Colton is home!!

***COLTON CAME HOME TODAY!!***

Chunky Monkey

The Chubster

Lil hands!

Colton's Piggies

Yes, Colton is certainly becoming a chunky monkey.  His little round face has filled out so much and his precious little cheeks are so full.  It seriously looks like he is hiding something in them! I pushed on them the other day, thinking something my fly out of his mouth but no, nothing came out...it's all skin and fat :)  my fingers just sank into them like pillows. 

The little guy is doing well, still flirting with all the NICU nurses.  I was hoping he'd be home by the weekend but i think it'll be a few more days.. he's just having too much fun.  His bottle feeds have increased (YAY) but he's not quite there yet. You know... as the nurses say, he has "white boy" syndrome.  Yes, boys are slow with this sorta stuff, caucasian boys in particular.  He's doing great though, so we're happy!  Not much longer, the end is in sight, were just ready for this to be over!!

Water Baby

Im just posting this picture because it's fun, not because it relates to my post.  That silly hat looks goofy on Sulley, i can't believe i even bought that ugly thing.. i only bought it because it was brimmed  and one of the smallest hats i could find.  besides, i thought it'd help keep the sun out of sulley's face... uhhh not so much. Oh well, at least she was sporting some sort of patriotic Memorial Day garb.  Don't be surprised if you see it again on the 4th of July!

Sulley is continuing to thrive at home. Of course, mostly sleeping and eating but that's fine. Due to her large appeitite, her weight keeps going up and therefore her reflux problem has gotten a little worse.  Because reflux meds are based on weight, we figured she'd outgrown her dosage so we called the doc and had them increased.  We go back to the dr on Monday so we'll see if the dr. changes anything else.

Greg and I gave Sulley her first bath in the kitchen sink on Wednesday night!  It was about time the little gal got a bath considering the last time she was bathed prior to Wednesday was when she was still at the hospital. We figured she had enough drool and spit up matted in her hair and that it was finally time for a shampoo.  Sulley loved it and it was clear that she thoroughly enjoyed having her head massaged during the shampoo! She barely made any noises while in the water....I think she may be a little water baby like i was. Of course we forgot to snap pictures, we were too busy trying to rush through the bath in hopes that Sulley wouldn't poop in the sink!

Small face, HUGE paci

I like this picture because it makes Sulley's paci look huge in comparison to her head....  The paci isn't reallythat huge... it's just the little flower clip holder! Thanks Aunt Ingrid and cousin Lucy for introducing us to the coolest paci accessory!

Weekend in Review

Typical Position 

The most comfortable position... tummy time on dad!

Aunt Martha & Uncle Paul

 

Come Home Sweet Pea!!

blogger is annoying and wont let me post pics right now -- keep checking back

The first few days...

We're easing ourselves into the whole kid at home thing by having Sulley at home first. Of course the fun won't really start until Colton is here!  (HURRY UP!!)  We've worked out a pretty sweet deal- im going to bed early and greg is taking the late night feeding and mid morning feeding, im getting up at 230-3 and greg is up at 530 and then he's back to sleep in no time.  we all know that if it was me doing the 530am feeding, i would just stay up and probably have been to the grocery store and target all prior to 8am!  Lucky for me though-- i've missed Sulley's midnight breakdowns.  According to greg, she wakes up, throws her arms straight up in the air and starts going ballistic ... he gives her the paci, which she practically tries to eat, and when that doesn't satisfy her anymore, he gives her the bottle which she tries to slurp down in one gulp, acting like a rabid animal who hasn't eaten in a week.  All this is topped off when she lets out at least TWO truck driver burps.  We're not kidding either....  (she'll definitely be fun to have at parties in about 21 years )

The rest of the weekend has been fine, other than visiting colt-man, we've spent most of the weekend visiting with friends and fam - the vanzants, the peregoys, the shaydas, and the whittakers. Thanks to everyone who dropped by and those that brought goodies :)  greg and i left sulley at home and ventured off to the hospital by ourselves while leslie and tim so graciously watched her -- a little practice for them while we wait for baby peregoy... as if they need it!

Greg and I also took Sulley on a little walk last night to Shirlington for dinner. It was too nice of a night to pass up, so we just plopped in her the stroller and down the hill we went.  Good thing greg was with me to help push the stroller up the hill... i dont know if im going to be able to make it up the hill when I have both Sulley and Colton in the stroller.... I may be calling for back up! 

A Glimpse into Our Day

Debut!

As you can imagine, our first 'departure' home from the hospital was bittersweet! We were sad that Colton couldn't come home this evening but we are excited to have Sulley home. Before we can even get a nap, Colton should be home.  

After dressing Sulley in an outfit 3 sizes too big, we packed our goodies and headed out.  We laughed at ourselves as we so clumsily tried to put her in the car seat, not really knowing if we had strapped her in correctly.  

Upon our arrival home, we immediately changed her clothes as she already spit up on her new dress.  The pile of laundry is growing by the minute...the burp cloth, the changing pad, her "coming home outfit, and the list is ever growing.  Go figure, the fun is just beginning.  Other than that, the first few hours have been great, we've only heard few peeps out of her, one close to the time of her feeding and another as we changed her diaper. We've successfully administered medications without screwing anything up, so things look to be in our favor. Tonight should be fun.

Comfy and Cozy

This morning the nurses put Colton and Sulley in the same crib and we were lucky enough to snap this adorable picture of the two of them.  You can't really tell in the picture, but both of them are holding hands.  Sulley and Colton were just enjoying taking a second to say "see ya tomorrow" to each other before we brought Sulley home. 

Not much longer, Colt45! Hang in there, handsome

Supergirl Sulley!!

****SULLEY IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!!****

Colton will stay for the next few days but will hopefully be home within another week!

The third weekend in the NICU

It's hard to believe that Colton and Sulley are already 3 weeks old! The weekend was fairly quiet, but the chilluns were lucky enough to have visits from Stacey and Grey, Daniele and Christopher, and Jason and Diana! Thanks everyone!

Our biggest news of the weekend is that we expect one of the chilluns to possibly come home within the next two weeks. Sulley is eating better and tolerating her food more than Colton so we believe she'll be the one to arrive home first. As funny as it may sound, girls tend to do better than the boys when it comes to this sort of stuff. We're not getting too excited just yet so please dont start jumping up and down quite yet...but if you feel the need, then by all means, PLEASE go ahead. We're continuing to take things with a grain of salt but are continuing to think positively (as always) and are staying open minded. In other preemie news, the Drs have begun giving both kiddos reflux medication. The drs are still unsure as to if the whole "non dairy" diet is working, so they've asked me to start a food diary in hopes of getting to the bottom of the situation. I'm also removing peanut butter, almonds, and nuts from my diet. The next step might be removing all soy from diet, including my beloved Morningstar Farms Breakfast sausages which I so dearly love! :( :(

Say Cheese!

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been thinking about investing in a nice camera! We figure it's time to move on past the basic digital point and shoot! After all, I've always been interested in photography but just never have never taken a class or taken it a step further. If you've never seen my work, i suggest you email me immediately and i'll send you some snippets of my work. (AKA the "artsy" photos I've taken while vacationing in St John.  -- the flip flop photo, the corona commercial photo, and the pics of me holding the sun.)  

After talking to various photog friends, I think we've decided on buying a Canon XTI!  Greg had the chance to play the with the Canon last night and snapped a few shots.  Once we actually purchase the camera and figure out how to use all the settings, we only hope our pics will be as good as the work of Justin, Kris, and Tim!

double double pounders

We tried to take another picture of the twins together but it didnt work so well.  It's hard enough to get them to look at the camera, much less get them both to cooperate. If Sulley isn't sticking her tongue out or making faces, then Colton has his hands in his face.  

Westside!!

We snapped this fun photo of Colton tonight; he's just doin his own thing...

Wonderful Wednesday

As I made my way into the "penthouse" this morning, I was greeted with a nice surprise -- OPEN CRIBS! Because this move was unexpected, you can only imagine how estatic I felt!  As long as Colton and Sulley are able to regulate their body temperature, they'll be able to stay in the little cribs for the remainder of their stay.   The other good news is that the double pounders will now be fed by bottle 4x a day! --Another huge step considering both just started finishing an entire bottle.

Much to my dismay, the drs informed me that Colton and Sulley are going back on Pregestimil and that the feedings will be combined with the non-dairy breast milk. I'm not excited about them having to eat the awful formula but hopefully it wont be for too long.  Would you want to be fed with something that smelled like overcooked broccoli?  Didn't think so...

Overall, Wednesday was a great day... but the best part is knowing that there are plenty more great days ahead!

  

Growing Big and Strong

So tonight was a very big night for Colt 45 and Sulley Bear. Laura and I did bottle feedings tonight and this was the first time that they both finished an entire bottle and didn't have to use the feeding tube the finish off the feeding. Although that doesn't seem like much since they have to do that 8 times a day before they can come home, its a huge step because it shows they are building their strength and endurance. There are also a few shots of Sulley without her feeding tube in her nose since her favorite past time is to pull the tube out of her nose and then pitch a fit when they have to put a new one in... its really a lot of fun for everyone.

More Mother's Day Pics

First Mother's Day

After buying two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for the NICU nurses and scarfing a few down ourselves, we headed to the hospital to spend our first mother's day with the munchkins. Sulley debuted today as our first "double" double pounder while Colton is just an ounce or two behind.

Since it was a lazy, rainy day, Sulley decided to sleep most of day away.  Colton, on the other hand, spent most of the day mooning everyone in hopes of airing out his diaper rash... obviously not one of his prouder moments. (Don't worry, Colt45, we've erased all incriminating pics)  

There's not much to report on the home front, the drs and nurses are still trying to figure out the milk protein intolerance issue. Both Colton and Sulley began receiving the "dairy free" milk but it's too early to tell if it's helping.  They're gaining weight and are more and more awake and alert as the days go by.  Both are continuing to learn to feed through the bottle and by breast-- Every day is a little better and each day is progress!

Family Pic Take II

No Dairy!

Not much has changed this week with Colt45 and Sulley... The most exciting news of the evening is that Sulley's billi lights were turned off for now!! YAY!! Colton was bottle fed tonight and managed to take most of it down except the last few sips.

Because the drs think the lbers may be lactose intolerant, tonight officially begins the start of my lactose free diet. I've been instructed to remove all dairy from my daily routine, asap. bye bye lost dog pizza, bye bye ice cream, bye bye chic fil a milkshakes, bye bye cereal, I'll miss you. I guess this means i'll also be eating a few less cookies since i won't be washing them down with milk. I wonder how much weight I can loose by cutting this out? probably nothing because the minute i get the green light, i'll be gorging myself with fatty milk products.

boo for billi lights

The billi lights are back, which isn't that uncommon or surprising to us. My only beef is this.... rather Colton and Sulley lying on top of the "billi blanket", they're using an overhead photo-therapy light. With that being said, the kids are having to wear eye patches to protect their vision. It's a pretty unsettling sight but at least the overhead lights are more effective. In all honestly, they look like they're in the tanning bed, fully accessorized with eye goggles and all. Sorry, I have to find some humor in the situation.

Colton's new nickname

Colton and Sulley slept most of Sunday but did manage to provide us with  a little excitement. Even though what i'm about to say probably won't seem funny to you, it's funny to me!  Greg FINALLY got peed on this afternoon, after he continuously made fun of me and how i always am getting sprayed by Colton and getting diaper rash cream everywhere!  

On another note, both kids finally awoke just in time for Aunt Betsy and Uncle Ryan's visit! Clever Uncle Ryan thought of the most perfect nickname for Colton...Colt45!! Going forward, please either call Colton by his proper name and not Cole, Colt, or CC.  The only nickname approved by pound and lopez is "Colt45."  Yes, we are proud, indeed... who wouldn't want to name their son after a cheap malt liquor with a low price and a high alcohol content? 

First Family Photo

GPs and DPs

Making Progress during the GP's visit

Grandma and Grandpa timed their visit from SC just right!  Progress continues during Colton and Sulley's stay in the NICU.  Feedings are continuing to increase and the little ones are handling the extra food well.  The nurses are giving the milk an extra boost by adding a powdered supplement so hopefully pretty soon, we'll start to see 'em fattening up! We want fat rolls and chubby legs!!!  

The double pounders are officially off of their IVs and the Billi Blankets have been removed for the time being.  Much to my dismay, both Colton and Sulley had to leave their phat "Giraffe" isolettes (the Lexus of the isolettes) and have been put into much simpler, less fancy isolette (probably the Toyota Camry) which isn't nearly as cute and is more difficult to maneuver around when trying to change diapers, etc.  

The GP's arrived Thursday and immediately began laughing hysterically at the amount of hair on both kids.  We've been having fun visiting with them and introducing them to their first grandkids.  Dad seems to think that Colton's grip mimics that of football player and seems to think that we may have a wide receiver on our hands.   As for Sulley, the verdict is still out.  

A few of our favs

Thanks to Justin who took these pics!

A Shout Out!

Thanks to the girls at Childress who surprised Grandma Ginnie by putting pink and blue bows on the house! Thanks ladies, we'll be by the store soon to show off our kiddos!