Grady's Home!

Keith and I survived the hellish rooming-in experience (and the boys survived two nights of being under our care), and late Sunday night we were given the OK to bring Grady home! Grady is now adjusting to life here at our little house, and we are all waiting eagerly to get the word that Cole may come home. He is still in the NICU, but is making great strides, and should be home within the week. It was incredibly difficult leaving him behind, but we know he is receiving great care from the nurses and doctors at UT Medical Center. Only a few days and we will get to see him again!

Go Directly to Jail, Do not Collect $200

It’s not exactly Monopoly, but Keith and I have been given the “Directly to Jail” card. It’s actually a good thing, it’s just a little weird. For UT Medical Center’s NICU, parents have to “room-in” with their baby(ies) for one or two nights before the baby can be discharged from the hospital. It’s almost a trial run, where you get a room that is more like a hotel room, and the baby comes to stay with you in the room. You provide all of the care, just like you would at home. Except, it’s nothing like being at home-you’re stuck in one room, no kitchen, no natural light coming through windows, no Nana to come save you when you need a nap. Instead, you have the ambiance of a hospital (albeit a nice one), hospital food, and even worse, a hospital bed.

Keith and I were lucky enough to be assigned not just one, not two, but THREE nights of rooming-in. How lucky are we!?! We’re technically rooming in with Grady, but Cole will also be in the room with us, he will just be monitored more closely than Grady. We’ve been assigned three nights thinking that the three nights might give Cole a chance to catch up so that by Monday he might also be ready to go home. Doesn’t really mean that either one will for sure go home on Monday, but that’s the goal! The doctor’s will be doing assessments during the weekend to see if either boy is progressing as they want them to, and that will determine if/when anyone goes home.

So, I will not be doing any updates until Monday since we’ve been sentenced to our hospital room. At least we have two really cute babies to play with, and that’s all that matters.

Here's to hoping my next post is done from the comforts of our own home.

What's that? You want more pictures of the boys? Certainly!

MORE good news

Guess who got his NG feeding tube removed? This guy! And who ate more than half of his last feeding? This other guy!

More good news

Here are some random updates and thoughts from the last few days:

• Cole is completely off oxygen! No nasal canula (tube you see many old folks using to breathe)



• Both boys now only need to take all their feedings by mouth consistently before they can go home. Grady has eaten the majority of his feedings-yes, the whole bottle!, but he still has his NG tube in. If he takes eats the whole bottle consistently today and tonight, his tube might come out tomorrow.



• Cole is also eating some, but only about 25% of his bottle. Perfectly normal since he was on oxygen for a week. He did eat 50% of his bottle for me yesterday, but the night nurse said he didn't show much interest in it during his early AM feedings. I think it's probably because she wasn't bribing him with a car when he turns 16 (but shhh...don't tell your dad) to get him to eat like I have been, but whatever, he'll catch up when he's ready.



• Otherwise, both boys look great! Cuter and cuter by the day. I know, I'm not surprised either.



• Aunt Karen is doing OK. She's had some post-pregnancy blood pressure and headache issues, so everyone needs to please continue thinking good thoughts so she can bounce back to her normal self. When I talked to her last, Rhett was keeping her company in the couch. Good job, Rhett, take care of Momma.


• Tomorrow their Papi comes back to Knoxville! Whooohoooo! I miss that guy.

Cutenesses

Here they are, just after eating today. Grady on left, Cole on right.