Separation Anxiety

We have been eagerly anticipating our weekend getaway that Uncle Matt and Aunt Gigi provided us as a Christmas present. They have some very close friends who are letting us use their condo in Breckenridge, CO, and Brian and I were able to cash in airline points we accumulate on our credit card. How could we pass up a fun weekend away with family for free? For the first time ever, Drake and Kennedy are staying with Gran and Poppy while we are enjoying this much needed getaway for mommy & daddy.

When we were driving to the airport, I will admit that I was in tears. I think this was harder on me because I am accustom to being with our twins every minute of every day and Brian is used to being away from them during the work week. Although, knowing that our sweet babies are under the watchful eyes and care of Gran and Poppy gives us peace of mind. Uncle Mikey was able to join us on this trip, too!

While staying with Gran & Poppy, Drake and Kennedy have a fun filled schedule, too! One of their sweet nurses from the hospital came to visit them today, and this weekend Uncle Aaron, Aunt Mere and their cousin Jacob are coming to spend some time. I have a feeling Drake and Kennedy will be keeping Gran and Poppy on their toes this weekend.

FaceTime is a wonderful thing...as soon as we were settled into our condo, we FaceTimed with Drake and Kennedy. We loved seeing their reactions as they recognized our voices! As much as I miss our little angels, I know this is a good refresher for me after our challenging 2012.

Flying Solo

For the last two days, I have been flying solo with the twins. The good news is that we all 3 survived. We actually did better than I had imagined. It isn't easy being the only one available to care for both babies 24/7, but they are very good babies. They are on a fairly strict schedule, so I can move through the day and night knowing what to expect--most of the time. There are always those unplanned moments that throw us off.

Last Friday the babies had their 6 month checkup. Kennedy was 10 lbs 11.5 oz & 21 3/4 inches; Drake was 22 inches & 10 lbs 10 oz. They are so close in size, yet they are built so totally different. I really thought Drake was heavier than Kennedy. She feels lighter when you pick her up.

The doctor advised me to add more formula for each of them at each feeding. Kennedy now does not have to be interrupted during the night. I was having to wake her for her night feeding, anyway. Now she can just sleep through the night. Drake still has to have his continuous feeding refilled during the night, but I just change his diaper and start the other feed, and he goes right back to sleep. So my nights are getting easier--as long as they both continue to sleep through.

We are hoping something works out for us to get our nurse back, but we do not know at this time. Usually my mom is here, too, but sometimes her schedule requires her to be at home a couple of days. That has been the case the last two days. At least she will be available to be with the babies the rest of the week.

Sunday was a fun day for me. My Tyler friends gave a diaper/wipes shower. It was wonderful to see everyone and get to visit for a few hours. We even had 2 very dear friends from the East Texas area whom I had not seen in quite a while who were able to come. I just loved seeing everyone! Being isolated at home with 2 babies who cannot have visitors really cuts down on my social life. I know it isn't forever, and one day this will be a distant memory. It is definitely worth it to have 2 adorable babies who are healthy and happy. Some day we will be going everywhere anytime we want!

In Limbo

The last several days have been rough…We have been working through a company that provides home nursing care due to the medical attention that Drake needs. Yesterday, I received a call from the agency informing me that insurance will not cover Drake's nursing; determined through the clinical policy bulletin as custodial care vs skilled care. Due to this, his nurse (who we love) received a call stating that she could complete the day, but was not to report to the Gilstrap household any longer. This breaks my heart for many reasons: 1) Drake loves her, 2) She loves Drake, 3) She is now like family to us, 4) Without an assignment, she does not get paid.

As you know from the last post, Drake and Kennedy were scheduled for a pediatrician appointment today. His nurse is such a wonderful person that she was planning on coming to go with us whether she was getting paid or not. She only receives pay if she has an assignment; therefore, without notice, she will not be paid until another family chooses her; We do not want to lose her. I have made a multitude of calls and I was able to arrange "Private Pay" by the day, but as you can only imagine…the price is quite steep and we cannot keep her on full time. At least she was able to get paid for today and I have her scheduled for three days next week.

This is such a tough situation because Drake needs a skilled nurse and has been approved for MDCP (Medically Disabled Children's Program) through Austin. This will cover his home nursing, but we are waiting on the finalization of the process to take place (this could take up to 45 which ends on Feb 6th.) We were told this would be expedited and could be completed before the end of the month, but there is no guarantee.

Over the past two days many tears have been shed by Drake's nurse and by me. Her roommate just moved out; therefore, she needs full time pay in order to cover all of her bills. We know that she will get picked up by another family and be fine, but we will have to adjust to and train a new nurse in a few weeks. I have spoken to other mothers who have been through multiple nurses while searching for a good fit. We were beyond fortunate to have found a nurse who loves our son so dearly. I know we can find another skilled nurse, but I am terrified we will never find another with such a warm heart.

Through our tears, we took Drake and Kennedy for their 6 month doctor’s appointment today. This was a BIG day because their previous 2 month and 4 month shots have been spread out over several days…these 6 month shots (5 Total) were all administered in succession. Not only did they receive the immunizations, they also received their flu vaccine and their monthly Synagis shot. Their happy dispositions quickly turned into the loudest cries I have ever heard from either of them.

Happy New Year!

Reflecting back on 2012 brings with it a flood of memories...some emotionally difficult to revisit, but mostly happy times. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in early June and little did we know we would meet our greatest blessings a few weeks later. As we toast in 2013, we have more to be thankful for than ever before...our sweet Drake & precious Kennedy.

It's hard to believe that I spent the majority of 2012 on bed rest and then living in a hospital. Our NICU journey showed us we are stronger than we ever thought possible and just how mighty our little babies are, too. 140 days in total is how long we spent at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. 3,360 vigilant hours, 201,600 minutes at their issolette/crib sides; rooting, praying, singing, talking and letting them know we were there. We were blessed to be able walk out of the hospital on November 1st with Kennedy and the 10th with Drake; our precious miracles. We also left with some very dear life-long friends we made along our journey. The medical staff of Dallas Presby became our extended family, and we look forward to staying in touch over the years to come. They will be able to take pride in each of Drake and Kennedy's milestones and accomplishments which will be made possible thanks to their hard work.

Since our last post on Friday, we have had a visit from Papa and enjoyed a fun filled family weekend. Thanks to the weather outside, it has made being stuck in doors seem like an ideal situation. They both continue with their daily exercises and Kennedy has started to mimic, which brings us great joy. Drake's congestion and cough are almost completely gone and he has really done well with his bottles. He has been able to take over half by mouth, which is fantastic. The occupational therapist with ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) will be coming to work with Drake in the morning, and we have their 6 month doctor visit on Friday. I am already dreading all of the shots on Friday which will include their next round of Synagis in addition to their other immunizations. Looks like Brian will arrive home to some cranky babies.

Time Passes

It has been 188 days since Drake and Kennedy have been born. Brian and I have been steadfast at our daily duty to fulfilling our blog post. We have not missed a day and even on our roughest moments, we have written multiple updates. As they are settling in, we are settling in...this comes with hard decision that we have decided to decrease our daily blogging to bi-weekly updates (Tuesdays and Fridays). However, Drake and Kennedy have their own Facebook page (Team Drake and Kennedy) that we will provide pictures and videos on a regular basis.

Brief update on today...Drake's congestion is much better. Both Drake and Kennedy have taken an interest in toys. Each of them grabbed a pink ball toy and tried to eat/chew on it. Kennedy did this while Drake was napping and Drake did this while Kennedy was napping. I'm thinking we may need to get a second pink ball for when they are both awake and wanting it at the same time or we can learn about sharing really early. This is good because it shows that they are on track developmentally with discovering and becoming aware of the world around them.

Roller Baby

We love both of our twins dearly, but today was little Miss Kennedy's day! Our usual routine was playing out...diaper, bottle, playtime, tummy time, nap time, repeat...Brian was working from home & even with the door closed to his study while he was on a conference call, it couldn't muffle the cheers Drake's nurse & I were shouting for her major accomplishment. After months of building muscle tone, she succeeded in a major milestone today...she rolled herself over from her tummy to her back! Way to go Kennedy!!!

I love watching them grow and progress! I know Drake will be right behind her with his milestone. You know girls tend to be a little faster than boys with these developments. He is making progress with his congestion! We have weaned him down to breathing treatments every 6hrs as opposed to every 4hrs.

To see a quick video of Kennedy's fist roll over, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/TeamDrakeAndKennedy

https://www.facebook.com/TeamDrakeAndKennedy

A Little Light Reading

We've been reading to Drake and Kennedy since the beginning while they were in their issolettes in the NICU. Now they are beginning to actually show a bit of interest and they look at the brightly colored pages. Yesterday they opened two books from their Uncle Mikey and we spent some time today reading them along with some other short picture books they already had. It was so much fun watching their faces as they were looking at the pages of each book. My heart was warmed by thoughts of them one day being able to read the stories to me.