Photos from Debbie's visit.

Debbie is hiding in this picture. Can you find her?? Hint. She is wearing a green shirt.She is standing under the sign.

Debbie standing near the famous sign. We played tourist one day before we went in to visit with the girls in the hospital.

Barry and I posing for our picture. There are these seats made to look like stacks of gaming chips.

Debbie and I are taking a turn next to the chips.

Our visit to the girls. Debbie is holding Brenna back when she was still in the hospital.

Me holding Chantrell.

A close up of Chantrell lying on my shoulder sleeping. Too precious.

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More pics of baby Brenna and update on Chantrell.

I found out that Chantrell has an infection that is like a flu virus. That is why she has loose stool and was acting lethargic. She is in an isolation room in an isolette so she can't get others sick. I went in to see her and I had to wear a sterile gown and gloves before I could hold her. She has to take medicine for a couple of days until she is better. So far they haven't put her feeding tube back in which is a positive step and she is on a lactose-free formula which helps her digest it better. For awhile now she has been spitting up some formula on her clothes and we couldn't figure out why. We thought she might have reflux or some other problem with her stomach. I hope we can take her home in a couple more days. She is drinking enough from a bottle now and is gaining a half an ounce a day and that is good. Chantrell weighs 8 lbs. 14 oz. now. She is a pretty big baby compared to her sister.

Brenna went to the pediatrician today and she is doing great. She weighs 6 lbs. 10 oz. and that is a gain of 3 oz in 7 days. She could stand to gain a little more weight. All her other vitals are good. Everybody who sees her wants to know how old she is and tells us how cute and little she is. It is fun to tell people about her and her twin sister. I can't wait to take both of them out together. People are always amazed at twins.

Thursday I go to the dermatologist to have my hand looked at. I had this really small blood blister on my knuckle of my pinkie. Of course I picked it and wouldn't leave it alone. Well, this is what grew on my hand.

I have had this stupid thing on me for two months now because I was waiting to be approved for Medicaid health insurance. I finally got insurance for me and the girls. Mom thinks it is a hemangioma (a tumor filled blood vessel growth) DISGUSTING!!!! I can't wait to have it gone for good.

Another gross picture of it. It bleeds like crazy if I knock it accidentally. Usually I wear a band-aid to hide it from everyone.

A cute picture of Barry and Brenna sleeping on the couch.

When Debbie was visiting, she got to give Brenna her first bath at home. I video taped it and took some pictures of her. Brenna is so little and cute. She doesn't cry that much during bath time.

Debbie is holding her head so she doesn't fall over. Look at her fat little tummy. So cute.

All clean and wrapped up in her towel. Debbie, you look great in this photo. Thanks again for coming and helping out with the babies. We loved having you all to ourselves for the week!!

Here is Brenna trying out the swing for the first time. We are not sure she likes it that much. It just has an on and off switch and it swings pretty fast. She holds out her hand like she is riding a bull...whoa too fast!!

Not quite a happy face. She looks like she is trying to sleep but is having a hard time relaxing.

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Brenna is home!!! Finally!!

Friday afternoon we got to take Brenna home from the hospital. When we got home, Debbie and Tony got to hold her and feed her. It has been so nice to bond with my baby in a relaxed environment. Brenna weighs over 6 lbs now and her sister weighs over 8 lbs. They are both doing so well. The nurse thinks that Chantrell will be coming home soon too. She is drinking better in the last few days. With Brenna being home, it is a lot of work keeping up with her feeding schedule. I'm glad I have help with her. I do most of the night time feeding and changing. Barry watches her in the morning and then I catch up on a few hours of sleep. She is a good baby and only cries when she wakes up really hungry. You can hear the milk hit her emply stomache as she gulps it down so fast. We call her the chug-a-lugger. Barry and I are both pretty tired because we don't get to sleep as much as we want to anymore. The joys of parenthood!! It is so worth the long nights and tiring days. My babies are so precious and I love them so much. Here are the latest photos of Brenna coming home.Brenna, in her carseat at the hospital giving us a big yawn. She is dressed all in pink from head to toe. I love her little upturned nose.Taking a little snooze while we waited to leave. There is always paperwork to be filled out.In goes the binky when she cries. She is too cute.Sister Chantrell in her crib falling asleep. Don't worry. She will be coming home soon. I love her beautiful dark hair.Close up of Chantrell. Her eyes are blue and are looking so big in this photo. She definately has a different look to her than her sister, Brenna.
Me holding Brenna on the couch at home.Barry is holding her now. She is still so tiny.Aunt Debbie taking a turn with Brenna.Trying out the crib for the first time. The purple mat is to save you from having to change the sheet if the baby throws up. Then, you only have to wash the purple thing. It's called a sheet saver.She is holding her own binky in with her fist.

teacherspice

The babies and Lake Tahoe pictures.

Debbie holding Chantrell after her feeding.
Debbie is feeding Brenna her bottle. Brenna is wearing the preemie hat that Erica bought for her.South Lake Tahoe, looking towards the casinos.

View of the lake, looking north.

Barry and me at Lake Tahoe.

Close up of Barry feeding Brenna her bottle today. She is drinking 50 ml of formula at every feeding.

New colors on the blog for my little girls.

The girls are not home yet. We almost had Brenna out of the hospital on Saturday but she didn't do well on her feeding. Her heartrate dipped below 100 (it's called a "Braidy", like in the Brady Bunch, I probably did not spell it right) and when that happens the bell goes off on her monitor. The nurse had to report it to the doctor and they felt she wasn't ready to go home yet. Chantrell has had a few Braidy's too during her feedings. You have to pull the bottle out and sit the girls upright and then they remember to breath. Other little babies have their monitors going off all the time. I never noticed how often my girls would have these problems before. Now, that I know more about the machines and what they monitor, I am super sensitive to what happens during feeding times.

I love giving the girls their baths, even if they are slippery when wet and I almost drop them in the little tubs. I have to visit with them every day, sometimes twice a day. They are so cute and cuddly and smell so good. The nurse and doctor keep saying that the girls may come home in a couple of days. But Brenna has her feeding tube back in again because she can't keep up with the demanding feeding schedule. We will have to wait and see when they are actually in the carseats in the car, then I will believe that they are coming home.

Barry and I have enjoyed having Debbie visit with us for the last week. It is nice to show off the girls and have some more family here. We have gone shopping at Babies R Us for bottles, a bottle brush, crib blanket and burp rags. Thank You to Lisa for the gift cards!!! Debbie also showed me this cool store called Once Upon A Child that has gently used baby furniture, toys and clothes. She got me a wipey warmer, two receiving blankets, and a play toy that changes as the baby grows up. We had lunch afterwards at Baja Fresh, my favorite place to eat. Monday, we went to Lake Tahoe for a drive to look at all the pretty sceanery. It was nice to breath in the fresh mountain air and see the gorgeous blue lake. I will post some pictures soon.

Our 4th Anniversary and Baby May Be Coming Home.

Today is our 4th anniversary. We went to see "Ironman" in the movie theaters. It was a good action packed movie, and we had yummy popcorn and drinks too. We haven't been out to the movies in about 8 months. Thanks mom and dad for the card and check for our special day. We found out that Brenna, the little one will be coming home soon. The nurse pulled out her feeding tube because she drinks bottles at every feeding. Brenna now weighs 5 lbs. 8 ozs. We have been invited to spend the night at the hospital with Brenna in our room. We will feed her and change her every three hours. It is like a trial run I guess and if we have any questions, the nurses are right there to help us. We are going in tonight and she might be coming home with us tomorrow!! Fingers crossed!!! Now Chantrell needs her feeding tube out and she can drink all her bottles too. She has gained weight and now weighs 7 lbs. 3 ozs. We think that they are both ready to come home now. They both drink from bottles and have steadily gained over an ounce a day. This Saturday they will be 3 weeks old, but still two weeks from being full term. It won't be long before both babies are home and then I can have them all to myself. Of course I have to share them with Barry, Tony, and Debbie too. My weight has gone down again. I have lost over 50 lbs. since the girls were born. Yahoo!! Clothes fit better and I feel lighter. My c-section is all healed and causes me no pain. I still have high blood pressure but it is coming down each week. Pretty soon I won't have to take medicine to control it. Here are the latest pictures. Enjoy!!! This picture is upside down or sideways. It is of Brenna having her hearing tested. The girls look like space cadets with all the electrodes on them. Both of them can hear just fine.

Barry holding little Brenna.

Me holding Chantrell during her test. The nurse tried to explain it to me. The girls hear a clicking noise and they react by their facial movements or neck muscles and then the nurse can tell that they can hear. I think that is what she said. Otherwise, how can you tell if a newborn baby can hear?? Make loud sounds and see if they jump??

Picture of Brenna at 10 days old stretching in her crib. There is a video clip of her at the end of the post.

Tuesday night, we went in at 10 pm for the girls bath time. This is me washing Brenna. She hardly cries during her bath.

I am removing the heart monitor sticky tab and getting ready to wash her body.

I love this picture of Brenna all curled up. She is still so tiny and precious. Her hair is a light strawberry blond color.

Action shot of me washing Brenna. One time the nurse washed the babies in the pink tub and this nurse wanted the babies washed on the towel and just use the pink tub to rinse them off in. Each one does it a little different.

Baby Chantrell after her bath. I took a movie with the video camera of Barry giving her a bath and just a few photos of her afterwards. Next time I will film Brenna getting her bath. I love my little girls so much. I can't wait to have them both home!!!

Barry is dressing Chantrell in her pink little outfit. Chantrell cries loud during her bath. She doesn't like getting wet at all. It is so cute to hear her.

Ok, here is the story of why I have flowers, balloons and teddy bears delievered again. When I was in the hospital having the twins, mom ordered two dozen pink roses, two balloons and two teddy bears. I received two dozen red roses, one balloon and one teddy bear. The flower company made a mistake on my order. So, I get a call from the owner who promises me a new delievery on Mother's Day to make up for the missing items. I got nothing from them on Mother's Day. So mom e-mails them and tells them to refund her money or fix the order. Today, I received the beautiful pink roses and two more balloons and two more teddy bears. The company finally came through and now mom and I are both happy. I'm going to press some roses and put them in the babies books.

A picture of the balloons and the flowers.

The teddy bears are white and are on the counter.

Close up shot of the pretty smelling roses. They are really beautiful.

Our visit to the girls today. Brenna, without the feeding tube in her nose, is drinking from a bottle for Barry. In the background you can see the car seats. We were excited when the nurses told us to bring them in for the girls to try out. The babies get to sit in the car seat for an hour and the nurses make sure that they can breath while sitting in a new position.Close up shot of Chantrell sucking on her pacifier. She drank her whole bottle for me today. We want her feeding tube out because she can drink really good from a bottle now. The nurse said that she would talk to the doctor today.