so he is a little guy (which only adds to his cuteness factor). He is such an amazing miracle. But the thing that made the biggest impression on me, and that melted my heart was when he cooed at me. It seems like such a "normal baby thing" that I am sure most of you don't realize the significance of this moment. But first, let me tell you what it was like: his coo had such a rich tambre that his entire body vibrated with the sound. Oh. My. Goodness. It was incredible. I have not heard my babies since before they were 6 weeks old. I have VERY few videos of their cries. It still makes my heart sad. And it made me think, "It is time to push Emmett and Owen towards being weaned off the vent." That was my mission for my next visit to the hospital - to convince the neo-natologist that it is time. So I walk into the boys' rooms with my mission set, and before I can even open my mouth, the nurses and neo-natologists tell me that they are beginning to wean Emmett off his vent! I felt like God was laughing, wagging His finger at me, and saying, "In MY time, child. Be patient." It was a good feeling.
So this week, Emmett has been doing trials of time off the vent. So far, he is doing 15 minute sessions twice a week of breathing on his own, and for the most part, he hasn't had a clue. He slept through it one day, and has played through it the rest of the days. If he continues to do well, he will be increased to 30 minutes 2 times a day. So HOORAY Emmett!! *(he is currently up to 3 hours a day! I started this blog a few days ago)
Owens vent settings are still being decreased, and he should be ready for vent weaning sessions in a few weeks.
They are both recovering from a yucky stomach bug that had them down for SEVERAL days (4 or 5-ish). On their worst day, they produced 20 poopy diapers! They little bottoms were so raw that they very nearly bled! It is now their 4th 'feeling better' day, and thank goodness for it. I had no idea that a 24-hour bug would be so severe for these little guys. Lesson learned.
This past Friday, we had a little jaunt To the emergency room. As I was pulling Ethan's bike out of the van, Liam had climbed into the back of the van and then promptly fell out, face-first, onto the pavement.
It looked terrible. As a speech-language-pathologist, I worried about a brain-injury (concussion), skull fracture, and brain swelling. After less than 2 hours I was reassured that he would most likely be just fine, and to watch for any changes in his behavior. I can tell you with confidence that Liam did not like the emergency room, but all was made better with a popsicle (provided by the hospital).
One last thing, there has been a website created that compiles a small amount information and support for families who have found that they are expecting conjoined twins. It has a few informative websites, but it is more about the stories of families who have been pregnant with conjoined twins, and the journey that each family has taken as a result. The stories of these families are all amazing! The website is centerforconjoinedtwins.org.
If you are interested in other amazing families similar to ours, it is a great resource!
Blessings to you all!
3 good things:
1.) spring weather and spring break
2.) sweet boys
3.) bar-b-que
