4 Weeks!

Wow, it's hard to believe the boys were born 4 weeks ago today. Time's already flying by.

We have more pics of Zefram since he's come home that I'll be posting shortly. Liam's got some catching up to do once he comes home.

We're hoping to have a meeting with Liam's doctor tomorrow to discuss his current status and what's next. The latest news is that he has resumed bottle feedings, and his feeds are being regularly increased while he becomes re-accustomed to it. There isn't really any news regarding his heart condition; he's still requiring oxygen to be administered on a regular basis. New news will hopefully be forthcoming also...

Day Twenty

Liam's out of his isolette again and seems to be doing well enough. Mary got to hold him today (after not really being able to for more than a week), and he looked and sounded a lot like Zefram... I'll be surprised if they turn out to be fraternal twins. Also, his weight is now up to (almost) 5 lbs.

Zefram had a doctor appointment a few days ago, and had a clean bill of health. He's up to 6 lbs, 11 oz now!

The boys turn 3 weeks old tomorrow.

Update on Liam

Last week, we found that Liam's heart condition was more serious than was previously known. He's currently still at McMaster's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and while we thought he might be coming home today, we've since learned he'll be staying for at least another week; possibly more.

Liam has a cogenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. As a result, he has to be kept calm at all times, or he risks not getting enough oxygen to his lungs. He will require surgery between 3 and 6 months of age in an attempt to do a total repair of his heart. If he has serious complications before then, he may have minor surgery as a temporary fix, followed by the major surgery once he turns one year old.

We visited Liam today, and were told that he has another problem with his bowels. They're not 100% sure of the exact diagnosis, but they're treating it somewhat preemptively as a precaution. It's not as serious as his heart problem, and should hopefully be cleared up within the next week.

Zefram continues to do well at home, although he sure likes to keep us busy at night. He visited much of the Gerryts clan this past weekend, and grandma has been great in helping us out with him while we visit Liam in the hospital. Thanks grandma! :)

One Down, One to Go

Zefram came home today, and is doing very well. Unfortunately, Liam is having some problems, possibly due to his heart. We were finally able to speak to a doctor about his condition, which at this point is believed to be relatively mild. However, Liam was transfered back to McMaster today for further investigation, and it isn't known how long he will be there for.

Zefram is enjoying his new digs, although he has spent most of his time here sleeping so far. It's true that all that babies do is sleep, poop, and eat, but thankfully most of the time is spent on the sleeping. :) It's nice to have one of the boys home, but we'll feel much better when all of the back-and-forth between home and the hospital(s) is over.

Coming Home

The twins are scheduled to come home this Thursday, May 10th. Tomorrow they'll do their car seat tests, and then Mary and I will bunk with them at the hospital the following 2 nights to see how things go. Assuming there aren't any problems or concerns, they'll be home in 3 days.

Day Eight

The boys continue to increase their food intake, and they're pooping quite a bit. Mary was fortunate enough to get peed on by Zefram today. Liam's weight is up slightly to 4 lbs, 12 oz, and Zefram is back up to his weight from a few days ago, 5 lbs, 12 oz. Grandma and Grandpa stopped by, as did Chris (who helped feed Zefram). [I've decided now that I'm going to have the boys' names tattooed on their foreheads; until then, I may refer to both of the boys as Lifram. -Matt]

Zefram mocks you

Week One

Today was the boys' 7th day of freedom from their amniotic prison! They continue to hit milestones every day; today they were moved to a less-critical area of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We were told that their "next" step was to pass the car seat test (to ensure they can breathe fine in a car seat for 90 minutes straight), but there are other milestones that must still be met (growing by a certain amount each day being a big one). Hopefully tomorrow we'll think to get an update on their weights. Below the 3 pictures are 2 videos of each of the boys "grunting"... they do this fairly often when they're relaxing.

Zefram and Liam side-by-side (picture from Barb and Cindy)

Zefram

Liam

Video of Zefram "grunting"

Video of Liam "grunting"