Go Away Gustav!!

As I write this I am extremely stressed about the upcoming Him-a-cane!! My babies will be well taken care of, I know that for a fact, but the thought of not being able to get to them completely stresses me out. The road from our home to the hospital is basically like the path to Little Red Riding Hood's Grandma's, nothing but woods, some deer and probably a Big Bad Wolf or two!! Meaning, lots of trees that could potentially block the roadway and prevent me from getting to my Muffins!! I am going to do what I did with the whole pregnancy and put it in God's hands! He's been so kind and gracious thus far I know he'll see me through this!!!

Now, what you all really want to hear... Updates!!

Cannon - The Can-Man has moved out of the Pods and into the Progressive Care area of the NICU. He is rocking out! He is on nasal canula only, receiving full feeds which means his PICC line comes out in the morning! He has a heart murmur caused by PDA. Here's some info on what that is.........
What Is Patent Ductus Arteriosus?
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that occurs soon after birth in some babies. In PDA, there is an abnormal circulation of blood between two of the major arteries near the heart. Before birth, the two major arteries—the aorta and the pulmonary artery—are normally connected by a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus, which is an essential part of the fetal circulation. After birth, the vessel is supposed to close within a few days as part of the normal changes occurring in the baby's circulation. In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent). This opening allows blood to flow directly from the aorta into the pulmonary artery, which can put a strain on the heart and increase the blood pressure in the lung arteries.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Patent Ductus Arteriosus?
A heart murmur may be the only sign that a baby has patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during the heartbeat.
Some infants may develop signs or symptoms of volume overload on the heart and excess blood flow in the lungs. Signs and symptoms may include:
Fast breathing, working hard to breathe, or shortness of breath, or in the case of a premature infant, need for increased oxygen or ventilatory support
Poor feeding and poor weight gain
Tiring easily
Sweating with exertion (such as while feeding)
He is not having any problems with his PDA, but they are keeping a close eye on it and have given him one dose of Indomethacin (in-doh-METH-ah-sin) a drug that helps close a PDA in premature infants. It does not usually work in full-term infants. It works by stimulating the PDA to constrict or tighten, closing the connection. He will receive another dose tonight and one more tomorrow night unless it closes in the meantime which means he will no longer need it. If it does not close we will discuss further treatments at that time, one of which could possibly be surgery. Cannon is such a fighter, I think the medicine will work just fine!!!

Gunner - This is my time to brag! My Gun-Man has rocked out! He was struggling in the beginning but is now the big man in charge! He is on full feeds, nasal canula and his PICC line was removed today. He is getting 22cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours mixed with Milk Fortifier. 30cc's is an ounce so that's just awesome if I do say so myself! He looks like a Big Dude when you walk out of Avery's pod into his. He weighed in at a whopping 2 pounds, 15.9 ounces today so we're not far from his birthweight and at 3 pounds he gets to wear clothes so they told me to bring them with me tomorrow and maybe Hannah Noelle will get to watch her brother get dressed for the first time!!

Lauren - She is going to be my delicate flower! She wants all the attention! She is still on CPAP and has an average of two to three heart drops a day for which she recieves a medicine called Aminophylline which is basically a caffeine stimulant. This is not uncommon at all in preemies, again, one of the many reasons they're in the NICU at such a great hospital!! Lauren also has a heart murmur caused by PDA. She is recieving the same medicine as Can-Man for that, but her's is a bit more serious than his. Extra blood is flowing through the heart because of the PDA and is not allowing as much blood flow through her "gut." I'm quoting the doctor now. This is causing her to have some feeding issues. She is the only one still recieving nutrients through her PICC line, but she is now up to 5 cc's of breastmilk every 3 hours and is showing no sign of residual so they will continue to up it as they feel she can tolerate it. She is also having a little trouble with jaundice. Please say an extra prayer for her every night!!!

Avery - What can I say, she's amazing! She came out the smallest, but is fighting back! She's almost to her birth weight, on 17cc's of breast milk every 3 hours and getting her PICC line out tomorrow. She is still on CPAP because she just wants to be lazy every now and then! She and Lauren are both on the CPAP, but at 21% which is room air. She will continue to get Aminophylline for the few heart rate drops she has, but will receive it through her feeding tube instead of through her PICC line!

Hannah Noelle - I have to update on her too! She is doing well, but is showing signs of jealous bones! Who can blame her? If it was one baby I'd tell her to get over it, but with four it's just constant baby attention and she feels left out. She's getting better with it and loves them so much she just doesn't understand why everytime we receive a "prize" for the babies she doesn't have a prize. I tried to explain to her she got prizes like that when she was born too, it's just way over her head!! We're going to Libby Lou's tomorrow so I'm sure that will remedy everything for a day or two!

Mommy and Daddy - I have recovered amazingly well. It's amazing how much faster your body recoups when you're not having to get up in the middle of the night with a baby. I feel much better than I did after having Hannah Noelle. I'm sure part of it is also having to have the drive to get up and travel to the NICU daily. I had some swelling issues shortly after their birth and low and behold I was allergic to the medicine they gave me to treat that! I'm covered in hives! I itch, itch, itch!! I'm on steroids now and it's slowly getting better!! Matt is doing great! He's not getting to see the Muffins as often as he would like because by the time he gets done with football practice it's too late to get to Mobile before they close from 6:30-8:00 and you can only make so many 8:00 visits without completely tiring yourself out, not to mention trying to juggle Hannah Noelle. She still doesn't completely trust us to pick her up yet, she's scared they're going to make us stay at the hospital again. She told me if they told me I had to stay I had to tell them I had a tiny daughter at home that needed me! I cried like a baby! Every time we pick her up from school, choir, etc.. she is trusting us more.
As a matter of fact, speaking of trust, I just heard a little voice say, mommy, we're supposed to eat popcorn and watch TV, remember? I guess that's my sign to log off and go have a pallet party with my 3 year old!!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers! Thank you so much for your continued support and friendship!! Keep the comments coming, they all make me smile!! Love to you all!