Esther and William have rooms (yes rooms plural!) full of toys but at the moment the thing that William loves most of all is the label on his gym!! He grabs it and pulls it, looks like he is trying to read it. It is very funny with all around him that it is this he chooses to focus on. I love my children so very much for moments just like this.
Focus
Today I am starting the Photo 365 Challenge. I know that it is usual to start this in January but I am in need of a new challenge and photography is something that I long to be better at so this seemed the right way to go. I am going to try hard to take good, different photos and improve my skills and my blog in the process.
To start the challenge I am going to introduce two young models who I think will feature quite heavily in my photos to come. My very nearly 8 month old twins, Esther and William.
Esther and William were born at 27 weeks and 3 days gestation on 24th July 2010. In 8 months they have come on in leaps and bounds. At their corrected age of very nearly 5 months they are rolling at will and caterpillar crawling around the floor. They can sit independently for a few seconds a a time and have in the last few days developed a love of bubbles and balloons. They are becoming quite chatty in their funny little way though it is hard to make out separate sounds when they have all of their fingers stuffed in their mouths!! Poor teething babies! I hope to get lots of improving shots of them as they change and grow.
I hope you will stick with me throughout the challenge.
Here is Photo 001
Introducing Esther and William to 365
In a week when many people around the world are holding on to hope with their bare hands I feel quite selfish gloating about my cheer. And yet here I am, because this week I do have genuine reasons for cheer and pride. My little miracle babies are doing so well and I cannot hide how I feel about that after the terrible start to life that they had.
My Reasons to be Cheerful this week:-
Esther and William are above average in their general development
This week we had a clinic appointment for Esther and William at the hospital. At this clinic they are weighed and undergo a number of developmental checks that I do not pretend to understand. What I do know though is that the Consultant told us that she is very very pleased with both babies. William is just above the 75th percentile for development and Esther is just below. This is marked against their corrected age of 4.5 months. I was so proud watching them work thorugh the exercises with the physio I thought that I might burst with pride and they did everything with a smile too. The session was topped off when one of the nurses said to us, “We always knew these babies would be clever ones!” Proud Mummy moment!
Esther and William loved their first baby class, Baby Sensory
Today we went to Baby Sensory for the very first time and Esther and William both loved it. In particualr they loved helium balloons and the ball pool. I was so impressed with the class leader, Julie Reynolds, and her welcoming manner that I signed up for 10 weeks straight away and we start next week!! I am so excited!!! I am going to review the session on my blog so please watch this space x
Esther and William have moved into their very own BIG cots!!
After William crawling on top of Esther in his sleep a couple of times we decided that the time had come to move Esther in to a cot of her own. It has only been one night so far but again it is a really proud Mummy moment though I am also sad that they are not sharing anymore. My babies are growing up. Next move will be into a room of their own and no longer with their Daddy and I. That will be a big moving day. This was just a small moving day but a big reason for cheer.
Need more stories to make you smile? Hop on over to Mummy from the Heart’s blog and share your Reasons to be Cheerful.
Rewind to September 2010
September is a great month for us. It is my birthday, my sister’s birthday and will also be our wedding anniversary after our wedding this September!! It is also the month in which Esther and William finally came home from NICU last year.
The post I have chosen to share for this week’s Rewind was written in September 2010 whilst the babies were still in hospital.
It is a letter to them from me.
After what can only be described as a horrible morning and early afternoon, our late afternoon was saved by reading books.
Part of my over tired, over emotional state led to me feeling a little jealous of my Mum. Stupid, I know! She is staying with us at the moment to help with the babies. Because she always gets a good night’s sleep she is so full of energy to play with Esther and William while I can barely speak out loud I am so shattered. I pathetically got to thinking that Esther and William might prefer being with her than with me! She is just so loud and so much fun!
Anyway, William was playing with my Mum when I sat down with Esther to read a book. As I started reading aloud William stopped playing and with the saddest face looked over to where we were and listened to the story too. That tiny moment, that one loving look just melted my heart. He continued to listen to the story, never not watching, from the other side of the room. When I finished reading to Esther I read to William too, the same story and one other. It was such a special time, reading with my son and daughter, that it totally made up for the rest of the day. It also made me realise that no matter what, only I will ever be their Mummy, and that counts for a LOT!!
I would like to share with you now, the books that made it all better.
Tell Me What It’s Like To Be Big by Joyce Dunbar
This is a lovely story about a little girl who wants to be bigger. When her brother tells her of all the things she might do when she is grown the little girl realises that perhaps she would rather stay small after all. A lovely tale about growing up with a subtle message of not growing up too fast. This was beautiful to read as a mother snuggled up to a son and daughter who are growing and changing every day.
Ants in Your Pants by Julia Jarman and Guy Parker-Rees
This is a fun book for reading out loud. It is written with great rhythm and rhyme. The characters are very funny and the pictures are bright and colourful. This is one that can be shared over and over again and every time you will notice something new. A great funny book full of knickers to make you giggle!
This weekend the Rewind asks us to think back to August and share a post from then.
August 2010 saw me spend every day in NICU/SCBU with Esther and William.
The post I have chosen to share reflects on a very special day when the twins were reunited for the first time outside of the womb.
Please read REUNITED
Today had an exciting start as Jane wheeled in the twin cot! William is making his move today and Esther should follow in a couple of days. Luckily I have started washing the bedding already! Continue reading
9.8.2010
Arrived at the hospital just before 9am. The doctors were intubating a new arrival on the ward so we were asked to wait in the lounge.
David had to leave to look after Rohan before the doctors came round.
I was able to change Esther’s nappy and oil her flaky skin. She seemed to really enjoy having the oil massaged in and it stopped her desaturating. She also liked holding my hand.
Tracy, today’s nurse, explained that Esther is tired. She needs to be on CPAP continuously to help with her breathing. Her oxygen support varies but she is currently on 27%. She just needs time to rest and grow. The doctors looked at her. She is to stay on her CPAP with no time off and to continue on 8 mls of milk hourly. The doctor has asked for a chest xray and for her bloods to be cultured to rule out infection. The main thought is however that she was pushed too hard too fast and is now very tired. They are also checking her HB (iron) levels to rule out anaemia. Poor Esther but at least we will know one way or another. She lost weight overnight.
William is doing well. He has put on more weight and is now 3lb 1 and a half ozs. Because of this his milk has gone up to 9ml every hour. He will have one hour off CPAP today. He did one and a half hours last night but was very tired. The doctors are pleased with his progress but do not want to push him too hard. He is on 22% oxygen.
After the doctors round Julie came with me to the milking room as otherwise we were going to run out of time together. After milk we went to see the babies and then it really was time for Julie to go. I told her through tears that I really wished she could stay. I have loved having her here. I love my wee sis very much and the twins will love their Aunty Julie, I’ll make sure that they do, even when she is far away in the land of Oz.
After Julie left I did William’s nappy and oiled his skin etc… He was so good and so stable. After cares he came off his CPAP and we read poems and and sang hymns. His incubator oxygen was set at 26% whilst he was off his CPAP. He and Esther are both now having multi vitamins with their feeds.
William really is a gorgeous baby. I got some great photos today. I love him SO much!
I went away for some lunch and came back to find William still off his CPAP. He was approaching 2 hours and seemed to still be doing well.
Esther had her chest xray. The doctor and Tracy talked me through it. It seemed fine though there was a tiny white area that the doctor called ‘fluff’! This could be the start of something but they need to see blood cultures first. If they show something out of the ordinary then Esther will start some antibiotics. They have put a cannula in just in case. Esther howled as the doctor put it in and Tracy gave her some sugary water to soothe her. It seemed to help. It really breaks my heart when she cries and to see the doctors sticking things in her and taking her blood. They really struggled to get blood today. They were trying to get it out of her hand. Poor little Star!
After milk at 2.15pm I was able to have both William and Esther out for cuddles whilst on their CPAP. It was lovely. I was a bit hesitant but Tracy reassured me that cuddles are good for them aswell as me.
One set of bloods came back for Esther that were taken very early this morning. They showed no signs of infection but her Hb had dropped to 11. It should be higher than 12. Tracy thinks we are 2-3 days away from her first blood transfusion. I think so too as I now recognise the signs – pale, struggling with breathing and agitiated easily. I actually hope that she will have one soon as it seems to have done the world of good for William. We have to wait now for the results of her afternoon blood tests to see if they indicate an infection or anaemia.
William will also have further blood tests this afternoon as he may need to go back under the blue lights for jaundice! This is routine for their gestation and to be expected. Poor Master William!
Just before 5pm the doctors came round again and explained that Esther has slight shadowing on the left side of her lung but this could just be the natural maturing of her lungs. She is currently presenting no signs of infection, so for now we sit tight. If anything out of the norm shows there will be no hesitation in starting antibiotics. But for now, we wait! I am going to have to get very good at waiting. One of the other reasons that the doctor is happy to wait is that Esther has been back in air for much of today. Such a rollercoaster!
Tracy wants me to go to my GP and get my operation scar looked at, so I will make an appointment tomorrow. Will also go for my postnatal check up on Folkestone Ward.
Esther’s blood test came back clear! She is not showing any signs of infection. We can breathe a sigh of relief … for now!
When we got home we measured and planned out the nursery and bought the remaining furniture we needed from IKEA. Online thankfully!
Can’t wait to start getting the room sorted and then bring our babies home!
8.8.2010
William, for the first time, is doing better than his sister. He is needing less oxygen and is tolerating full feeds well. His long line is out and his last cannula was taken out this morning. He is still having caffeine and some sodium in his milk. He will have an hour off CPAP today hopefully, to give his nose a rest.
Esther is still struggling with her breathing. She is desaturating to quite low levels and doing it quite a lot! It is because she loses the seal on her CPAP by having her mouth open all the time. The nurse today was brilliant, trying different things to improve the situation. She tried different sized prongs and a mask. The mask combined with a dummy has stopped Esther desaturating. She is more relaxed, her heart rate is down and she is breathing easier.
William managed one hour off CPAP today. He seems very relaxed and enjoyed having stories read to him by his Aunty Julie. Hugh came to see the babies too today. I am glad that he got to see them before they fly back to Oz. I have really enjoyed having Julie here and will miss her very much.
Esther is still really struggling, even with her new mask. Her desat levels were down in the 50s. The nurse said that the best thing for her is to be left alone as she is obviously exhausted and needs to sleep to get better. She will not be having any cuddles today.
I decided that the best place for me was home so that both babies could have complete peace and rest to get stronger and grow.
Phoned the hospital at 5.30pm and 10.30pm. Both babies are doing well. Esther was having a better night than last night. She came off CPAP for her cares. William had an hour off and seemed to be doing really well.
I really missed being with the babies today. I sorted out their clothes, muslins and blankets, and made a start on the baby washing.
It was nice to have some time with Julie too. I really wish that she was here to stay.
One week old and William finally opens his eyes! Continue reading