A Whole New Kind of Love

Although we've heard it before, we now completely understand why people say there is nothing like parenthood. To have these two tiny lives that are completely dependent on you for everything is unlike anything we have experienced. We are forced to be selfless and put them ahead of everything, but ironically by doing this we get everything in return. No, we are never excited to hear our alarm go off at 3am to feed the boys, but the second we look at their faces, time becomes irrelevant. Having Max and Tyler home is a little tiring and sometimes anxiety-ridden without the doctors and nurses 2 feet away at all times, but it brings a type of fulfillment and contentment like none other. Even though we are sleeping a lot less than we were a few weeks ago, it is energizing to know we have everything we need right here at home with us. No more driving to the hospital to visit with our sons, only to come home without them. No more rushing home from work to eat and then drive back to the hospital. And no more wishing there was more we could do for Max and Tyler when we were away from them. Yes, we have been parents since February 4th, but their homecoming has brought a whole new meaning to parenthood for us. And we love these little guys more than we knew we could.

Yesterday we took Max and Tyler to their first pediatrician appointment since leaving the hospital. Dr. Long said they both look great and are doing well! Tyler weighed 5 lbs exactly and Max is right behind at 4 lbs 12 oz. Even though Tyler has always been a little bigger than Max, their size difference seems more evident now for some reason. At least this helps us tell them apart (although we still have their hospital bracelets on too) ;)

On Sunday night we decided to haul the boys, the big oxygen machines and the monitors upstairs to the nursery/ guest room for the evening. We figured it would be nice for us to sleep in a bed and the boys needed to see their room too! Bad idea. Getting everything moved and set up was not a big deal, but being in an enclosed space was plain miserable! Not only did the machines sound about 10 times louder in a smaller room, but the heat they emit was much hotter too. The boys fussed the entire time, which is pretty unusual for them, and we tossed and turned as well. After about 45 minutes we hauled everything back downstairs to the living room. And this is where we'll stay until the boys are off their oxygen - hopefully not too long! Speaking of oxygen, we meet with the Vanderbilt specialists on Monday to determine how long they will stay hooked up. Since we've been home, both Max and Tyler have had a little trouble breathing once or twice while they were eating, but other than that the have had no apnea spells. Our guess is that they will eventually be reduced to just using oxygen while they eat, but we'll see.

Everything is going well and we are reminded every day how blessed and lucky we are. Our list of thank you cards to write and emails to respond to keeps growing every day, and eventually we hope to get them all done. But until then, please know how thankful we continue to be for everything everyone has done over the past three months!

Tyler on the left, Max on the right

Telling secrets again? Max on left, Tyler on right

Hanging out with my big boys

Amazing to see how much they've grown in less than a month! (March 18th)

Tyler and Max in their crib upstairs - if only for a few minutes.

Both boys are very determined when it comes to squeezing out of their blankets and swaddles. We woke up the other night to find Tyler sleeping with one arm all the way out of his Swaddle Me blanket. Those things are fastened tight with velcro too!

Max