NICU, Etc

Now that the twins are nearing the One Month Old mark and we're starting to get an idea on when people want to eat, sleep, etc. around here, I feel I can catch up on some writing.
First of all, I realize that in my last blog entry, I was a little scattered and wrote with the assumption that everyone knew what had been going on so here's some general notes on what happened:

Thursday, July 6 Sydney's sac ruptures and starts leaking amnionic fluid. It's decided that I should either go ahead with induced labor or have a c-section. I chose labor.

Friday, July 7 After aprox 20 hours of labor (about 24 hours after the sac ruptured) it was decided to go ahead with a c-section (I cried when the doctor told me we needed to do a C, the nurses felt really bad for me). Sydney was born 5lbs 3oz at 3:17pm EST. Andrew was born 5lbs 5oz at 3:19pm EST. Both scored a 9 on their 5 min Apgar test. Later that night is the first time I'd ever held an infant and once again Sydney gets to claim another first.

Saturday, July 8 My mom and brother arrive from California. It's the first time either of them has held a new born and this time Andrew claims the honor of being the first.

Sunday, July 9 Andrew goes into NICU because his temperature dropped dramatically. He's put into one of those baby bubbles (isolette) to keep warm. Later that night it's discovered Drew's not eating enough so they give him a feeding tube down his nose.

Monday, July 10 Sydney and I are discharged from the hospital and I'm a wreck for having to leave Drew there alone in his bubble eating formula through a tube in his nose.

Friday, July 14 We get things ready to have Drew come home the next day only to find out he's been put on "Brady Watch" and has a minimum of five more days in NICU. Then I freak out when I discover a "Brady Episode" in NICU has nothing to do with the family sitcom, it means my son had stopped breathing (twice) which apparently is common with premature babies. So now I'm checking Sydney every 5 minutes whenever I'm not holding her just to make sure she hasn't gone all "Marsha" on me. Also, the feeding tube isn't working as well as they'd hoped so in addition to the feeding tube, they hook my little man up to an IV

Thursday, July 20 Andrew comes home with an apnea monitor

Wednesday, August 2 Grandma (my mom) goes home. The kids and I have our first day alone

The NICU is an amazing and awful place. A place where you truly get to view both Heaven and Hell. Every day I went but I hated going. All those tiny lives struggling to do simple things like breath. Beeping alarms. Babies, some of them only a pound, born at, like, 26 weeks (out of a full term of 40 weeks), crying inside their little isolette bubbles as their little velcro/felt "sun glasses" protect their eyes from the billi lights. I'd look at my 5lbs 5oz son, huge in comparison to his neighbors, and think "oh my poor little man Drew, what are you doing in this place? You don't belong here." Thus giving my son his first nickname: Mandrew.

I like singing so I sang to Andrew through the little vent crack in his isolette. One of the songs was Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.

And I'd give up forever to touch you

Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

'Cause sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight

Chorus:

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything seems like the movies

Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

repeat Chorus

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

Right now I have "Stay With You" by the Goo Goo Dolls on my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/nrgxtc). I was looking to put Iris on my page but when I heard this song it reminded me of the "you and me 'till the wheels fall off" kind of feeling I have right now. I barely avoided becoming homeless last month. Now, my family and a few friends have banded together to give me a couple months ('till about Sept 1st) to come up with a plan to pay for stuff like rent, diapers, formula, etc., without their help other wise my children and my future together may be in jeopardy. I'd be totally screwed if we were on Jeopardy.... sorry, I get a little goofball when I'm sleepy. A sure sign I've rambled on enough for now.