Babies in the Nursery...Finally!

That is Colin under the hat! Here he is at home, fast asleep, holding his pacifier in his mouth (perhaps coincidence, but he does this very often) and striking a stylish pose. One of the reasons we call him Monkey is because he's very tactile - as you may recall from some of his NICU pics, he has to have his hands on something!

Keith chilling at home on his puppy blanket. The NICU told us that fleece is the best at keeping the heat in, so Edward went to Fabricland and bought enough in several patterns to make nine blankets of a very generous size.
Evelyn in the NICU. She was the first of the three to hold her head up. She is one curious and alert little girl :)

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Just a quick update - Keith came home Monday afternoon and Colin came home Tuesday. The first night was a bit wild, as Keith had some "intestinal issues" and was very hungry, not to mention trying to cope with a completely new environment. They both did well last night, although the intestinal issues persisted until this afternoon, so they weren't very comfortable. But they didn't stop eating! In fact, at their first pediatrician's appointment yesterday, Keith had gained an incredible 4 ounces since he was discharged and Colin was up to 4lb 4 ounces.

We're feeding them on their 3 hour schedule. Edward and I usually take turns doing the feeds on our own, with the exception of the 8am and 8pm feeds; the latter because 2 nights out of three we have to squeeze in a bath. I usually do the 2am feed and Edward does the 5am, which means that once everyone is fed at 8pm I have an hour and half to rest before the 11pm feed, and another hour and a half until 2am and then a blissful 4 hours or so until I get up for the day. It's been working out quite well (knock on wood) in part because we have a great nursery set-up, a workable (but rigid!) routine, and because the babies are unusually good feeders in spite of their age. Last night, our doula took the 11pm feed so we got to bed at a really reasonable hour and I even got to read a few pages of a magazine. Tonight, Edward is taking that feed and I'm envisioning a longer shower!

Edward is in charge of preparing and sterilizing 16 bottles a day which takes the better part of three hours to complete. Keith and Colin are on different formulas and the bottles are colour-coded to ensure that Keith doesn't get Colin's milk-based grub. Our kitchen looks like some sort of commercial production outfit with pots boiling away at all hours, cookie sheets, tongs and clean tea towels neatly arranged on almost every counter.

And what about our Sweet Pea, Miss Evelyn? Unfortunately, she had an apnea spell last Thursday which was her first in 12 days. It took everyone by surprise, and meant that she had to stay an extra week to ensure it was safe to her to come home. She had two more yesterday and last night, so the clock has again been reset for another week. I managed to get in to see her this morning (oh, to be able to drive again post c-section! Perhaps on Monday...), but we miss having her here. It's hard to get our scheduled meshed to feed her when we're doing feeds at the same time at home. She looked at me so soulfully this morning, and my heart broke. She is the most alert and developmentally advanced of all three, and I'm positive she knows she's alone in the NICU. This is truly the hardest part so far :( Obviously, we don't want her having spells at home, but our family simply isn't complete without her sleeping in her crib alongside her brothers.

Well, I'm off to take advantage of my early night! 2am comes around sooner than one thinks...