:: Family of 4 ::

oh hey, hi, hello!
in case you missed my instagram updates earlier this week, we are now ALL home as a family of 4!
Collins was released from the NICU and then 48 hours her sister Hadley was able to come home and join us, too!
Both babies are doing so, so well (and so far so are both parents HALLELUJAH!)

I’m so happy that they only had to spend 48 hours apart.
I feel like the day we took Collins home was the perfect definition of bittersweet because it was such a happy moment I had been praying for but it was horrible to have to walk out without Hadley. Tears were shed, as I had known they would be. (but not as many as when I left the hospital without either of them a few weeks prior, so that was good!)

I shared in my last update that the reason babies were still in the NICU was because they were having “episodes” where they would stop breathing and their heart rate would drop. Collins were all during her feedings because she is such an eager eater (girl downs a bottle faster than anyone can believe) so hers were predictable, and when she went 72 without an episode we were able to take her home.

We only had to do two nights and one day of taking turns going to visit Hadley at the hospital which was SUCH a relief and and we are so, so lucky it didn’t last longer.

Collin had almost been discharged over a week prior to us coming home because none of these episodes were happening and she was finishing her bottles. The moment they said that she may come home, suddenly Hadley started taking her bottles too. And Hadley was barely touching her bottle prior to that!
Because of that, we were hopeful that Hadley would do the same thing – say “You aren’t leaving me! I’m catching up!” – and that’s exactly what she did!

Hadley, though, has her episodes at really any time. Sometimes during feedings, sometimes an hour and a half later, sometimes when she’s sleeping. We obviously can’t keep watch over her 24 hours a day to look for the color changes and other signs (she turns grey/blue and we have to aggressively burp her to help get her breathing again – but she would bring herself back up usually on her own at the hospital. But again, we only knew they were happening WAY after a feeding because of the monitor. The ones during the feedings were easy to catch because I could see her color change myself.)
Because of the randomness of the episodes, after she went 72 episode free we took her home with an apnea machine that she will wear for a few weeks to a few months (hopefully only a few weeks but whatever she and we need to do to keep her safe and monitor her closely!)

So we all CAME HOME, with Hadley’s new purse accessory (it’s blue so I think she likes it :)) and officially finally became a family of 4 in our house!

I don’t have any other children so I don’t have any comparisons, but it was definitely such a strange first month for a million reasons – mainly that you’re babies are not home with you! It’s as if we were in this limbo stage of parenting. I would be there everyday with them for hours, but it’s not the same as being with them without nurses and doctors helping you in every way. (I will say it is nice to have time to learn everything from the nurses – they prepared me so well for home life and how to take care of them – but I know that is because we were lucky that our girls were overall healthy and that their issues were all considered “normal preemie” things that they would grow out of.)

Kip only took 2 days of paternity leave when they were born and had 3 days left so luckily we were able to do the pediatrician together which I was nervous could be a disaster, but it went SO well. They both were amazing despite how long we were gone and how long we were there for. And they both are growing like weeds (slow down!) and the doctor was very happy with everything!

I had to take Collins to an eye doctor to check for ROP since she was so small at birth,
which I thought would just be a routine eye drops and take a peek visit and I WAS WRONG.
I snapped this before realizing what was to come…..

They had to poke and prod her eyes and I can’t even discuss it. She was so good, but it was awful. I had never heard her cry EVER until this point. It was terrible. We pass a Krispy Kreme on the way and I got a dozen glazed to eat my feelings about it on the way home.
if you follow on instagram you know there has been a LOT of emotional eating lately 🙂 I am starving from pumping for two so I am just eating ALL THE FOODS. all. the. foods.

And I have already survived my first day completely solo with Kip back at work!

They saw their first Friends episode, I brushed my teeth, so it was a good day!

Today is day 2 and I’m rushing to get this post up before the babies wake up in about 7 minutes 🙂
follow on instagram to see the true mayhem …..

We are so lucky to have both of our babies healthy and at home with us.
Thank you as always for your sweet words and prayers. And if you have extra prayer time, there are lots of sweet babies and families that still need them unfortunately. We are so grateful to the amazing nurses and doctors and it makes me sad I won’t get to see some of them again! I cried saying goodbye to our favorites.

Kip has said I don’t need newborn photos because I have my new iphone (and technically my second new iphone in a span of 6 weeks thanks to the man in the elevator….. uhhh)
so I attempted this at home photo shoot and I am quite impressed with myself.
(I will say….. I didn’t beg and plead because GOOD LAWD have you SEEN what they charge for them!? It’s insanity!!!! Time for me to learn to start being real thrifty with these two!)
I only did this one outfit but I’m hoping to get them down to the diaper
and do cute little naked baby pictures this weekend while they’re still tiny little angel muffins.
plans are already in the works to put them into Easter Baskets don’t you worry!!!!

I can’t thank you all enough for all of your amazing messages and e-mails and comments the past few months during the end of my pregnancy and delivering the babies and now getting them home. It means more than you know! And it really kept me positive during the bedrest weeks when we just weren’t sure if they were going to arrive too soon.
You all are the best 🙂