Finally...

Finally the finish line is in sight! We were told today that if the girls gain weight and pass the car seat test, that we can take them home on Saturday. A part of me doesn't quite believe it yet, and may not believe it until Saturday when we're putting them in the car. I didn't know this journey would be so difficult, long, and emotionally/physically exhausting. I have been admitted or visiting the hospital every day since March. It really has been a long time! This week marks 12 weeks since I had the girls and 15 since I was admitted. Needless to say, we will not miss the hospital. I will however miss some of the nurses we've had... the girls have gotten such good care. I can't say enough positive things about it.

Since I have not updated for a couple of weeks, I'll update what has happened with Lily and Claire lately. Lily's blood pressure was high for a few days in a row and they decided to order her a kidney ultrasound. Claire's blood pressure was border line high, so they decided to give her one too. The results showed that Lily's kidneys seem to be fine-- there was question whether one of her renal arteries was smaller than normal but the nephrologist decided it looked fine. Claire's ultrasound showed two small renal arteries, calcification, and overall her kidneys showed up bright. The nephrologist explained to me that the brightness indicated past trauma (and we all know how stressed her kidneys were shortly after birth). The calcification also is a sign of trauma. She reminded me how lucky Claire is and told me that she's going to be just fine. She'll have a follow up in 3 months and is at increased risk for hypertension in the future, but she decided to not do anything regarding their blood pressure since it's just borderline right now. We'll continue to watch it, just in case.

Lily and Claire both have had some issues eating. When feeding them, they would act like they were in pain and not want to take their full feeding by mouth. After a few weeks of this, they decided to order a swallow study. A swallow study takes films of the baby feeding and shows if any of the milk comes back up (reflux). They also thicken the feeding as they are taking pictures to determine what thickness works the best for the baby. It was determined that Claire has moderate reflux and Lily's is a bit less severe. As soon as they thickened their feeding the girls have done so much better. They no longer seem uncomfortable and eat larger amounts. Because this seems to finally be under control, home is right around the corner! We can't wait to finally have some normalcy again... or what will become our new normal at least (with twin babies in the house)! :)

We'd like to thank everyone for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers sent to the girls throughout this time. I cannot count the number of emails, cards, etc I have received from family, friends, and strangers who have been touched by their story. Prayer chains were started in several states and even in a couple different countries. It's pretty neat to think that two little girls, less than 4 pounds total at birth, have made such a difference already & touched so many lives. Joe and I are so blessed to be able to call Lily and Claire 'ours'. We're completely amazed by their strength, fight, and will to live. We've learned that strength has nothing to do with size. This journey has taught us just how fragile life is, and what really matters. We are so glad to be at the end of this road.