SO much to update about!

Wow! It has been a LONG time since the last post! It was Thanksgiving the last time and I remember thinking Christmas is going to be SO fun with our little blessings and it SO was!

We first and foremost were celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! During this special time of year we were also celebrating the 3 little miracles that God gave us, December 26th they were 4 months old! They have been healthy, sleeping through the night, eating great, and just a HUGE blessing to our family! To see where they have come from to where they are now, everyday I am still AMAZED BY HIS GRACE! I know no matter what God is good all the time, but there is just something about becoming a parent that allows you to experience Gods grace in a different light, my relationship has grown with Him, with my husband, our family in ways I didnt know they could!

Since the last post the babies have been to the eye doctor and everything looks good so far, we had our 4 month check up yesterday and Dr. McNinch says they babies are all growing at a great rate and look great! Liam and Jace are both bigger than there little sister for the first time EVER! Jace Alan weighs 8lbs 14oz, Liam Bryce weighs 9lbs 6oz, and Stella Lynn weighs 8lbs 13oz! Just amazing to think only a couple months ago they were not even 3lbs! They are all smiling ALL the time now and about to laugh, any day now we are just waiting for them to start cracking up! They are looking all around, watching baby einstein, and holding there heads up better and better!

Jace- is so sweet, he is probably our best sleeper and most easy going...although if he wants something he WILL let you know! lol
Liam- lets you know right away if there is anything he doesnt like! lol He probably sleeps the least but he is our biggest lover, he LOVES to cuddle!
Stella- she is a typical girl, very dramatic, we have a couple of names for her, sometimes we call her sweet Stella, or stubborn Stella, then theres silly Stella but at the end of the day she is our little Princess ;)

We got the dairy in Washington that has been in escrow for a couple of months so as soon as our house is done being remodeled we are heading out! Babies will know Washington as there new home! Its bittersweet for us because as much as we are SO excited to get settled into a home we know we will be in for a while, the lifestyle of the dairy life that Rick just LOVES we are very sad to leave our family and friends here in Cali! =( We know this is where God wants us to be though, we have spent lots of years praying and being still waiting for the Lord to provide so we are looking for ways he can use us in the near future in the town of Sunnyside we will soon call home!

p.s. Babies are being baptized on the 9th of January at Tulare Community Church all are invited! As much as we want to have a celebration afterwards because the babies cant be around too many people right now we will have to wait... =(

Here are a couple pictures from the past couple of weeks, I will try not to go so long until my next post! (sorry Nana) you might be the only one who cares, lol

Liam at the Drs 

Nana and Papa on Christmas with Jace and Liam

 Stella

 Jace

all three at the Drs yesterday...

 Grandma Winnie with all 3

 Christmas 2010

SO much to be Thankful for!

This week was Thanksgiving and we have SO much to be Thankful for! We have had a lot of family visiting since all the babies have been home and my Mom has been here since all three have been home and leaves tomorrow, so Rick and I are going to see how it REALLY is with three babies in the house! Monday morning all 3 babies have a Dr. appt. Liam for his check up Jace for his big procedure and Stella for a check up, they are all getting SO big and I cant wait to see how much they have grown! They are doing really well for the most part, a little fussy here and there but I know most of it is gas from the iron they have to be on...Here are some pictures from the past week at the Slegers home =)

All babies home...the fun begins! =)

The last two nights have been an adventure,  it has been full of trying to get 3 newborns to sleep at the same time, fed, diapers changed, and all the other fun stuff that comes along with having babies!  Jace is getting adjusted to his new home, hes used to the lights and noises and all the people in the NICU for the past so many weeks so at night he doesnt do too well yet...he did better last night and I am praying that every night just gets better, ;)

We had Jaces first pediatrician appointment yesterday and he weighs 6lbs 9oz, the Dr. said he looked great! Liam had a Dr. appointment also the same time and he weighs 7lbs! I cant wait to weigh Stella cause she has gotten so big too! 

Here are a couple of pictures we have taken since they have been home:

Stella and Liam the first night Liam was home...

Jace hugging his brother, his first night home he was so excited to see him! =) 

oops sorry Jace, lol 

another try =)

first family picture!

Daddy holding all three babies...

At home at last!!!!!

I thought this day would never come!!! I knew it would but it felt like that some days...after 11 weeks and 6 days of being in the NICU Jace Alan came home last night! It really didnt feel like that long while we were in there but looking back to almost three months ago it seems like forever ago!

Jace came off caffeine about a week ago and has been having a spell every day since it has been wearing off, for them to be able to come home from the NICU one of the qualifications is to not have any spells, so when he kept having them they decided to send him home on a monitor. It is kinda a pain but we would rather have to deal with that and have Jace home ! He was 6lbs 8oz, tomorrow we have our first pediatrician appointment so we will see what she says he weighs...Its so weird not calling the NICU to see how our babies are doing or finding out there weights?

Liam and Stella are doing great, eating and getting bigger...Liam sleeps in the middle and he has to touch both Stella and Jace its so cute, I have pictures of those too but I have to download them, its been crazy around here with 3 babies home and Jace adjusting to not being in the NICU...thank you everyone for your continued prayers! We really appreciate it and are so thankful for them! We are also so thankful to God, he is the one that has brought us through this and the one that has answered every prayer! We knew that he is faithful no matter what,  but we have been able to experience it in a new way! We give him ALL the glory and honor and praise!!!

Love Rick and Sheryl

November 14th....

Ok so once again it has been a couple of days since I have last blogged...

November 11th was my due date and on that same day Liam Bryce was discharged from the hospital and came home! He was in there for a total of 11 weeks! He spent his first night sleeping with his sister in the pack in play next to our bed, he was up pretty much the whole night crying, we think he got used to the noise in the NICU so we turned the TV on the lights on, everything not much would work, the next night he did a lot better, hes still fussy we think he misses his brother! Stella has been a little more vocal since he has been home, were not sure if that is because she has to share the attention now or if she is just getting older...for having two babies at home over all it has been going well...Rick has been helping out a ton he is a great Dad! =) Friday was Liams first pediatrician appointment and the Dr. said he looks perfect! Grandma Lori and Auntie Bre and Stella came with it was pretty funny...Liam weighed 6lbs 9oz!

Jace is still in the hospital and just as joyous as it was to bring home Liam it was that much more sad to leave one of our children by themselves at the hospital, I think before it wasnt as bad since Liam and Jace had eachother now that hes by himself I feel so bad! and its that much harder to go and visit with 2 babies at home...He was supposed to come home tomorrow that was the original plan but he had a spell last night and this morning so they will keep him for at least another 4-5 days =( So as disappointing as that is if he is going to do that we want him to do it in the hospital not at home! Jace is up to 6lbs 3oz and might pass up his brother and sister if he stays in there any longer, they seem to gain weight in there faster than at home...he is drinking all his bottles good, he is off all his medicines other than iron, him and  Liam passed there hearing tests, Jace passed his car seat challenge to prove he will be ok in a car seat for a long period of time, especially cause we have to drive home to Pixley from Fresno. The only thing we are waiting for is time, every time they have a spell you have to wait another 4-5 days...so our prayer right now is that he continues to breath well and have NO spells, at the hospital or at home!!!

I have a ton of cute pictures I want to share but I have to download them, I will try to get on that! =) Thanks for everyones continued prayers, thoughts, letters, and love! We are so grateful for all our family and friends during this time especially!
Love Sheryl

Almost Home....November 9th

Ok so it has been a couple days since I have posted, the boys got there feeding tubes out and are eating on there own now!...because it takes so much energy for them to do that they havent gained too much weight...Not much has changed other than waiting for them to come home...every day is that much closer!

Jace- Now weighs 5lbs 14.9oz...He is drinking about 50mls of breast milk or formula...I am producing just enough breast milk for about 2 1/2 babies every time I pump right now so until I can start breast feeding all the time my milk supply probably wont go up so the babies get a formula bottle every once in a while since I cant get them the milk 24/7. Jace and Liam are both great breast feeders! Jace will get his follow up head ultrasound tomorrow to check up on it and make sure it is continuing to get better before he goes home. Both boys have been off caffeine since the 5th and they have to be off for at least 5 days before they can go home to make sure it has worn out of there system and they also have to go at least 5 days without having any spells which is when they desat (there oxygen level goes down) and when there heart rate goes down with it, Jace had one two days ago so we are looking at next week for him coming home...

Liam- Weighs 6lbs 7.4oz He is drinking about the same as Jace 50mls Liam will also get a head ultrasound tomorrow for routine to make sure everything still looks good! Liam hasnt had any spells since the 2nd and has great breathing pattern so he will probably come home by the end of this week! We so excited to get another baby home but so sad for Jace who will be in the NICU by himself, there so used to having each other were praying that he will only be in there for a couple days by himself at the most rather than 4 weeks like Stella! They both have to still have there hearing tests and car seat challenge as well...It is getting towards the end so I am trying to stay patient! lol Here are some recent pictures of the boys:

You can tell Liam on the left is a little chunkier ;)

I thought this was funny how the nurse wrapped them...

Stella- Is doing great! She is eating more, and still sleeping really well....She is up more the older she gets but not as much as the boys are. It will be fun to have them home and see who is bigger, since we dont weigh Stella every day we dont know? But I have a feeling the boys are going to pass her up real fast, there hand are already so much bigger!

and heres the life Stella lives every day, lol she LOVES her sleep and her Daddy! 

November 5th...10 weeks 1 day =)

***Today the babies are 10 weeks old and 1 day! I cant believe how fast time has gone by...Stella is just at home eating and growing while the babies are still in the NICU doing the same thing trying to get there lungs stronger....

Jace- Now weighs 5lbs 13oz! He is drinking half of his bottles and taking about 47mls still with the 22 calorie fortifier. He is on room air and the only meds he is on is caffeine which there going to try to take off within the next couple of days and then he has to be off of it for 5 days before he can go home...so were praying when he goes off he wont have any set backs just go forward and be able to come home...next week they will be 40 weeks gestational and I would have NEVER thought they would be in here this long!  We are definitely ready for them to be home but obviously we want them to be ready...Here is a picture of Jace and I it is from last week so hes even a little bigger!

Liam- Weighs 6lbs 9oz, he might be bigger than Stella now! He is drinking almost all his bottles and takes about 50 or more each feeding. He is also getting the 22 calorie fortifier. He is also on room and and the only meds he is on is also the caffeine. The nurse said yesterday there goal is to send them home at the same time but he is feeding a little better than Jace so if they do send him home first it will probably only be a day or two apart unlike Stella who has been home for over 2 weeks! Here is a picture of the two boys...

Stella- REALLY wants her brothers home, she is getting bored being the only baby at home! =) The dogs are really starting to get used to her, they like to lay right next to us while we eat, well while Stella eats ;) We will see what they do when we bring 2 more home! haha

November 2nd...

Jace- Gained weight last night and now weighs 5lbs 8oz! He is still on room air doing good, he has shallow breathing but his lungs will get stronger with time...He is drinking 45ml of food with the 22 calorie fortifier. Here is a picture of Jace and I...

Liam- Gained 4grams so he still weighs 6lbs 4oz. He is eating 50ml of food and also getting the 22 calorie fortifier. He is also on room air doing well. He was wide awak for over 2 1/2 hours today while I was there so maybe thats why he didnt gain so much? =) Here is me and the boys...

 and Liam wide awake =)

Stella- Had her Dr.s appointment today at Dr. Mcnitchs office and everything went well! She weighs 6lbs 6oz and the Dr. said she is gaining weight great at home...Even though she was in the hospital for 7 weeks and was poked with needles and machines and etc for all that time I still cried when she got her shots today...she was just lying there on the table all sweet not even knowing what to expect and then all of a sudden they stab her with two huge needles! I felt SO bad she just started screaming! With some tylenol and hugs and kisses from Mommy and Daddy she is doing great! =) I have pictures of Stella I havent downloaded yet... I will try and post tomorrow...

November 1st!

Jace- Lost 19grams but still weighs 5lbs 6oz, he was able to get off the oxygen tonight because he was breathing well the whole day! So we are praying he can stay off for good this time!!! The only medicines he is on now is caffeine and he may go home on that and as he gains weight naturally be weaned off of it...The babies are getting really active now and I know they are ready to come home =) They are tired of sitting in the crib all day long they want to hang out with Mommy and Daddy and Stella...Jace was measured today and is 18 inches long!

Liam- He gained some weight but still weighs 6lbs 3oz...he is still on room air and they put him back on caffeine to see how he does and will probably send him home on it also because of his shallow breathing...they are also both on iron which they can take when they come home also...they are both on 22 calorie fortifier which they will probably be on till they are 6 months old...Liam was measured today and is 18 and a fourth inches long!

Stella-Hung out with Daddy in the motor home today while Mommy was visiting the boys, she has a Drs appointment in the morning so were SO excited to see how much weight she has gained!


*and for some reason its still not letting me download pictures! I have some though ready to share =) Hope everyone has a blessed week!

***Rick and I finally got out of the house and went to Corey and Jaelenes to hang out for Halloween, it was so good to see a lot of our friends and there babies and catch up it has been so long and everyones babies looked HUGE! lol Stella lynn stayed with Grandma Lori since shes not supposed to be around little kids right now with RSV season and we missed her the whole time! =) 

Jace- Gained weight the last couple of days and now weighs 5lbs 6oz! He had to be put back on oxygen barely anything but just enough to help him remember to breath...(2 steps forward 1 step back!) I try to remember what the nurses tell me so I dont get discouraged when this happens, I am definitely ready for 5 steps forward and none back! lol I am still SO grateful for the progress they have made and if the worst thing is he has to be in the NICU a couple days longer on oxygen till his lungs get stronger than thats fine, Rick keeps telling me its going to be here before you know it, they need to be in there till there all better, etc...its encouraging but I am impatient! Through all of this I dont think I have learned to be any less patient just able to handle it differently, lol. I guess thats a step in the right direction...

Liam- He lost weight one night and then gained weight and now weighs 6lbs 3oz, you can no longer see his neck! lol I know it sounds funny 6lbs isnt that big but its true he has a double maybe even a triple layer neck! haha Both boys were taken off there reglan medicine for acid reflux but are both still on caffeine. 

Stella- Is doing great! She drinks about 60mls every feeding and she is eating about every 3 1/2 hours...She is getting along well with Molly and Maddy they sit right next to us wherever we go, Marley on the other hand wants to play and lick her and doesnt get how small she still is, hes learning though ;) 

**Ok so I keep slacking on the updates, there is not much new every day so I am probably not going to post EVERY day anymore...  The babies are doing great and we thank God every day that they get better and better!!! 

Jace- He gained weight again and now weighs 5lbs 5oz! He is slowly catching up to his brother and its getting harder and harder to tell them apart! In person you can tell but in pictures sometimes I cant even tell you who is who I have to look at the background to find out where I was sitting or what side of the crib I was on! lol Its going to be interesting when we get home! Jace is still on room air and doing great, he is drinking his bottles better and better, he is drinking 45ml,  so now we just have to get off the caffeine and pray that he does well without it! The nurses and Dr.s still wont give us an estimate of when they will come home...

Liam-He gained last night only 20 grams so he now weighs 6lbs 2oz...He is also on room air and doing great! He is getting better and better with his feedings as well, both boys breast fed yesterday and I was so excited! It will make things a lot easier once we all get home if they can do that! They both went down to 22 calorie fortifier I think I posted that yesterday...Liam is drinking 50ml every bottle now.  Here are some pictures of the boys I took yesterday, every day I go to visit them I want to cry because I am just SO amazed at how great they look, they have come so far and we love them SO much! ;)

Ok its not letting me upload pictures so I will try later....

Stella- She is doing great and sleeps a lot!  =)

October 29th

***Ok so I forgot to post yesterday sorry for those of you who care =) Babies are growing and getting healthier as the days go by! 

Jace- Is now 5lbs 3oz! He is still off the oxygen and is drinking most of his bottles without having any desaturations and his lungs are getting stonger and stronger. His feedings went up to 45ml of milk and there fortifier went down to 22 calories because they are gaining so good! 

Liam- Is now 6lbs 3oz! He is also still off the oxygen and is also drinking his bottles but they are putting whatever the boys dont finish down there feeding tubes. He is now drinking 50ml of breast milk with the 22 calories of fortifier. 

Stella- I wish I knew her weight, next week is her Dr. appointment and I will find out then! She is drinking more and more as well and having so much fun at home! This morning we played dress up with some of her clothes and bows and hats, it was a lot of fun! Well I guess it was more fun for me than her, lol 

***I promise I will try to get some new photos up here, I have a lot of Stella and I am taking a whole bag of new clothes to the NICU tomorrow so I will take pics of the boys as well! =) 

2 months old!!! October 26th

**Today the babies turned 2 months old! I cant believe how fast time has gone by and at the same time how much has happened in the last 2 months! God has truly blessed us!

Jace- Keeps gaining weight and is now 5lbs! They took him off the cannula this morning at 4am and has been off ever since! He is doing really well and there goal is to keep him off of it...he is still on caffeine so coming off of that will be another challenge but we will worry about that when it gets here....the nurse said that she fed him the bottle tonight and he never had 1 desaturation while she was feeding him! He needs to work on his bottle skills and come off of the caffeine and then he will be closer to coming home, but he is doing amazing!

Liam- Also keeps gaining weight and I think might be bigger than Stella now, he weighs 5lbs 15oz! He has been off the caffeine for over a week and a half so hes already learning to do this all on his own. He had some desaturations while they bottle fed him but he gets right back up by himself and they never had to turn the oxygen up....if he can mature a little in his breathing pattern and get his bottle feedings going than it wont be long till Liam can come home!

Stella- We are having so much fun with her and never thought it would be this long that we would have her home without the boys, we cant wait to have them all together...the nights are very easy now with only one baby and cant imagine adding two more in! Tonight I had Stella in our bed in the inclined to sleep thing that she lays in to help her with her acid reflux, I went to go get something and heard her making some noise and I came back and she had somehow wiggled herself up and out of the sleeper and her feet were up in the air, I wish I would have taken a  picture it was SO funny! I am sure there will be many more funny times like this ahead x 3!!!

October 24th...

***All the babies are making progress, they are all growing like crazy and getting better day by day! It is only a matter of time for the boys to come home depending on how there lungs do...we are praying that the time is soon! We are so ready to be home in the same house and start our lives!

Jace- Gained weight tonight and now weighs 4lbs 13oz! He is on 1/32nd liter of oxygen and doing good...Hes getting 40ml of food still and still on the fortifier.

Liam- Also gained weight and now weighs 5lbs 13oz! He is also on the 1/32nd liter of oxygen...Hes getting 48ml of food and also still getting the fortifier.            

Stella- Is doing really good! Shes eating between 50-60mls a day. She is missing her brothers and ready for them to come home! =)

Saturday October 23rd...

Jace- Gained weight again, he now weighs 4lbs 11oz! He is doing great drinking his bottles the nurse just told me she thinks he could drink all his bottles plus more if she would let him but doesnt want him to burn too many calories, he wants to come home! hopefully just not on oxygen, she also said she had lifted the head of there bed and they had been having less desats, the nurses think that acid reflux is the reason for most there problems! =( He is still getting 40ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He is on 1/32nd of oxygen...the nurse tried taking him off again and he lasts a little while and needed it again.

Liam- Gained again also and now weighs 5lbs 11oz! He is drinking 48ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He is also on 1/32nd of oxygen. He is getting so big he even has a double chin! It is the cutest thing!

Stella- Is still doing great, she just drank 67ml of breast milk for me, shes still not loving breast feeding so we just practice a couple times a day and end up giving her the bottle. She loves her pacifier, not sure if thats a good thing but it is so cute!? lol I think she would suck her thumb if she could but she can never seem to find it I see her trying to put her whole hand in her mouth =) We are trying to introduce to her new bottles and see which ones she likes and so far the only ones she will take are the Dr. Brown.

Making progress....

** We have been so blessed not to have any major issues or set backs with each one of the babies, the progress has just been slow and steady =) Lately with Stella being home I have been a little more impatient wanting them to be home now too! The boys ARE making progress and I know that Gods timing is different than mine and it is BETTER! So until then we focus on the progress that they are making...SO....


Jace- Gained weight again now weighing 4lbs 9oz! He is off his diuretics so were praying that they did what they were supposed to do and that his lungs will continue to improve! He is still getting 40ml of breast milk and 24 calories of the fortifier. He is still on 1/16th of oxygen and the nurses said he did so good with his feeding tonight while it was on she decided to take it off afterwards and he lasted for a while then started to dip, she said hes not quite ready to take it off yet, compared to the beginning of this week when we couldnt even put the bottle next to his mouth without having desats hes making HUGE progress!!!

Liam-Also gained weight and now weighs 5lbs 9oz! He is soon going to be bigger than his little sister! I dont know how much she weighs? How do you weigh a baby? I guess I will wait till her next Dr. appt. Liam is still on 1/4th of oxygen and they are trying to wean him off. Hes drinking 46ml of breast milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

Stella- She is still being a good girl for Mommy and Daddy, she is eating more and more every day! We are having so much fun with her being home, cant even imagine with all three! =)

God Bless everyone, have a great weekend!

October 21st

Jace- Gained weight and now weighs 4lbs 8oz. He is still on the oxygen 1/4th of a liter. Hes still getting the 40ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is doing well just need to wean him off the oxygen and keep gaining weight! Hes still on diuretics for his lungs which seem to be clearing up, caffeine to remind him to breath, and reglan  for his acid reflux. So he also needs to be weaned off the meds....

Liam- Gained also and now weighs 5lbs 7oz. He got put back on the oxygen the same amount as his brother 1/14th of a liter. They say sometimes with identical twins they pick up eachothers bad habits so were hoping that this isnt the case, lol It is easier to put them on the oxygen rather than putting them back on the caffeine cause the cannula you can take on and off. He is still drinking 46ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is getting really good and drinking from the bottles also.

Stella- She is doing great at home! She is eating great, sleeping great, so were praying that this all continues =) She is so sweet we love her so much! Here is a picture of Rick and Stella having some quality time  ;)

October 20th...Off the pump!

***Both boys were able to get there feedings off of the pump today! So now they are bottle feeding every other time or trying to breast feed. They are progressing so fast and doing so well!

Jace- He gained weight today and now weighs 4lbs 6oz. He is still drinking 40ml and 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on 1/4th liter of oxygen but while I was breast feeding him and feeding him the bottle tonight he didnt have any episodes where he had shallow breathing or where he forgot to breath or periodic breathing he stayed at 100% the whole time! That is huge improvement just from a couple days ago! Thank God!

Liam- He also gained weight he now weighs 5lbs 6oz! Hes catching up to Stella now =) Liam is still on room air and using the cannula while he drinks a bottle but he doesnt need it while he breast feeds. He is getting 46ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. He is starting to look SO much like his little sister since he has been gaining weight!

Stella- Had a great day, she is learning to eat very well! We came home today to Pixley and did some laundry and then came back to the motorhome with Grandma Lori and Auntie Bre and Grandma Lori babysat for the first time tonight while we went to visit the boys...

Tuesday October 19th Thank you Lord!

*** Every day in the hospital there has been little and big things to praise God for, we believe that he is in complete control of our lives and especially our little ones, he has given them to us and chosen us to be there parents but they are ultimately His, I have found so much peace knowing this during the last weeks and months.

Jace- Jace had another ultrasound yesterday and the results that came back were awesome! The bleeding he had in the left side of his brain is completely gone and the bleeding on the right side has gotten better and better with every ultrasound! The ventricles that looked larger in one ultrasound are now smaller! For this we prasie God! Lost 60 grams and weighs 4lbs 5oz, hopefully he will gain this plus more back tomorrow night =) Both boys lost last night and the nurse said it was probably because they have been trying to bottle feed them both which burns a lot of calories. He is still taking 40 ml of milk with 24 calories of food on a pump for over an hour. They want to wait to increase his feedings to make sure hes going to tolerate them, he still spits up every once in a while so they want to do it slowly. Hes still on oxygen the same 1/4th-1/8th of a liter. Please pray that Jace would continue to gain weight and that his lungs would mature fast so he can come home! He has came so far and is doing SO good, we love him so much! =)  Here is a picture of him from today...

Liam- Is still on room air and doing great....He also lost weight 30 grams so now he weighs 5lbs 3oz again...Hes also doing great breast feeding, we breast fed for two feedings today in a row another reason why he might of lost some weight. Liams feeds went up to 46 grams still getting the 24 calories of fortifier on a pump for over an hour also. Liam has come so far also and we are so proud of him too! We pray and ask for prayer also for his lungs to also to continue to mature because that is the main thing keeping him in the hospital he meets all the other requirements of coming home other than that which is a huge one! Here is a picture of Liam from today...

and here are some pictures of both of them together! =) 

Mommy and Daddys little monkeys =) 

Poor Liam always gets picked on by his older brother 

Stella- Is doing great at home! She loved to eat in the hospital when it was going right down her tube and she didnt have to work at it now were not too sure she loves to eat since she has to work at it! lol For the most part she has done great with feeding its just frustrating sometimes when its time for her to eat and she doesnt want to, this last feeding she only drank 20ml and so I waited till the next feeding and she drank 60ml!  She loves to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy and is loving her quality time she is getting being the only child =) No specific prayer request for Stella, other than continue to eat well and stay on her schedule so that when we bring her brothers home it will be easier! Here are some recent pictures of her...

going to her first Dr. appt. (she wouldnt stop making faces to get a picture, lol) 

she loves her bouncer!

Monday the 18th...

***Today we took Stella to her first pediatrician appointment. It was the first time taking Stella anywhere but home! It was so wierd to go in public and only have one baby, knowing that half our family was missing...after the Drs we came back to the motor home and Rick went to visit the boys and Stella and I stayed here, then Rick came back to the motor home and we switched...The boys are doing good the Dr. said its just a matter of time till there little lungs get stronger and stronger...

Jace- Gained a ounce and a half and now weighs 4lbs 7oz! He practiced again today with the bottle and is doing better and better...they still have to turn his oxygen up while he eats and if they try to feed him cause his lungs are still growing...Hes still on 1/16th-1/4th liter of oxygen and his feedings are still put on a pump for over a hour. Hes still getting the 40ml of food and the 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Also gained about a ounce and a half and now weighs 5lbs 5oz...Hes eating 44ml of food still on a pump over a hour with the 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on room air doing great! Today Liam breast fed for about 40 minutes!

Stella- Today Stella had her first Drs appointment. The Dr. couldnt believe how good she looked for being so young and tiny, she said her color looked great and everything! She weighed 5lbs 10oz and was a little over 18 inches long. It is so weird not to have her weighed every night like the boys still. Stella watched a movie tonight with Mommy and Daddy and is being such a good girl!

**I am trying to upload pictures and its not letting me so I might have to do it later...God Bless everyone!

Sunday the 17th

Sorry the post is late were still trying to adjust with a baby home =) Here is a quick update with whats going on:

Jace- Is still on 1/16th-1/4th of oxygen. He gained 36 grams and now weighs 4lbs 5.8oz. His feeds are still 40ml and put on a pump for an hour. They fed him the bottle today for the first time and he took 27ml! Hes also still getting the 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is back on room air doing great! He is 5lbs 3oz up 67ml from last night. Hes still drinking 44ml of food with the 24 calories of fortifier also put on a pump over a hour to digest better. Hes doing better and better with the bottle, its just a matter of time now till the boys can come home, I ask every nurse about how long do they think till they can come home and they all say well its up to them it can be a week or it can be 3? So were praying for 1!

Stella- She did great again in the motorhome, shes doing everything she needs to be doing, tonight was a lot easier than last! She stayed in the motorhome with Rick while I went to the hospital to visit the boys. I fed them one of there feedings and then came home and Rick went to the hospital while I stayed at the motorhome. We gave her a bath so she would be nice and clean for her first Drs appointment with her pediatrician.

October 16th Our 2nd night home with Stella...

Stella- Last night was a lot easier than the night before! Stella has started to drink the bottle a lot more consistently so I think that helped her sleep better, I also got big burps out of her so she probably felt way better! Dad stayed with Stella from 11am to 5pm while I was at the hospital with the boys...She is adjusting nicely! =)

Liam- He had to go back on the oxygen yesterday 2.0 liters @ 21-23% He kept having issues breathing yesterday which they said is normal for preemies so they are trying to wean him back off of it. He came off his caffeine and sometimes they have to remember again for themselves how to breathe without the caffeine reminding them. Liam gained  24 grams weighing 5lbs 1oz. Liam gets 44ml of milk with 24 calories of fortifier.

Jace- Is still on the oxygen 1/4- 1/8th of liter doing really well...they are also trying to wean him off of the oxygen...He gained 14grams and now weighs 4lbs 5oz. Jace is drinking 40ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

**Both boys are practicing feeding through the bottle getting better and better, we were in a room that held 3 babies so we had our own room for the past couple of weeks and were spoiled. Yesterday I walked in and there was another baby there that likes to cry REALLY loud all day! =)

Yesterday 10-15-10 Stella comes home!!!

***Today was one of the best days of our life! We got to bring our precious little angel home from the hospital after being in the NICU for 7 weeks and 1 day! She is being a great example for her older brothers and we cant wait for them to join us!!! The Doctors asked us yesterday if we would be ready to take her home within the next couple of days and of course we said yes!...we didnt think it would get to be the next day! So we went in to the hospital like every other day and they met us at our room with huge smiles and said SO are you ready? I teared up and said for what (I knew what they meant, lol) and they said to bring Stella home!? I said of course I am nervous and scared but I am going to be like that if we bring her home today or next week, haha so they talked with the nurses did her hearing test, discharge papers, etc and we left the hospital at 5:30pm, it was SO unreal to walk out of there with our daughter who is 7 weeks old and has never even been outside, at the same time I felt so bad leaving our boys there even though I know they still need to get better and thats the best place for them...I thought shes not going to want to leave her brothers and there not going to want her to go (I think shes liking all the attention to be honest, lol) and they have each other I keep telling myself ;) ....so then the interesting part comes, we get home, feed her, change her, gave her a bath, prayed over her cause of course we didnt think we were going to be able to take our eyes off her...and put her to bed, we thought we were the best parents and I told Rick this is SO easy! One baby is SO easy! lol Then as were laying there and all of a sudden we hear grunting, moaning, little baby noises that were so cute in the hospital but not so cute while your trying to fall asleep! lol This lasted the majority of the night, Rick fell asleep and I did her feedings throughout the night and then after her 2am feeding Rick said he would do the next couple and let me sleep...so I woke up this morning with Stella in her swing in the living room and Rick laying on the floor next to her with a blanket on sleeping, lol He is such a great Dad! I knew he would be but he really is way better than I even thought he would be! So anyways right now were running on about 3 hours of sleep (I know this is normal for new Moms and Dads) but until you go through it you dont understand...So today Rick is going to stay home with Stella and I am going to go to the hospital to visit with the boys...

Here is the update on the babies:

Jace- He gained 7 grams and still weighs 4lbs 4oz. His feedings got raised to 40ml and 24 calories of fortifier. Hes still on 1/4th -1/8th liter of oxygen @ 21%...Hes a little fighter we all think he will be the biggest of them all one day =)

Liam- He gained a lot last night and weighs 5lbs now! Hes still on room air and is getting 44ml of food now with the 24 calories of fortifier.

Stella- Is adjusting to being home with it being dark at night and no noises...We think shes used to the hospital where the lights were on majority of the day and there were always people coming in and out...She doesnt get weighed daily but we have our first appoinment with the pediatrician on Monday morning at 9am, so this will be interesting getting me and Stella out of the house by that time since its usually hard for just me to get out of the house by that time! lol She did alright eating throughout the night and this morning did good, we have to add 22 calorie formula to my breast milk,  I am hoping that she doesnt eat that much during the night cause she likes to sleep and will be doing that soon through the night! =)

7 weeks old! October 14th

Jace- Is doing great! He is on 1/8th of a liter of oxygen and when he eats they turn it up to 1/4th...he is getting there. They have his feeds on a pump over 45 mintues now instead of a hour and a half! He gained weight last night 45grams and now weighs 4lbs 4oz! Hes still getting 38ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is still on room air doing great as well, I think tomorrow they were talking about cutting his caffeine again to see how he would do. He is doing great breast feeding so were trying to work also on the bottle feeding so we can take the the tube out of his nose as well! He gained last night 7 grams and now weighs 4lbs 14oz. Hes still on the 42ml of food and 24 calories of fortifier. If he doesnt breast feed or take the bottle his feeds are still on the pump also over 45 minutes.

Stella- Is doing great bottle feeding...shes not getting the 50ml every time she eats but shes getting enough to give her all the nutrition she needs. She was gaining like 30-40+ grams every night and today she gained only a couple grams eating what she could with the bottle at every feeding...She is meeting all the other requirements of coming home so we will see maybe within the next couple of days!?  =)
Here is a picture of Daddy practicing for when Stella comes home ;)

October 13th Stella is tube free!!!

***Today I walked in and the nurse tells me, "notice anything different?" and I look at Stella and she has NO feeding tube in her nose! They took it out and were just going to bottle feed her every time whatever she would take, they werent putting a limit on her food like before when she had to eat so much. So if she can get the bottle feeding down she will come home within the next week or so!

Jace- Is down to 1/4 of oxygen @21% hes getting there slowly but surely! =) Hes still at 38ml of food 24 calories of fortifier and they changed his food from being on a pump for an hour and a half down to one hour, so hes making progress there also! He gained last night 45 grams so now he weighs 4lbs 2oz! We also tried breast feeding today with Jace for the first time! He did really good for his first time, wasnt quite sure what was going on though, it was so cute! lol

Liam- He is still on room air and drinking 42ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier. He breast fed like a champ again today! He also gained 65 grams so now he weighs 4lbs 13oz!

Stella- Lost weight today for the first time in weeks! With getting the feeding tube out she drank what she wanted to drink from the bottle at every feeding. Her first feeding of the day she drank the whole 50ml then he next was 40ml, and then 25ml, Dad came and fed her and she drank about 40ml again...she also tried breast feeding but I think she was so tired from taking the bottle the whole day she didnt want anything to do with it, she worked so hard today she lost 7grams and still weighs 5lbs 11oz. So we will see if she can leave the tube out and keep drinking from the bottle or if she just gets too tired and still needs it for a little while longer? I called tonight to see how the babies were doing and the nurse was feeding her again and all I could hear was grunting and moaning, she sounded like she was really annoyed! lol She is so funny!

October 12th ANOTHER milestone met!

***Today was exciting because when I came in the room Jace had joined the open crib with his brother and sister and I got the cutest pictures! Well I guess I think there cute, lol He held his temperature completely fine the whole day and is doing great in it!

Jace- Other than joining the open crib with Stella and Liam Jace gained 26grams and now weighs 4lbs 1oz.  He is back on his cannula after being off for 24 hours. He was dipping pretty low while eating so they decided to just put him on 1% at 21% which is barely anything but just enough to help him remember to keep breathing. For him to be on this low of oxygen is amazing from where he startred so we will take that! Hes still at 38ml of milk and 24 calories of fortifier.

Liam- Is still on room air even though he has been copying his brother during his feeds and forgetting to breath. He lost 20grams and now weighs 4lbs 11oz. Hes drinking 42ml of milk now and 24 calories of fortifier. He breast fed today for 20 minutes and did SO good!

Stella- She is still on room air. Growing like a weed she gained another 45 grams and now weighs 5lbs 11oz. Shes getting 50ml of milk and 24 calories of the fortifier. She took one whole bottle today for Mom and was done for the day...the Dr. wants to pull the feeding cord and see what she does, we all think shes getting a little lazy and likes all those ml's going right into her tummy! lol