WE'RE HOME!!!!

We have been home a week and things have been CRAZY! Luke got out of the hospital on a Thursday; Briellen and Ivy got out of the hospital on a Saturday and we were back in Houston on Tuesday. Briellen and Ivy's get out of jail cards came in the form of at-home apnea monitors. They've given us major peace of mind and we've had no true alarms nor any false alarms since we've been home! Two months of no alarms and they'll be off of them.

The plane ride home was an experience. The babies didn't cry (whew!) and the people on the plane were kind; one passenger even wrote us a sweet poem! Getting checked in and through security was a titch stressful, but with six adults we made it relatively pain free (my mom, Stephen's mom, Margaret, and Damon helped me & Stephen). They joked that they should have slipped me a Valium and I completely disagreed until I realized I didn't take a single picture!!

I have spent the past week in survival mode, with little sleep; exactly what the coming weeks will bring, I'm sure! Thank goodness for all the people that come and help me. Feeding times are a frenzy -- I compare the babies to pirhanas with blood in the water.

I've been trying to establish a routine, because I realized the babies had gone a week without a bath -- poor things!!!! (I guess because I hadn't bathed in a week either!) My new perfume is eau de Neosure (super stinky formula!); not one I recommend for my girlfriends!! I have had a couple of meltdowns, but overall, am so happy with my babies and being home.

Luke, Sidney, Briellen, Mitchell, Ivy
Luke Coming Home
Briellen Coming Home
Ivy Coming Home Again

Mitchell Home & Ivy Back

So, we had a bit of drama this week with Ms. Ivy. She decided to stop breathing Thursday morning. And no amount of coaxing or stimulation would make her start again. I ended up having to do CPR -- the one thing that every mother tells herself that she'll never have to do. She started breathing again pretty quickly, but it seemed like an ETERNITY for me and my mom. The paramedics got here fast and they were wonderful. Even though Ivy was still recovering she flirted with the 5 cute men that were in the house. We had to fly in a helicopter back to the hospital and were blessed that the NICU at Good Sam let us come back. (A lot of times, once a baby is discharged from the NICU, they aren't allowed back.) Ivy is doing okay now... they think that it was reflux related and are running tests to verify. It is sad not having her here, but she is where she needs to be to get better. I won't go into what a wreck I am, but bottom line is: TAKE CPR! I am afraid that if I hadn't, Ivy wouldn't be here with us today.

Ivy & Elle

On a happier note, we got to take Mitchell-Moo home with us on Sunday. It feels so good to be able to pick him up and play with him anytime I want. He is so laid back and such a sweet boy. It's strange, but it felt weird having only one baby here. Two feels more normal, but I won't feel all the way "normal" until they are all here. Who would have thought that I wouldn't feel "normal" until I had FIVE babies in my house. Crazy, huh?

Stephen's mom is staying the week with us as the babies are coming home. So 3 people taking care of 2 babies is allowing me to get some much needed rest.

Mitchell

Ready to Go

Sidney & Ivy Home!!!

Wow!!! What a roller coaster ride the last two weeks have been... Quick recap - Mitchell and Briellen started having breathing problems. We thought that we were going to have to do surgery to fix their PDA's. The awesome neonatalogists decided to try a medicine to close them instead of surgery despite their "old" age. The medicine WORKED! No more PDA's! Briellen continued to have breathing issues and the doctors determined that it was her anemia causing it. We did a blood transfusion and she has been doing great. The biggest news is that Sidney and Ivy came home on Saturday! Even though the truly sleepless nights have begun, we are one step closer to coming home to Texas.

Tiny Ivy & Sidney Ready for Ride Home

Getting Ready To Go Home

Hanging Out At Home

The Farleys came to visit last weekend... Look at how big Aiden is!! I hadn't see him since April and he is such a little boy now!