Our first ICC Saturday

The babies had a pretty fantastic Saturday. Both are doing well at keeping their temperatures up, even with Jeff and I taking them out of their criblettes on our whims. :-) Both are also steadily gaining weight and continuing to do well on their growing feedings.

Eloise got her first bottle from Daddy today, and she actually drank the whole thing! She's only done that one other time, and it was with a nurse. I have to say, seeing her do that with him definitely got my competitive side going...maybe tomorrow we'll see if she can do two full bottles two feedings in a row with me! :-) Ella's pressure was also decreased on the cannula from a full liter to a half liter.

Cooper spent much of the day asleep. Like with Ella, the pressure on his cannula was decreased from a half to a quarter of a liter. He finally reached full feedings, and seems like a happy little camper now that his belly is getting filled.

7 weeks old, great grandparents, and a great end to the week

If anyone had told me Monday, that by today we'd be where we are, I wouldn't have believed them. What a day today has been! First and foremost: the babies met their great grandparents today. Gramma Lea and Papa came up for a visit and while I know they were here to meet the twins, Jeff and I were so excited to see them. As someone who's biological grandparents are no longer living, it was so special to see 4 generations together. Both babies were able to come out for holds with everyone today and while I know they can't speak for themselves and choose favorites, Cooper sure enjoyed snuggling with Gramma Lea, and I'm not sure who Eloise preferred more: Papa or Buttons. :-)

Cooper is catching up quickly to his sister, and we couldn't be more proud! He's well past the 4lb mark, at 4lbs 3oz, and he moved to his own criblette! He's still working pretty hard at keeping his temperature up, but if we keep the room warm enough he's a happy little baby. As his feedings continue to increase he's finally lost his IV that he's had for the last week, and hopefully he'll be at full feedings tomorrow.

Eloise is just chugging along. Her feedings will increase at a steady rate as her weight increases 3 times a week, and she's doing well using a bottle for at least 2 feedings a day. Now that both babies are in criblettes, they can come out more frequently for holds, and just general snuggles. Hopefully they'll stay at this "feeder and grower" stage until they come home, which can't happen soon enough! :-)

Could it be that our babies are getting boring again??

With our first full day in the ICC behind us, I feel like I can safely say that our babies could be trending toward boring again. We had a nice quick visit from one of our old nurses and I don't want to put words in her mouth, but she looked really proud to see them in the ICC and doing well. :-)

The doctor made no medical changes to our little Eloise, but she did make another bedding change. :-) Our little piglet (she's 4lbs 4oz today) is now sleeping in her own little criblette! It's just this little mini-crib with tons of blankets and most of the time you can only see her little head, but she looks pretty comfortable. I think it's more weird for us because we can hear all her little grunts now that she's got no walls around her. She also seems to be enjoying her bottle and can get through about half a feed before she falls asleep.

Cooper finally made it to 4lbs today! We're so proud of our little mini-chop and can't wait until he catches up to his sister. The doctor continues to increase his feedings and hopefully he'll get up to full feeds tomorrow. She also dropped his respiratory assistance down to a regular cannula with less pressure than he was receiving. He's been doing well on the standard cannula, but the nurses had to put a sock over his free hand to keep him from pulling it out of his nose. He's also starting to ween out of his isolette so hopefully he'll be in his own criblette in the next few days.

It was a pretty exciting day on the home front today: the baby furniture was delivered and their nursery is all set up! Now we just need to get them bigger and stronger...their cribs are waiting for them! :-)

MOVING DAY! :-)

What a day it's been! First and foremost: the babies got some new digs! After a tumultuous week, we got some great news around noon today: the babies were stable enough and were moved to the ICC (Infant Care Center). It will be their only step-down before they get to come home! We couldn't be more thrilled. They're in one of the few twin rooms over there, and they've even got a window! We're going to miss our nurses, especially our primary ones that have been with us through almost all of this, but we're excited to watch our little beans charm some new ones. :-)

Eloise had a pretty exciting day, even without the move. She's big enough and old enough that she's able to be in an open warmer. Basically that means that her isolette no longer has a roof on it, it's just raised with heat blowing on her if she needs it. She seems to enjoy it. :-) She also got her first feeding from a bottle today. It took her a while to get the hang of it, but eventually she was able to eat about 16mL before falling asleep and needing the rest given to her via her feeding tube.

Cooper continues to make us wonder if he was ever actually sick last week because he's just soaring back to where he was. He's still doing well with his feedings and I think the only thing he's having issues with is that they're not increasing fast enough! He must be his Daddy's kid because he too is grumpy when he's hungry! :-)

What a week it's been...

It's hard to believe that it's only been a week since Cooper got sick...it feels like so much longer.

Fortunately we've all come out the other side stronger, and Cooper continues to get back to the way he was. He restarted feeds this afternoon at a fraction of where he was, but as long as he tolerates each one, they'll go up pretty quickly. We're pretty sure he'll take to his feedings as well as before, mostly because as soon as he got some food in his little belly, the case of the grumps he's had for 2 days quickly disappeared and he fell fast asleep. The doctor also discontinued all his antibiotics as the infection is gone and his follow-up x-ray looked totally normal.

Eloise is staying fairly steady and increasing on her feeds pretty much every day. She's continuing to gain weight, and basically making Mommy and Daddy very happy parents. I'm not going to use the "b word" or the "c word" (boring and calm) that the doctors used before Coop got sick until they do, but hopefully things will continue at this steady pace until before we know it, it's time to take them home!

A 4lb Monday

Our little Eloise is 4lbs today! Cooper is close behind her, despite being sick, and we expect him to gain the last few ounces in the next day or two. With 4lbs come some pretty big milestones: she's technically big enough to be in a warmer and not a closed isolette (although she needs to maintain her temperature a bit better still), and she can fit into her carseat which means we can take her home (when they let us of course). :-) Clearly today was a pretty good day. Eloise spent her day content in her burrito and only came out for cares and a snuggle with Mommy.

Cooper had his follow up eye exam today, and like Ella's, his eyes are almost normal. We can also tell he's starting to feel a ton better: he's starting to notice that his tummy is empty and he's not happy about it. He was waking up before his cares, expecting to get fed, and getting pissed that he wasn't! He did get held by Mommy today which made him one content little babe. The doctor is please with how he's looking and has weened his oxygen and cannula almost back to where he was before he got sick. He also had his first bad hair day today, although I'm not sure if it's more bad or adorable. :-)

Both babies now have to share their isolettes with a "buddy". Daddy decided the babies needed their "Maggie bears" watching over them when he and I can't be there.

He's baaaack...

I think I'm the last one to say it, but our little Cooper is finally out of the woods! Today was an excellent day for him, and for Eloise too.

Cooper came off the ventilator around 11 and spent the rest of the day on the high flow cannula somewhere between room air and 30% oxygen. The doctor said she's going to ween him a little more slowly back to where he was, but she doesn't expect he'll have any issues getting there. He's still on most of his antibiotics and will not get fed until at least Tuesday, but it's nice for us to see him getting back to where he was.

Eloise continues to be our little mellow baby. She weighs almost 4lbs now, and she'll continue to gain as the doctor increases her feedings. Currently she gets 3oz 3ml every 3 hours. She needs to gain a little more weight and maintain her temperature a little bit more, and then she'll get to be in an open warmer style isolette. She's also growing longer, so much so that some of the preemie clothes the NICU provides are getting too short for her! Not sure where she gets this height, but I'm sure it'll slow down sooner than later...look at her parents. :-) We're happy that she is, and hoping that she stays, our little "feeder and grower" baby.

As great of a day as Coop had getting the tube out of his throat, I think it was an even better day to be Dad...he got to hold both of his babies. He must be a pretty comfortable pillow, because within 10 minutes of coming out, both babies were fast asleep. :-)

How can it have been 6 weeks already?!?

Although it was 6 weeks yesterday since the babies were born, I still can't believe it's been that long! While our hospital time has been interminable, with more to come, it's so weird to think that these little ones have been alive for that long. Crazy...

Anyway, it was another good day for both babies today. Eloise spent most of the day swaddled in her isolette. She basically looked like a baby burrito with only her little head sticking out. It was quite adorable. :-) She had her afternoon snack while laying on my chest and then spent the better part of an hour fast asleep on me.

Cooper continues to make giant steps forward. He's still making improvements on the ventilator and will hopefully not need it soon. The doctor said his x-ray this morning actually looked normal, not close to normal like yesterdays, and he's starting to get some of his spark back. He spent a little more time alert and awake today and before we know it he'll be back to charming all the NICU nurses with his big blue eyes. :-)

Coming through the woods

I'm not quite willing to say he's out of the woods completely, but Cooper has sure made some huge strides today toward getting there! His morning x-ray looked almost "normal" according to his nurses and doctor, and over the course of the afternoon and evening he's made huge improvements on weening down his pressure and oxygen support from the ventilator. Also, his belly has measured at the same, or even smaller than his sister's for most of today. While he'll still be on antibiotics and without feedings for at least another 5 days, we're hoping he'll be out of these dark woods soon. He also opened his eyes a bit for us today. He's still pretty sedated, so his eyes looked a little "dopey" but it was so nice for us to see him start to perk up a bit.

Our little Eloise also had a pretty good day today. It was isolette changing day for her, so while she was getting a nice clean bed, Daddy and I got to snuggle with our princess. You can tell she and Coop have some kind of "twin sense" because today she showed us just how stressed she's been over his illness. :-)

Updating from around the corner

Today has definitely been a better day. By no means are we out of the woods, but Coop did some good thinking yesterday and he's decided to turn the corner.

Our first indication was when we got to the hospital a little later than the last 2 days and the doctor had not yet rounded. The doctor usually rounds on the sickest babies first, leaving the healthier and more stable babies until later. Apparently she came in, took a look at Coop, checked out his x-ray and labs, and decided she had sicker babies to attend with and she'd be in to see him later. Jeff and I considered that a huge improvement from him being one of the first babies seen for the last 2 days. The doctor isn't the only one that thinks he's doing better...to us he's starting to look like our little boy again. We still need to watch him closely, and keep him sedated so he's calm, but we're hoping he continues to improve and starts to pick up his pace a bit.

Eloise had her second eye exam today and while her eyes are still immature, she's just on the edge of having "normal" eyes. She also had her first official photo shoot today! There was a photographer taking pictures and video of the NICU and the neonatologists for website updates, and Ella and one of her doctors had their photo taken together. She also had a nice snuggle with me while she had her late afternoon feeding.

Another long day

We know there are going to be a lot of them coming up, but there's no real way to prepare for the long hospital days. I guess we should just keep reminding ourselves that this is a marathon, not a sprint?

Eloise was wonderfully quiet today, although she did have a pretty stinky poopy diaper for me. I think she was hoping it was Daddy, not Mommy who was doing the dirty work. :-) She also got a nice long snuggle with Daddy before she spent the rest of her day snoozing.

Cooper spent the day much the same as yesterday. We're starting to see some small improvements although they're not enough for the doctor to say he's turning the corner. She did say, however that he's "thinking about it" and that she felt better about him today than she did yesterday. The antibiotics he's on seem to be helping, and we're going to hope they continue to do so. I do have to say that when we got to the hospital this morning, he was kicking around and flapping his arms and seemed mad as hell to be so sick! He did calm down, however, when Daddy reached into his isolette and contained him...he calmed down so much that he actually fell fast asleep.

A long Tuesday

Oh how things change in the NICU...

The good news is it's not Eloise this time. The bad news is since it's Cooper, it really came out of nowhere. Eloise fortunately had a pretty quiet day. She got some good snuggle time with both Mom and Dad, and spent the rest of the day snoozing away.

Cooper has had it pretty rough, and we think it'll take a while for him to start feeling better. He started the morning (around 6) unable to tolerate his food and he had a pretty rounded, hard belly. After an x-ray and a visit from the doctor, he was diagnosed with Necrotizing Enterocolitis, or NEC. Like we went through with Ella a few weeks ago, Coop was put back on the ventilator to give him some time to rest and try to jump start his healing process. He's on antibiotics to kill the infection and will be for at least a week, and his feeds have been stopped for that time if not a bit longer. He was pretty alert, and as Jeff said, "owly" this morning. He has been given some pain medication to make him a bit more comfortable, although he's been awake enough to give Mommy and Daddy the sad "I don't feel really well" eyes.

Unfortunately, we're kind of right in the thick of things with him. We're stressed and scared for our little boy, but we're hopeful that he'll start to respond to the antibiotics. We have to remember that we can't expect him to bounce back as quickly as Ella did, that their conditions are completely different. I guess we just have a few long NICU days coming up...good thing we're getting pretty good at it. :-) Coop and Ella's cousin Maggie did offer her assistance to Coop, incase his doctors and nurses needed a break. :-)

A quiet Monday

With all the excitement from the weekend, it was nice for the babies to have a quiet day. The only change of any significance was that now, instead of having their temperatures regulated by their isolettes, the isolettes are at a set temperature and the babies have to warm and cool themselves accordingly. It's just one more step toward getting them home.

Other than that, it was another pretty boring day. Ella proved she not only has her dad wrapped around her finger, but Mommy too. She spent about half an hour fussing and the only way to calm her down was for me to hold her pacifier in her mouth for her, while she stared at me and held onto my finger to make sure I wouldn't go anywhere. I don't think Coop even knew I was there today, although he was wide awake for Daddy.

The end to a nice weekend

Jeff, the babies and I all had a nice weekend and a nice, but not long enough, visit with Gramma Betti and Pops. I think the babies enjoyed it even as much as Jeff and I did. :-)

It was another boring baby day with no changes for both Coop and Ella. Cooper did try to look around while he was laying on his tummy, but got tired part of the way through and spent some time face-planted into his bedding.

Both babies did enjoy spending some time out of their beds with Gramma, Pops, Mommy and Daddy. We can't wait for the time when they can come out more than once a day. Doug Heltne stopped by to meet our little ones today as well. I've run out of updates for today, so maybe some pictures from the weekend can say anything I've missed.

A stormy Saturday update

Gramma Betti and Pops are in town for the weekend, and the babies have cooperated more than the weather so far! While the weather this evening has been exciting, it was another quiet, boring day in the NICU. With quiet and boring however, comes pretty positive news from the doctor. She said that the babies are now in the "tweaking" phase, basically meaning that we know what works for them, and we just make little adjustments as they grow stronger and bigger. We're hoping for more positive reports like the last few, with less and less to say with each post.

5 weeks old

The babies must know they're getting older because they're finally starting to put on some pounds...or ounces really. Cooper weighed in at 3lbs 8oz, and Eloise weighed in at 3lbs 2oz. They're also starting to look bigger and like real babies, or closer to full term babies.

Other than the big weight gains, today was another quiet day. So quiet in fact that the nurse made Eloise a little bow and a little bracelet to wear. Mostly she just wore them for a few pictures. :-) Both grammas changed Ella's diapers today...maybe next they'll brave our little "pooper" :-)

Speaking of Coop, he spent much of his day face planted in his bed. Gaining all that weight must've tired him out! Pops and Daddy spent some time holding him this afternoon which I'm sure was a nice treat since he spends so much time with Mama.

Another update from "boring land"

It was another day of no changes and very little activity from our little beans. Both babies spent much of the day sleeping, and both got held by Jeff and I. The babies also had a visit from our friend Becky Peterson, and as Jeff was leaving this evening, he ran into another couple of our friends Jereme and Shannon Bates so he brought them up to visit Coop and Ella. Both babies also got a change of clothes today and are actually starting to fill out preemie clothes.

Sorry we're all so boring, but I'm kind of liking having nothing to report!

A report from "boring land"

Our babies are finally twins again! Well, they're finally getting the same treatments again...they've always been twins.

It was another day of no changes for Cooper. He did have a nice and puke-free hold with Daddy today. However, he's still living up to his "Pooper" nickname, as apparently he had another one stored up for Dad. :-)

Eloise has taken another respiratory step forward and caught up to her big brother. The doctor put her on the standard cannula, like Coop, and she so far is requiring less O2 than he is! While the boys had "boys club" Ella and I had "girl talk" although there wasn't much talking going on. I'm sure there will be once she gets older.

Tuesday's update

Yet another boring baby day in the NICU. Both babies slept for most of the day, and the doctor (for one of the first times ever) didn't make a single change to either baby.

Gramma Polly came by to hold Eloise which I'm sure was nice for both of them. She seems to be happy with the bolus feeds and hopefully she'll start to chunk up quickly!

Cooper's been our boring baby for a while now, and we couldn't be more pleased with that. He and I had what I thought would be a nice snuggle today, but apparently he had other ideas. Along with sleeping away his Tuesday, Coop also had an off and on case of the hiccups. Well, I guess hiccups, bolus feedings and snuggle time with Mama don't really mix. Coop decided that his afternoon snack needed to make a repeat appearance...all over himself and his blanket...while we were snuggling. If we weren't already certain that Coop resembled his Daddy, his puking abilities would put it over the top! Here's to hoping he doesn't find a corner with a plant to use when he gets older!

Another boring Monday

Today was another nice, quiet day in the NICU. I hope by us getting used to the babies being boring, they don't start to get active on us again!

There really isn't much to report on our end. Eloise started bolus feedings this afternoon. Jeff said that when she got her first feeding, she started smacking her lips together like she was really enjoying it. Cooper is still just being Cooper. He's still charming the pants off of many of the nurses. Both babies spent most of the day sleeping and I'm just hoping they continue that when they come home...or maybe learn to sleep all night! :-)

Jeff, Coop, Ella and I just wanted to recognize the newest additions to the Robinson immediate and extended family: First of all, congrats to Evan and Amy on their engagement! I know Ella's very excited that with the addition of Amy, Robinson women now outnumber the men! :-) Second, congrats to Jen and Claire and their new baby boy! Cooper couldn't be more excited to have a boy cousin so close to his age. :-) We love all of you guys and we are so happy for you!

1 month old!

I can't believe our babies are one month old already! And what a crazy month it's been. Fortunately today was a pretty tame one for the beans.

Cooper has stayed pretty much the same. He's kind of been our little anchor on the crazy ship that has been Eloise. He's loving the bolus feedings still, and is getting used to the feeling of being hungry. Eloise is catching up with Coop, at least respiratory wise. While still on the high flow cannula, she's now on only 1 liter of pressure...same as Coop, although he's just on the standard cannula. Hopefully tomorrow Ella will be able to start bolus feedings as well.

To help us celebrate their 1 month, my friends Liz and Joe Bodell stopped by. It was wonderful to catch up with them, and as always, visitors are always welcome. The babies also both got to be held today...at the same time and in the same room! It was so nice for Jeff and I to hold them together so we could see them both. This can't be an everyday thing, but for once in a while, it was sure great.

No more naked babies! :-)

As a true clothes horse, today was a very exciting day for me. We (and by "we" I mean "I") were finally able to dress Miss Eloise! I'm not sure she enjoyed it as much as I did, but she looked very cute, so that's really all that mattered.

Other than getting dressed, the day was pretty boring for both babies. Eloise is continuing to progress, and went from 2 liters, to 1.5 liters on the cannula. She also enjoyed a hold and snuggle from Daddy. Cooper is just going to be getting a little more food, but other than that he's basically the same. Coop did accomplish something very big however: HE'S FINALLY 3LBS!!! :-) We're so excited that they're finally starting to chunk-up.

Scott and Katie Smith also stopped by for a visit this afternoon. While we know everyone that comes to visit really wants to see/meet the babies, I think the visits really are more for Jeff and me.

A few more pictures from the last 2 days

What a day!

Phew! It has been an exciting 24 hours for the babies, and the grandparents too. First of all, both babies were strong and stable enough to allow for all 3 grandparents to be able to hold them. Not only was it nice for the babies to be held by people other than Mommy and Daddy, it was wonderful to see the excitement on the faces of our parents when we told them. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and maybe next time the babies will have poopy diapers saved up for the grandparents too! :-)

Eloise had another stellar day today. She went from the CPap to a high flow cannula, and she spent most of the day on room air. Respiratory wise, this is just one step higher, (a little more help), than where her brother is, but she's actually getting less oxygen than he is. I can't tell you how amazing it was to see her for the very first time without any hat or mask or tube stuck down her throat! She also got her IV line out this evening and will now be getting all her nutrients through her nasal feeding tube. She's also clearly starting to feel better as evidenced by the massive screaming fit she threw for most of the day! The only things that comforted her were being held and having someone hold her pacifier in her mouth so she could suck on it.

Cooper stayed pretty much the same, which is pretty fantastic considering how quickly he made it to where he is. He's still loving the bolus feedings, and really likes his post meal naps. There really isn't much to say about Coop, but we'll take quiet and boring anytime.

Another Thursday update

These babies are so close to the 3lb mark it's killing me!! Cooper was 2lb 13oz, and Eloise was 2lb 12oz today. I wonder which will happen first: they'll hit 3lbs, or they'll turn 1 month old. It's crazy to think that we're almost there for both!

Today was a pretty calm day, the first we've had for both babies in a while. Cooper is just cruising along on the standard cannula. He didn't even try to pull it out of his nose too much today! He is, however, starting to live up to one of his many nicknames. "Pooper" apparently had a very nice present for Daddy to take care of after I'd left the hospital for the day. :-) I'm sure the next one will be mine.

Eloise continues to amaze Jeff and I, and apparently her doctor as well. She spent much of the day, still on the CPap, on room air which is about 21% oxygen. While that doesn't sound like much, it's the first time ever she's been on room air, and not even the doctor expected her to be doing so well. She is still feeling the effects of the steroids, so the doctor did warn us that she could start to need a bit more oxygen once the steroids wear off. Hopefully the fits she's throwing will start to lessen however. Ella and I had a nice kangaroo hold today, at least I thought it was nice. Eloise on the other hand screamed, loudly, for the first 5 minutes. She also screamed anytime the nurse came in to move her. Apparently she's taking after her daddy and his displeasure when it comes to people "bugging" her.

Respiratory Day...or Wednesday

The doctor called today "respiratory day" for the babes, and for good reason:

Ella came off the ventilator this morning! :-) And she looks amazing! She's back on the CPap to help her breathe, but she's requiring less and less oxygen as the hours she's been off the vent grow. We're hoping she can keep this pace and catch up to her big brother. The steroids she's been on are almost done, and while they've helped immensely, she's also developed a little case of "baby 'roid rage." Either that, or she's just feeling so much better that she's gotten all her spark back, because she threw some of the biggest fits today I think Jeff or I have heard from her! She kicked her legs and swung her arms so much she was able to kick of her saturation monitor that was attached to her foot! I know we'll eat these words, but it's so nice to hear her cry and see her tantrum after a week of feeling so crummy.

Cooper also had a good respiration day. He was moved from the high flow cannula to a standard flow cannula. The biggest difference is that the standard flow cannula doesn't push humid air through it, it's just dry air and it's up to Coop to start to process that. It's just one step closer to not having anything sticking up his nose to help him breathe (which we know he's most excited about...he hates having things in his nose). Coop and I had a good kangaroo hold today that included a story (Harold and the Purple Crayon), and a poopy diaper change on Mommy's lap. It was interesting to change a diaper on my lap, but it gave us a good chance to take a picture so everyone can see how big he's getting outside of his bed.

Tuesday's update

With the muggy weather we've been having lately, today was a great day to be stuck inside in the NICU! Both babies also got great reports from the doctor during rounds, so that made the day even better. :-)

Eloise is "responding beautifully" (doctor's words) to the steroids she started yesterday. So beautifully in fact, that throughout the day she was continually weened on her ventilator. It's been the most forward progress she's shown in a week and I think everyone that's worked on her couldn't be happier. She's also now getting the same protein fortified food Coop's getting, so growth wise, she should be catching up to him in no time.

Cooper is still just being Cooper. I think today was the first time in the 3+ weeks they've been in the hospital that the doctor has made no changes to his treatment. The doctor has plans to ween him to a low flow cannula, but she's waiting for him to tell us he's ready. Today was also the first time that Coop's been taken out twice for holding! Usually Jeff and I just pass him off to one another, but today I got him out earlier in the day, then when Jeff got to the hospital, he took him out too.

As most of you know, Jeff and I moved to a new house shortly before the babies were born. Our new next door neighbors were also expecting, and this evening Jeff and I got to meet our newest neighbor! It was strange to hold a full-term baby and compare him to our tiny little preemies. It will be nice once they come home, however, that they'll have a baby playmate right next door.

Just another NICU Monday...

I think it's a good thing when the NICU nurses want to be the ones caring for your babies, and it seems that little Cooper and Eloise have created a bit of a NICU Fight Club. First rule: don't talk about NICU Fight Club :-) All joking aside, it's always nice to get updates from nurses that not only know our children, but know us as well. Coop and Ella actually have nurses trying to work out their schedules so they can all take care of them.

Cooper is still just plugging along on his high flow cannula. The doctor is thinking of weening him to a regular cannula, but she doesn't want to push him too fast. He's still seeming to tolerate the bolus feedings well, and like his daddy and his puppy, he's starting to make a routine of the "post-meal nap".

Coop is also starting to chunk up a bit. The doctor has started adding protein to his food, and he will hopefully hit the 3lb mark by the end of the week.

Eloise, on the other hand, has come to a plateau of sorts. While she's still making small steps forward, I'm not sure the doctor is satisfied she's moving forward enough. In order to help clear her lungs and hopefully get her off the ventilator for the last time, the doctor has decided to start her on some steroids. Hopefully we'll see if they are working quickly. She is, however, starting to tolerate stress better, so for the first time in a little less than a week, I got to help with her cares. She's also starting to get some of her spark back, as she fought her diaper change like nothing was wrong with her!

Happy 4th!

It's too bad the NICU doesn't have any 4th of July themed micro-preemie outfits, because that would've made for some cute pictures. As it was, it's been a pretty good first 4th for these babies.

Eloise continues to make small improvements, although it's probably going to be a slow road to get back to where she was. She's still tolerating her feedings well and is finally starting to look as big as her brother.

Cooper is still living in calm land, and we're all pretty content to leave him there, especially since he continues to improve and grow. The bolus feedings are continuing to go well, and it seemed that today he started to fuss and wake up a bit as it was getting to be feeding time. Clearly he takes after his Daddy. :-) Both Jeff and I "kangaroo" held Coop today, which just means that we held him skin-to-skin against our chests. During my hold with him, Coop lifted his head a few times and tried to look around. With Jeff, Coop actually turned his head from side to side trying to get comfortable! He's becoming way too cute for words.

Happy 4th of July from the Minneapolis Robinsons! (Caddie the "unhappy because there are fireworks" puppy included)

Saturday Update

It was a good saturday for both babies today.  Ella continues to improve and is needing less support from her ventilator.  She has definitley started to get some of her spark back. She restarted on feedings yesterday, and she is making good progress on them.  Cooper has moved on to Bolus feedings.  Instead of being on a constant flow of food he recieves his feedings every 3 hours.  It is still through his nasal feeding tube, but is designed to replicate regualr feedings and start to get him on a schedule. He is doing well with it and moved right back up to full feeding.  The first couple were smaller just to make sure he would tolerate it. 

3 weeks old...

So as not to bother and stress Little Miss Eloise, today was mostly all about Coop. Fortunately he's still living in "calm land" and being weened even more on his cannula. He's also getting close to being able to regulate his own temperature, and not have his bed do it for him. Cooper also got to get dressed for the first time today! Lucky for him, I'd already gotten him (and his sister too, although she's a few days away from being able to get dressed) his first outfit. :-) Jeff did want to point out, however, that I shouldn't put Cooper's pants on him because "what boy likes to lay around in pants?" In the end, I think he looked beyond adorable, even without his bottoms. He should be able to get dressed most, if not every day from now on. Just one more step in the direction of getting bigger and stronger.

Ella, while still on the ventilator, is starting to make small improvements. Her chest x-rays are looking better and better, and she's getting less and less oxygen and pressure from her machines. We don't want to push her too hard, too fast, but a calm weekend should do her well.

Jeff's buddy Jason Topp stopped by, and although I wasn't in the "boys club" room, I'm pretty sure Cooper was fit for his first set of golf clubs. I also over heard Jeff and Jason talking about Coop's grip on the clubs. Gramma Polly also stopped by in time to see Coop get a double hold from Mommy and Daddy.