More Improvement

Emily awoke Friday to find her feet, ankles, and legs still swollen. I think the toll that this week (and the past 31 weeks) has taken on her body caught up to her this morning. The combination of her soreness and pain from surgery as well as her general discomfort from her swollen body caused some anxiety for her this morning. Once assured by the nurse that she was progressing normally, she was able to settle down and get some rest. She's been doing great great thus far and her physical and mental strength is phenomenal. I think that the girls got their strength and resolve from their mother . . . which is fantastic!

Emily's doctor made her usual visit this morning. We questioned her about Emily's swelling, and the doctor confirmed the fact that it will take some time to alleviate. The doctor did order Emily to track her fluid input & output once again in order to ensure that she's continuing to release more fluid than she's consuming. Emily's continuing to walk around more and more each day, but does have to stay off her feet for hours at a time due to her swelling. The doctor also informed us that we were still on schedule to be discharged tomorrow. It will be good to leave the hospital, but tough to leave the girls here. We look forward to going home and seeing Indy (our dog) and sleeping in our own bed, but I'm sure that we will struggle with the fact that we can't simply walk upstairs to visit the girls.

After meeting with the doctor, we went upstairs (the NICU is on the floor above us) to see the girls. To our delight, the girls had the top of their incubators off. This allowed us to interact with the girls for quite some time. We changed diapers, caressed, and talked with the twins for 30+ minutes. We can do these things normally, but it was easier today without the tops of their incubators.

Another positive that we found this morning was that their breathing apparati were removed. Their breathing is progressing so well that they were upgraded to nasal oxygen tubes. These tubes can provide oxygen, but only do so if the girls forget to breathe. These tubes are not as invasive as the former apparatus and we can see their faces much easier. Plus, they don't have to wear their hats to keep the appartati secure. Thus, we were able to view the full head of hair that each one sports. As you'll see in the photos below, they have a head full of dark hair. This wasn't much of a surprise to either Emily or I, but we enjoyed seeing it anyway. Our experience this morning was the best I've had with the twins and it made me look forward to the day that I can hold them and take them home.

After visiting the twins, we had visitors of our own stop by. Friends and family continued to visit throughout the day. Some pictures of our visitors meeting the twins for the first time can be viewed below. Everyone who sees them marvels at their beauty and are amazed at their petite stature. They are now crying and opening their eyes fairly regularly. To have them look at you will make you melt and to hear them cry is both heartbreaking and enchanting at the same time. They are small but strong, as they continue to make positive strides every day.

Emily and I look forward to tomorrow and the joy that the girls will provide us!