Lunch Out

Today Thomas and Michael experienced their first restaurant. I decided try and take the boys out by myself this afternoon and meet some teachers from my old school for lunch. I got the boys loaded in their carseats and into the car. I had already phoned one of my friends and she was going to help me carry one the boys into the restaurant. We made the short trip to the Chinese restaurant. Thomas and Michael met many new people and slept while mommy enjoyed some time out of the house and conversing with adults! I decided the trip was a success. Who knows where we will venture in the future!

Yesterday the boys ventured to City Hall to see where daddy works and let daddy show them off.

I am doing okay with the boys during the day. The only time it gets a little stressful is when I am feeding Thomas or Michael and the other is crying because he is hungry. Hopefully as lthe boys get bigger, I will be able to feed them at the same time. Otherwise the boys are very good, they like to lay on the floor and look around, spend some time on their tummy or in the bouncy seat and most of sleep. I like it when they sleep at the same time so I can either get somethings done around the house or take a nap.

We go back to the peditrician on Tuesday. Depending on how much they weigh, they may get their shots. The doctor likes to give baby shots when they reach about 7 pounds. If the boys are not to 7 pounds yet, then we will hold off on the shots for awhile. We also hope to get an idea of how long Michael will have to be on the monitor. Hopefully not much longer.

Telling the boys apart.

We have been asked how we tell the boys apart. Well to be honest, the only way we know who is who, is by the fact that Michael is on a monitor and has cords attached to him! The other day I had Michael disconnected from his monitor and David came in and thought I had Thomas! When Michael is done with the monitor, we will have to come up with a different way to tell them apart. When I am posting pictures on the website, it helps to remember who was wearing what, or think back to that time and remember what was going on. We are also beginning to figure out differences in their temperments and personalities.

Tummy Time

All is continuing to go well at the Dillner home. The boys are still eating well and sleeping well. Typically during the night, they only wake up to eat and then go back to sleep. Mom and dad are very thankful for that.

The highlight of the boys day is when they get to have tummy time. They get to spend a few minutes on their tummy, so they can strengthen their neck. The boys either love it or hate it depending on their mood. One day earlier in the week, I think it was Sunday, we had Michael on his tummy and he was not happy. He had worked himself up on to side, his favorite position. His arm must have been in the right place because after a little more kicking, sqiurming and working, he had himself on his back. David and I were totally amazed. A little while later we had Thomas on his tummy and he did the same thing. Amazing!

Today I took Michael to the eye doctor, to have a check up. The doctor was looking to make sure that all the blood vessels around the retna have developed. He checked Michael out in the NICU and was pleased with his progress, but wanted to see him one more time to make sure he continued in the right path. Luckily all is well and we don't have to go back to the eye doctor. It is no fun for Michael. They use a small instrument to hold his eyelids open and then another instrument to move his eyeball so he can see inside. Michael cried during this time, but otherwise he did well. I am sure he is glad as well that he does not have to go back.

Next week will be interesting as David is going back to work. So I will be on my own with the boys all day long.

One final note, more pictures are in the photo gallery! Enjoy!

Grandma writes

As Grandma Melinda prepares to leave she really can't help wondering who are the lucky ones. Thomas and Michael for having such wonderful, loving and caring parents (and grandparents!) or Jenny and David for having such handsome, sweet, adorable, lovable and good boys. I think they will all be good for each other and take good care of one another. I have enjoyed my visit and holding the boys and gazing at them in amazement of Gods love and blessings.
-Grandma Melinda

David and I were very thankful to have my mom around for a week and a half. I think she spoiled us more than the boys, cooking and cleaning up dinner and doing things around the house. It was also so wonderful to visit with her, as we don't get to see our family as often as we would like. Thanks mom for all your help and your visit! Now the real fun begins when we have to do all those things for ourselves.

In other news, the boys experienced their first mass yesterday. We took the boys to church with us last night. They were very good and slept through the whole mass. After mass we went to a Greek Festival and ran into some friends. The boys enjoyed being outside in the fresh air.

The 64 million dollar question

Are they identical???? Well the answer to that question is yes. I asked the my doctor today, who took a look at the placenta report and concluded that they are identical.

The trip to the pediatrician yesterday was a success. David and I both liked their pediatrician. He said that they boys are both doing great. They look good. They were awake and alert. Thomas weighed 5 lbs 11 oz and Michael weight 5 lb 12 oz.

Both Michael and Thomas are doing a much better job at breastfeeding. They are eating like pigs and then typically falling asleep. Their favorite position to sleep is on the chest of anyone who is willing to hold them. At night they sleep, except when they are eating. Mom and dad are very grateful for this.

Thank you!

David and I wanted to thank the staff in the NICU for taking such wonderful care of the boys. We did not have to worry about them, because we knew they were in great hands. The staff in the NICU was very supportive of us, letting us do as much as possible for the boys. They were also very supportive of me breastfeeding the boys. We want them to know how much we appreciate what they did for the boys.

We would also like to thank our friends and family for their continued prayers and support. We know that all those thoughts and prayers helped us get through this difficult time. We thank the Lord for all your support. We also pray for you each day.

It is so wonderful to have the boys at home. They are doing very well. I think they are adjusting quite well. They are good eaters and sleepers. Their nights have also gotten much better. They are waking up to eat and then go back to sleep. Michael's monitor has also settled down, or we have gotten better with it. We are have fewer alarms due to loose leads each day.

They have their first pediatrician appointment tomorrow morning. It will be a challenge to get everyone up, fed, ready to go and in the car to make our appointment at 9:15. I am anxious to see how much they weigh and find out from the pediatrician how long Michael will have to be on the monitor. The only plus to the monitor is that it helps us tell the boys apart. I still struggle telling them apart, David thinks he can do it, but he has not let me in on his secret.

I know many of you are awaiting new pictures. You can expect new pictures in the next day or two. I have a bunch to upload to the website, I just need to find the time!

Sleepless Nights in Winchester

There are many people out there who wanted to know how our first night with the twins went. The only way that I can tell you is that if you've ever had a child, multiply it by two and you'll have your answer. If you've never had a child, now would be a great time to jump on the band wagon and find out. When you get to that special night, remember this: it will be the longest night of your life. I promise.

It seemed like I had retreated to bed some twenty-eight times BEFORE midnight! Once I had gotten one of the boys to settle down, the other would pick up the tune of "I'm not going to bed without a fight." Jenny would attempt to feed each of them in turn, and that wouldn't get us anywhere either. They would pretend they were hungary, but once they were positioned, it was scream central. They wouldn't eat and they wouldn't sleep. Then we got a little smarter.

Last night the boys were milestones better than their first night in the house. We had remembered that for the last six weeks, the boys had lived the high life in the NICU. For you readers that have never visited a NICU, they are extremely busy and often times annoyingly noisy places. Constant beeps and buzzes from various machines designed to measure the mythediendate-scheylandanrantide of the left ventricle in the flaginmaginous receptive. Ok, it's not the scientific, but there are a lot of things going on. This invariably taught the boys how to sleep in places with constant noise and movement. When they came home, Jenny and I had to reconstruct the busy environment that they hailed from.

Hopefully tonight will not be as bad as that first night. I know that Jenny would greatly appreciate some rest, and I think that tonight may be a great opportunity for all of us to engage the Sandman.

Five Twin Firsts
1. First NASCAR race (Watkins Glen)
2. First ride in stroller
3. First extended walk outside
4. First look in a mirror
5. First time dad got peed on (courtesy Michael)

Homecoming!

The day the Dillners have been waiting for has finally arrived! Both Thomas and Michael will be coming home today. The hour of arrival will be sometime after 5:00 pm. We are preparing to leave for the hospital momentarily to begin the process of bringing them home. We have to have CPR training and probably fill out some paperwork, but once that is all complete, the boys will be buckled into their carseats to enjoy a ride to our house.

Both boys have done rather well the last week, but Michael will have to come home on a monitor. At this point in time we don't know how long he will remain on the monitor, but it will probably be for a few weeks. He has had a few "spells" when he was being bottle-fed. Thomas on the other hand will not be coming home with an annoying monitor. The good thing is that we will be bringing both boys home together.

Last night, Jenny and I had to room in with Michael in order for us to bring them home. Thomas couldn't camp out with us because he was still in observation so that we could bring him home without the monitor. Michael was really fussy throughout most of the night, and we believe that this was from the fact that he knew that Thomas was not with him. Fortunately for us, they will both be coming home so we won't have to worry about unsetting them both.

The boys picked a great week to come home. The temperature outside is absolutely incredible! Tomorrow is supposed to be around 77 degrees! While this may not seem exciting, it beats bringing them home in blistering 100+ degree heat. We think they will transition well into the home-setting, but we think we will have to have some music or sounds playing while they are sleeping because the NICU was so loud. We think Michael also couldn't take the silence of our room last night.

Well, the adventure of raising the boys really begins tonight. It will be a different setting for us and them. We'll all survive, but I don't know how much sleep we'll get. Chances are high that we will be slightly tired tomorrow.

Oh, at least they will be home.

Finally.

Sleep when you can!

Sleep when you can is David's new motto, as illustrated by the picture. David is holding Thomas during a visit to the NICU and taking a quick little catnap.
Both boys are continuing to do well. Michael is weighing 5 lb 12 oz and Thomas is not far behind at 5 lb and 11 oz. They are continuing to eat well. They are getting better at breastfeeding. They do struggle with nipple confusion. When they begin to breastfeed, they are trying to eat like they are eating from the bottle, It takes them a few minutes to make the transition. The lactation consultant reassures me that when they get home and are strictly breastfeeding they will do so much better.
Grandma Melinda arrived in Winchester yesterday afternoon. She was very excited to see and hold both of the boys. She enjoyed holding both boys and taking pictures of them. Grandpa Kreher sent some clothes with grandma for the boys. I wanted to take the boys hospital pictures in the Cornhusker outfits he sent, but David would not agree to it.
We look forward to having both of the boys home soon.

Seconds for Thomas

Tonight our visit to the NICU was pretty uneventful. Both boys were sleeping when we arrived, and so we had to be mean parents and wake them up. Thomas ate first, and when Jenny thought that he was finished, she passed him to me. Then Michael ate. After Michael finished, Thomas was ready for more food. He had gone 4.5 hours in between feeds, so needless to say, he was more hungary than usual.

Both boys have been eating good enough to continue to gain weight. Michael weighed in at 5 lbs, 12 oz and Thomas weigh 5 lbs, 9 oz. In a few days, they both should be a whopping 6 pounds! They are getting bigger and all the nurses comment on how much they have grown since they were born. I must say that they are bigger and it makes me feel more comfortable handling them. When they were very small they seemed so fragile. Now they are ready to rock climb.

In other news around the Dillner household, St. Benedict's Brewing Company began its fourth recipe this weekend. For more on this, visit the St. Benedict Brewing Company blog.

The results are in

Over the weekend we got the results of the test ran on the boys earlier in the week, to determine the cause of their spells. Thomas' results told us that he still has immature breathing patterns, which is the reason for the heart rate and breathing rate drops. Michael on the other hand did have reflux issues. He was put on medication to help control this. We basically have two choices, we can wait for the boys to go seven days with out having a spell where their heart rate drops or their breathing rate drops, or we can bring them home on monitors that would let us know if one of the boys is having a spell. As of yesterday Thomas was on day 2 of his spell count and Michael was on day 3. We are going to let them try to finish this spell count and make it to seven days. If they are unable to go the seven days without spells, then we will bring them home on monitors. We are ready to get the boys home. We don't have a specific discharge date yet, but when we do, we will let you all know.

Otherwise both boys are doing well. They are continuing to eat well and sleep well between feedings. They are going about 3-4 hours between feedings. They are also continuing to gain weight. Thomas was at 5 lb 7 oz and Michael was at 5 lb 9 oz yesterday.

All is well!

Not much new to report from the Dillner camp at the NICU. We are still waiting the results of the test the boys had earlier in the week to see why they keep having spells. The boys did have a head ultrasound and all looked well. Both boys are continuing to gain weight, Thomas is at 5 lb 5 oz and Michael is at 5 lb 6 oz.

Spells, Spells and More Spells

The boys are continuing to gain weight and eat well. They are no longer on a specific feeding schedule, when one of the boys wakes up and is hungry, they will feed him, then wake the other and feed him. They are trying to make the transition to home easier. I am glad that they are trying to keep the boys on similar schedules. The only negative aspect to this, is that it makes it very difficult to time our visits to the NICU, especially because when we go I like to be there at feeding time, so that I can breastfeed the boys. So far the boys have been going about 3 hrs between feedings during the day and 4 hours at night.

The nurses are always telling us what good boys they are. Typically when they wake up, they lay and look around, not crying, unless they are really hungry. They are good at going with the flow. We can only hope that they continue to be good boys when they come home.

Both of the boys are continuing to have spells and they should be outgrowing them by now. So when I was at the hospital this morning, working on breastfeeding the boys, the doctor told me that they had ordered a test for the boys to determine why they keep having spells. I can't remember what the name of the test is, I know that the test will run about 24 hours and the boys will have a tube down their nose again. The test will better help the doctors know what is going on when the boys have spell, where their heart rate drops, if it is reflux or some other problem. Once they know better why the boys are still having spells, they can treat it. If for example the spells are due to reflux, they can be given medicine for that. Hopefully tomorrow we will know more. The doctor told me that they order this test routinely for all babies who are full term, (which they are now!), all bottle feedings and still having spells. The spells are the only thing still keeping the boys in the NICU. Recently a set or girl twins moved in next door to the boys, maybe that is why they are still having spells!

Lastly an update on the boys weights, Last night Thomas weighed 5 lb 3 oz and Michael was 5 lb 4 oz.