Two Months Old and Finally Home!

We're so excited that we got to come home today!  This time we're staying for good.  It's fun to be at home with Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa.  We also have a new nurse who takes care of us at night. Our medicine helps make our reflux not hurt so badly, but we still panic sometimes when we spit up.  The nurse will keep an eye on us at night so Mom and Dad can get some sleep and not worry (too much) about us.  

We spend a good amount of time awake each day and we're having fun exploring all the fun stuff in our house.  We like looking out the window and at all the lights.  We also like the wall hangings above the couch because they have lots of patterns and contrast.  We make a new cute "coo-ing" noise that entertains everyone.  We like hanging out together and are getting re-acquainted (again). We are growing rapidly and getting stronger and stronger.  (Last check Emma was 8 lbs, 2 oz and Mia was 7 lbs, 11 oz.) We love lifting up our heads to look around.

Enjoy the photos of us at home!

Photos:

1) Hanging out on our couch, 2) with Mom

3) Extreme close-up

4) Taking a nap with Dad 

By Popular Demand...New Photos!

We've had a lot of fun this month with each other and all of our visitors.  We're also growing a ton! Mia weighs 7 1/2 lbs, and Emma is up to 8 lbs. 

Photos:

1) Emma plays with Mia after her bath

2) Mia and Emma sleep in their special double wedge bed

3) The Lund 4 in the girls' hospital room

4) Grammy looks after the girls

5) Mia naps with Grandpa George

6) Emma snoozes with Auntie Courtney

7) Mia cuddles up with Grandpa Arlie

8) Emma loves it when Grandma Donna feeds her and rocks her to sleep

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

We've had a busy couple weeks since our last post.  The girls were both discharged from the hospital after making it several days without any episodes. However, last week during their first week home together, they continued to have them, and both are now back in the hospital. We're trying a new mix and dose of medicine in hopes that will help them handle the reflux better.  The dose of medicine they were sent home on may not have been sufficient to keep up with their rapid weight gain. We hope the increased dose will help them relax and handle the reflux better. 

Aside from these little episodes they have, they are perfectly happy and healthy babies. They're gaining weight nicely - an ounce a day!  Emma is up to 7 1/2 pounds and Mia weighs just over 7 pounds. Current interests include napping with grandparents, listening to the "ocean" on their sound machine, staring at lights and lifting their heads up to look around.  They are becoming much more aware of their surroundings and respond to voices and faces. 

We're thankful to have had a steady stream of family visiting and helping out since the girls first came home in mid-March.  Grandma Jeannie, Auntie Courtney and Grandpa George all recently visited from California, and Grandma and Grandpa Lund returned to Seattle today.

We don't know how long we'll be at Children's this time, but we need to feel confident the girls can handle themselves without intervention before we go.  We don't feel safe to have them home at this point as we aren't in any shape to stay awake 24/7. When the time comes, we'll be ready.  The brief stints we've had with all of us at home have been so much fun, and we can't wait to get on with our (new) normal life. 

Thanks for your calls and e-mails to check in on us. We're sorry we haven't been able to respond to them all.  We appreciate you keeping us in your thoughts.  

Stay tuned for more info. We'll post photos soon.  

Chillin' at Children's

It's no April Fool's joke - we're still hanging out at Children's Hospital.  Today is day 12.  The girls had a good stretch with no incidents.  We were 3 1/2 days in toward a 5-day episode-free goal when Mia had some trouble on Sunday and Monday.  Not to be outdone, Emma had a couple good episodes herself today. So, the 5-day countdown starts over.  We think Emma heard the doctors discussing her possible discharge tomorrow, and she didn't want to leave her sister so she acted up.  

The problems are definitely related to reflux.  We're hearing more and more about other babies we know with reflux problems who have had some of the same treatments as the girls. Emma and Mia just get surprised by it sometimes, forget to breathe, and need a little stimulation to recover. We just want to feel comfortable that they can recover on their own so if it happens while we're sleeping or looking away, they will be okay.

They continue to grow and get stronger.  We can't believe how big they are!  Emma just hit 6 lbs and grew out of her preemie diapers.  Mia is closing in on her sister at 5 lbs, 12 oz.  They are more alert each day. Sometimes a little too alert, like at 2 in the morning! Their hair is getting longer, and they're both looking blonder each day. It still may be too soon to tell, but their eye lashes are very light, and their hair looks like it might be the same.

Mia and Emma have been enjoying all their visitors.  They got used to seeing Grandma and Grandpa Lund and miss them already.  They are having fun with Grandma Jeannie who's here now. She's been helping with their feedings and cuddling them.  Uncle Pete visited yesterday too, and Mia had a couple nice naps with him. We love having family around to help out and get to know the girls. 

On the home front, we're dealing with a partially flooded basement due to a busted pipe outside.  (Never a dull moment!)  Donna and Arlie spent a lot of time getting plumbers out to find the problem and fix it. Since it's the guest room that was flooded and is now torn up, it's worked out that we've been able to stay at the hospital so our guests could stay in our bedroom or the couch. At least we'll get some new carpeting out of it!

Our posts will likely be further apart as sleep deprivation sets in, but we enjoy sharing photos and stories with you about our sweet little girls.  

Photos:

1) & 2) Sleeping beauties - Emma, Mia 

3) Mia with Grandpa, Dad and Grandma

4) Grandma Jeannie with Emma