Happy Three-Week Birthday, Christopher and Katharine!
What a wonderful week of development for our little ones! Today Katharine is about 3 pounds and 10 ounces, and Christopher is 3 pounds 14 ounces. As we get closer to four pounds, the kids are both almost completely off of temperature controls in their isolettes. Once this is mastered, they should soon be moving on to an open crib!
Both have also recently moved on to “bolus” feedings, a huge step in the right direction for their nutrition! Where they were receiving a constant flow through their feeding tube before, they now receive an increasing amount over a 2 ½ hour period. As this is well tolerated, they will move to receiving the amount in 2 hours, 1 hour, and so on, until they are able to take their entire feeding in a 30 minute period, with feedings occurring every three hours. This will mimic the feeding pattern a newborn would normally follow, in preparation for eventually taking a bottle and breastfeeding.
The kids continue to work on regulating their breathing and oxygen levels. They still have progress to make to become completely independent, but we’re glad to see that they are struggling less with this. We continue to pray that we will see further progress on this front.
Oh yes, and Christopher is still in "isolation", following his eye infection. So we continue to don the yellow gowns and gloves with him.
We had a lot of fun this week trying out some of the adorable preemie outfits we’ve received, as both kids are free of IV’s and critical lines, making outfits possible. We are loving the time we can spend “hands on” with the kids, changing diapers and outfits, singing, and snuggling. The only negative is having to put them back to bed! But they need their rest just as much as they need bonding time with Mom and Dad, and we’re glad to make sure they receive both.
We continue to document as many special moments and milestones as we can with photos. You can check the updates for Week Three at…
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=872086366905%3A542931770&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
Watch for future posts for photos of Week Four!
We are excited to see how they will continue to grow in Week Four! We are so grateful for your prayers and love! Thank you so much for your support!
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Our Second Week!
Happy Two-Week Birthday, Christopher and Katharine!
The second week of the twins’ life has been a time of big and small steps, forward and back! As we celebrate each step forward, as the kids are challenged to make in their development, we also learn patience through faith, as they sometimes then need to step backward. We are always excited to see them making forward progress, and are glad that they have access to support when they need it.
The kids are increasing their feeds each day; a constant feeding that goes through a nasal tube into their little tummies, consisting of breast milk mixed with a high calorie formula. As a result, they are gaining weight (after the initial weight loss which is so common in the first week). Today Katharine was about 3 pounds and 7 ½ ounces, and Christopher was 3 pounds 10 ½ ounces. And as of tonight, both will be off their IV fluids and on the way to taking exclusively breast milk!
Both kids have tried out lower levels of air pressure in their nasal cannula this week, and then have needed to go back up a little. The regulating the levels of oxygen in their blood and its effect on heart rate and body systems is still an area for progress. Both will be having a second echocardiogram to follow up on the development of these systems. We pray that we will continue to see further progress on this front.
Regular bilirubin checks (for signs of jaundice) have Katharine back under light therapy for her birthday, sporting her little black sunglasses, but those numbers are improving quickly. Both of them have moved to “big kid” beds (still an isolette, but the side-access kind which are used for babies who don’t need as much attention). Christopher is also regulating his own body temperature without the assistance of temperature and humidity controls. He is usually all bundled up now in a little shirt and blanket to keep him warm, and is doing a fabulous job of maintaining his own body temp!
The most exciting step this week was that we were able to start holding our darlings a couple of times a day. Dad went back to work this week, so Mom holds them at lunch or in the afternoon, and Dad holds them at night before we read a story and “tuck them in”. It has been so wonderful to finally hold our children in our arms as they peer up at us, or sleep! And as difficult as it can be to leave our little ones in the NICU, it has been such a blessing to have the caring nurses and doctors close by to show us how to hold and care for our little ones as they grow.
We are excited to see how they will continue to grow in Week Three! Thank you so much to everyone for the lovely cards and messages and for your prayers. We are so thankful for these blessings!
PS – We continue to document as many special moments and milestones as we can with photos. You can check the latest updates for Week Two at…
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=798477795905%3A400813446&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
You can paste this link in your browser. You should be able to view the photos without signing in.
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
The second week of the twins’ life has been a time of big and small steps, forward and back! As we celebrate each step forward, as the kids are challenged to make in their development, we also learn patience through faith, as they sometimes then need to step backward. We are always excited to see them making forward progress, and are glad that they have access to support when they need it.
The kids are increasing their feeds each day; a constant feeding that goes through a nasal tube into their little tummies, consisting of breast milk mixed with a high calorie formula. As a result, they are gaining weight (after the initial weight loss which is so common in the first week). Today Katharine was about 3 pounds and 7 ½ ounces, and Christopher was 3 pounds 10 ½ ounces. And as of tonight, both will be off their IV fluids and on the way to taking exclusively breast milk!
Both kids have tried out lower levels of air pressure in their nasal cannula this week, and then have needed to go back up a little. The regulating the levels of oxygen in their blood and its effect on heart rate and body systems is still an area for progress. Both will be having a second echocardiogram to follow up on the development of these systems. We pray that we will continue to see further progress on this front.
Regular bilirubin checks (for signs of jaundice) have Katharine back under light therapy for her birthday, sporting her little black sunglasses, but those numbers are improving quickly. Both of them have moved to “big kid” beds (still an isolette, but the side-access kind which are used for babies who don’t need as much attention). Christopher is also regulating his own body temperature without the assistance of temperature and humidity controls. He is usually all bundled up now in a little shirt and blanket to keep him warm, and is doing a fabulous job of maintaining his own body temp!
The most exciting step this week was that we were able to start holding our darlings a couple of times a day. Dad went back to work this week, so Mom holds them at lunch or in the afternoon, and Dad holds them at night before we read a story and “tuck them in”. It has been so wonderful to finally hold our children in our arms as they peer up at us, or sleep! And as difficult as it can be to leave our little ones in the NICU, it has been such a blessing to have the caring nurses and doctors close by to show us how to hold and care for our little ones as they grow.
We are excited to see how they will continue to grow in Week Three! Thank you so much to everyone for the lovely cards and messages and for your prayers. We are so thankful for these blessings!
PS – We continue to document as many special moments and milestones as we can with photos. You can check the latest updates for Week Two at…
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=798477795905%3A400813446&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee
You can paste this link in your browser. You should be able to view the photos without signing in.
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Friday, August 20, 2010
Welcome Katharine and Christopher! - Our First Week
Happy Birthday, Christopher and Katharine!
Dear Family and Friends,
This entry of our blog celebrates the one-week birthday of our beautiful children! Last Wednesday, on Day 6 of week 29, Katharine Leona Keller was born at 11:20 AM, at three pounds and one ounce, and 16.5 inches. Christopher Lewis Keller was born at 11:22, at three pounds and five ounces, and 17.5 inches. They are a very healthy size for their age, and are doing a fabulous job in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Fairfax Hospital.
Mom is doing well in her recovery, and we both are getting accustomed to our life back at home, following almost two months in residence at “Hotel Fairfax”. Our blog will now share details of how we are all doing, as we work toward the day that they are ready to come home with us. This post will share additional information about the milestones our little ones will be working toward, and progress updates for their first week of life. This will help us celebrate each of the little milestones (although no step forward can truly be considered little) along the way, and these descriptions will also help to understand the changes you will see in their photos over time (Kodak Gallery link below!)
Now at 31 weeks of gestational age, our babies’ main tasks are to sleep and grow, while continuing to develop independence in the many systems that would usually be monitored by their Mom’s body during the third trimester. While they continue to develop and mature, their bodies will increasingly regulate breathing and heart rate, as they also begin to learn to digest food and eventually to suck and swallow while breathing.
We are so proud of how our little ones are doing in their progress of these goals! They were breathing on their own at birth, with positive air pressure support from a CPAP mask. Over the course of this week, they both graduated to the nasal cannula (the clear tube under the nose). What a wonderful thing it has been to finally see their beautiful faces more and more! As they continue to show independence, the air support levels are reducing every few days, and they will eventually graduate to breathing without any support.
This week, while they have been receiving the rich nutrients they need to grow through an IV, they have also begun "feeds" of a high calorie formula through a feeding tube, which prepare their little tummies for digesting food. As those feedings are taken well, they will get increased amounts of formula and breast milk until they're ready to suck and try a very small bottle. Then we’ll start transitioning to associate that skill with actual breastfeeding. The kids are doing a great job so far; their feeding levels are already at 1/3 of their daily nutrient needs!
Anemia is fairly common among premature babies, as their bodies have not started to reproduce red blood cells at the rate of a full-term newborn. As a result, Christopher received a transfusion for his birthday, which should help him continue the amazing progress he’s already making! And as their bodies learn to break down the bilirubin in their systems, both are receiving intermittent light therapy, which will help them overcome the jaundice, which is also so common for preemies.
The best birthday gift the babies received on Wednesday this week was the removal of the umbilical IV line. After the first 24-hour dressing change from this line, the babies will finally be ready for us to hold them in our arms. Due to their sensitive skin and this critical umbilical line, our contact with them this week had been limited to help with temperature checks, diaper changing, and to comfort them. You’ll see us providing this comfort in some of the photos. It’s sort of a boundary hold, similar to that swaddled feeling - that's what we're doing with our hands on their heads and feet, or gently covering the arms. It makes them feel
secure when they need comforting. We were so thrilled to receive the news that we will now be able to hold our darlings by the end of the week, and are counting down the hours until this precious first moment for our new family!
The next step after finally being able to cradle our little ones in our arms will be Kangaroo Care. The term refers to skin-to-skin contact between babies and their parents. This special bonding helps babies in regulating their heart rate, breathing, weight gain, and reach other developmental milestones. The nurses have indicated that it might even be possible for us to begin this over the weekend or early next week!
And while it is difficult to predict when one or both of the kids will be ready to come home, their doctor has shared that some babies are ready by the gestational age of 35 or 36 weeks!
With lots to be thankful for, we will share updates on Christopher and Katharine’s progress in their goals as frequently as possible. We are tickled by the personality our little ones are showing already! It is so fun to watch them stretch and explore their surroundings! And with a few days off of phototherapy and masks, they have started to open their eyes more and more and are starting to take in the world around them, and check us out. What a miracle it seemed to be when we realized our first moments of eye contact with our darling son and daughter!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and messages of encouragement! We are so thankful for every one, and are glad to be able to share information about our amazing children with you! The NICU has recently returned to their tightened restrictions for the cold and flu season, we will unfortunately be the only people permitted to visit them. So you can count on lots of pictures of our little ones’ first days and progress in the coming weeks! This link will take you to our Kodak Gallery slideshow, which has been updated frequently, through the end of Week One. (You can click on it, or paste it into your browser.)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=365117175905%3A47590307&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Dear Family and Friends,
This entry of our blog celebrates the one-week birthday of our beautiful children! Last Wednesday, on Day 6 of week 29, Katharine Leona Keller was born at 11:20 AM, at three pounds and one ounce, and 16.5 inches. Christopher Lewis Keller was born at 11:22, at three pounds and five ounces, and 17.5 inches. They are a very healthy size for their age, and are doing a fabulous job in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Fairfax Hospital.
Mom is doing well in her recovery, and we both are getting accustomed to our life back at home, following almost two months in residence at “Hotel Fairfax”. Our blog will now share details of how we are all doing, as we work toward the day that they are ready to come home with us. This post will share additional information about the milestones our little ones will be working toward, and progress updates for their first week of life. This will help us celebrate each of the little milestones (although no step forward can truly be considered little) along the way, and these descriptions will also help to understand the changes you will see in their photos over time (Kodak Gallery link below!)
Now at 31 weeks of gestational age, our babies’ main tasks are to sleep and grow, while continuing to develop independence in the many systems that would usually be monitored by their Mom’s body during the third trimester. While they continue to develop and mature, their bodies will increasingly regulate breathing and heart rate, as they also begin to learn to digest food and eventually to suck and swallow while breathing.
We are so proud of how our little ones are doing in their progress of these goals! They were breathing on their own at birth, with positive air pressure support from a CPAP mask. Over the course of this week, they both graduated to the nasal cannula (the clear tube under the nose). What a wonderful thing it has been to finally see their beautiful faces more and more! As they continue to show independence, the air support levels are reducing every few days, and they will eventually graduate to breathing without any support.
This week, while they have been receiving the rich nutrients they need to grow through an IV, they have also begun "feeds" of a high calorie formula through a feeding tube, which prepare their little tummies for digesting food. As those feedings are taken well, they will get increased amounts of formula and breast milk until they're ready to suck and try a very small bottle. Then we’ll start transitioning to associate that skill with actual breastfeeding. The kids are doing a great job so far; their feeding levels are already at 1/3 of their daily nutrient needs!
Anemia is fairly common among premature babies, as their bodies have not started to reproduce red blood cells at the rate of a full-term newborn. As a result, Christopher received a transfusion for his birthday, which should help him continue the amazing progress he’s already making! And as their bodies learn to break down the bilirubin in their systems, both are receiving intermittent light therapy, which will help them overcome the jaundice, which is also so common for preemies.
The best birthday gift the babies received on Wednesday this week was the removal of the umbilical IV line. After the first 24-hour dressing change from this line, the babies will finally be ready for us to hold them in our arms. Due to their sensitive skin and this critical umbilical line, our contact with them this week had been limited to help with temperature checks, diaper changing, and to comfort them. You’ll see us providing this comfort in some of the photos. It’s sort of a boundary hold, similar to that swaddled feeling - that's what we're doing with our hands on their heads and feet, or gently covering the arms. It makes them feel
secure when they need comforting. We were so thrilled to receive the news that we will now be able to hold our darlings by the end of the week, and are counting down the hours until this precious first moment for our new family!
The next step after finally being able to cradle our little ones in our arms will be Kangaroo Care. The term refers to skin-to-skin contact between babies and their parents. This special bonding helps babies in regulating their heart rate, breathing, weight gain, and reach other developmental milestones. The nurses have indicated that it might even be possible for us to begin this over the weekend or early next week!
And while it is difficult to predict when one or both of the kids will be ready to come home, their doctor has shared that some babies are ready by the gestational age of 35 or 36 weeks!
With lots to be thankful for, we will share updates on Christopher and Katharine’s progress in their goals as frequently as possible. We are tickled by the personality our little ones are showing already! It is so fun to watch them stretch and explore their surroundings! And with a few days off of phototherapy and masks, they have started to open their eyes more and more and are starting to take in the world around them, and check us out. What a miracle it seemed to be when we realized our first moments of eye contact with our darling son and daughter!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and messages of encouragement! We are so thankful for every one, and are glad to be able to share information about our amazing children with you! The NICU has recently returned to their tightened restrictions for the cold and flu season, we will unfortunately be the only people permitted to visit them. So you can count on lots of pictures of our little ones’ first days and progress in the coming weeks! This link will take you to our Kodak Gallery slideshow, which has been updated frequently, through the end of Week One. (You can click on it, or paste it into your browser.)
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=365117175905%3A47590307&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer
With Love,
Andrea, David, Christopher, and Katharine
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Welcome to Week 29
As we celebrate Week 29, we mark off the sixth week of our stay here at Hotel Fairfax! Our doctors have estimated that our goal will be getting to 36 weeks, so we’re hoping for at least seven more weeks here!
We learned more this last week about the non-stress test, which is now done daily by our nurses, beginning at Week 28. The test is performed during heartbeat monitoring to measure the babies’ reactivity, as seen in their heartbeats during periods of rest and activity. And we’re glad to say that they’ve been passing these “tests” with flying colors! We also continue to notice their movement more and more, especially when they get moving at the same time!
Weekly sonograms are now on Tuesdays, and the fluid levels and membranes continue to look great. The kids are both in relatively the same position as last week - as they get bigger, their ability to stage a major move decreases. We look forward to their next growth measurement later this week!
During the sonogram this week, we could see Katharine stretching up above her head, pressing on the membrane separating she and Christopher. We discovered that they can sometimes give one another enough of a nudge to get a reaction from their sibling! We were also glad to get profile pictures of both this week!
We continue to feel blessed and thankful to enjoy visits, calls, emails, and cards from friends and family, which lift us daily. We are so grateful for your prayers and encouragement!
With love,
Andrea and David
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Week 28 - Welcome to the Third Trimester!!!
We are so glad to welcome Week 28! We are thrilled to be entering the third trimester, a wonderful milestone in the babies’ development!
We hear that a lovely time was had by all at the Ohio shower last weekend! Andrea enjoyed talking with so many of you that day! We also enjoyed savoring the delicious variety of fresh fruit in her edible bouquet; a rare delicacy in hospital life, and such a fun surprise! Now that the shower games have all been played, we are able to post the previously classified information about the babies’ weight estimates. Last week at their growth measurements, Katharine’s estimated weight was 2.1 pounds, and Christopher was at 2.5 pounds. It was wonderful to learn that their growth is right on track for their gestational age! The next growth estimates will be in three more weeks.
Our weekly sonograms continue to measure the membranes and fluids surrounding our little ones, and we continue to learn more and more about the babies’ development and their lives on “the inside”. Today we caught Katharine doing some more “practice breathing”, which is amazing to see! The positions of both are almost the same; head down, somewhat parallel to one another (Christopher to the left, and Katharine to the right). Their legs and feet form an arch at the top, with her legs under his. Ah - this explains the slightly more intense movement going on in that area! :)
Photo opportunities this week showed that Katharine is very fond of her hands and fingers, and is discovering fun things to do with her tongue. Christopher is not interested in sitting for portraits, the clearest picture being yet another view of his backside. Two photos are shown below. And both are very active, doing all the moving and stretching they need to grow!
And we are doing well here at "Hotel Fairfax"! As always, we are so thankful for all your love, support, and prayers!
With love,
Andrea and David
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Welcome to Week 27!
Welcome Week 27, indeed! After almost four weeks under our belt here at “Hotel Fairfax,” we can’t believe how quickly time is passing! Wednesday’s monthly sonogram for growth measurement brought the news that the babies are developing beautifully! We cannot share their estimated weights yet, as we understand it would give an unfair advantage to blog readers at an upcoming shower! :)
Profile pictures were a little more challenging to capture this week. Christopher has mostly stayed put, snuggling in closer to his sister, who simply has nowhere else to go! He was facing his Mom’s back, however, which made his profile a little trickier to find. It was also tricky to get a clear profile image for Katharine, as she has discovered that her hands and fingers will reach and fit into her mouth!
We are so proud of them both, as they are working to grow big and strong! We continue to be blessed daily by the caring, dedicated doctors and nurses here; and by the love, support, and prayers from you, our family and friends.
We want to wish all the Ohio shower-goers a wonderful time and safe travels this weekend! We will be celebrating with you in spirit, and can’t wait to be home again later this year, with our new little ones!
With love,
Andrea and David
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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