Taylor and Kaylie

I haven't posted any photos lately because I was trying to save some for the birth announcements. I have shot several hundred in the last few days so I will post some of the good ones soon. It is hard for me to get any work done here at the house because all I want to do is take photos and hang out with Kaylie and Taylor. We had a great visit with Neale's mom, Dad, and Cissie. It was nice to have them all here. They were all a big help. I am enjoying time at home with the babies. I feel like they are growing up so fast already. They are almost out of their preemie clothes. Everyone is doing great. Taylor's stomach is still huge but the doctors aren't concerned about it. Today we all went to the beach for the first time and even went out to dinner with Coach and Candy. This photo has blankets handmade by Nini and caps handmade by Jean. We greatly appreciate them! I will post more soon!

Taylor

1st time at the beach

Today the babies are 5 weeks old. We took them to the beach for the 1st time. It was a little cold so we didn't stay long but it was good to get out of the house.

Roxy kissing Taylor

The dogs are adjusting pretty well to the babies. Roxy panics when they cry. She is a good big sister.

Taylor and Kaylie

Lately every time we put them in the playpen they end up moving together.

Kaylie

Kaylie is our wild child. We don't have to worry about setting an alarm to feed her every 3 hours because she definitely lets us know when she is ready and is is every 3 hours on the dot. She is "high maintenance" but we adore her!

Taylor

Taylor went to South Strand Hospital and had some tests done for her abdominal distension. The doctor said all her organs seem to be working correctly and are not enlarged so that was good news. Taylor is still very laid back. She hardly ever cries. She is such a good baby!

Grandparents Visiting

Fran, George, and Cissy are all here visiting the babies.

Bedtime

This is how we sleep in the room with Mom and Dad.

Kaylie

We finally got a few photos of Kaylie today. I put Kaylie and Taylor in the crib together and they somehow managed to move across the crib to be next to each other. It was adorable. Photos below... Neale's mom is here staying with us this week. His dad and Cissie are also here visiting. Tomorrow morning I am taking Taylor to another hospital to have some more tests done. This time it is because her stomach is enlarged and hard or "abdominal distension" as the doctor calls it. They are doing an ultrasound on her stomach to make sure none of her organs are enlarged and also doing a test where she has to drink liquid and they will follow her digestive tract. She can't eat after 2am tonight and her appointment isn't until 9am tomorrow so this could be a long night......

Kaylie

Kaylie

We started out like this.....

And we ended up like this

We managed to move ourselves acoss our crib to be next to each other. We love each other!

Taylor

Grandad Stovall and I tried to take some photos here at the house. Again Kaylie wasn't very cooperative so we didn't get many of her. Grandma Stovall couldn't stand it that Grandad Stovall was here with the babies so she came down for the weekend too. Everything is going really well. We aren't getting much sleep but we are very happy to have them here at home.

Taylor

Taylor at mom's studio. Kaylie wasn't quite as cooperative so we didn't get many of her.

Taylor and Kaylie

Taylor and Kaylie in their new clothes and blankets from Coach and Candy.

Kari and babies

We went to my photography studio to try to take their first professional photos but my lighting system stopped working so grandad Stovall and I rigged some lighting to try to get some photos.

Granddad and Taylor

Grandad Stovall has been here all week helping with the babies and even cooking dinner! We have managed to take just aa couple photos...

Taylor

Kaylie 2-10-09

WE ARE HOME!!!

Kaylie and Taylor were both released from the hospital Monday afternoon. Taylor had an appointment with a cardiologist Tuesday in Florence. The appointment went really well. The cardiologist said that all babies have a natural pacemaker in their heart. Taylor's natural pacemaker is working but there is another part of her heart that thinks it is the pacemaker. So one will send off a signal and then the other will send off a signal. Some sometimes her heart will beat at 160 and sometimes it will drop to around 70. He said he expects that she will outgrow it and that it will fix itself. He did some imaging on her heart and said that it looks good to him and everything else appears to be working as it should. We are very relieved to have that news and very happy to finally have them home!!!!!

Update

Both Kaylie and Taylor are out of their isolets and able to maintain their body temperature. The doctors told us yesterday that we could take Kaylie home today but then when I went to the hospital that had changed. They want to keep Kaylie and release her with Taylor which will hopefully be in a couple days. Kaylie is doing great and eating really well. Taylor doesn't eat quite as much but is doing pretty well. Her heartbeat has recently fallen from the regular 160 range and now is mostly in the 70-90 range which is really low and sometimes goes back up to normal. The doctors have been monitoring her, put her on iron, have given her caffeine, and did an ekg on her. They are hoping it is something that will fix itself but I will need to take her to Florence to the hospital there to see a cardiologist as soon as she gets released from the hospital here. We are really ready for them both to come home and both to be healthy....hopefully soon.

Kaylie 2-2-09

On 2-2-09 Kaylie and Taylor were both taken out of their isolets and put in regular baby beds. Neither one of them were able to maintain their body temperatures for long outside of the isolets so they were put back in them on 2-3-09. Today 2-4-09 Kaylie was taken out of her isolet again and has been able to maintain her body temperature most of the day. Taylor is still not able to maintain her body temperature so she is still in the isolet. Also tonight Taylor's heart rate kept dropping down to in the 70s which is really low. The nurse said every time she goes over to her when she touches her or puts the stethoscope on her it goes back up to normal. She isn't sure why it is happening but she said her oxygen isn't dropping with the heartrate so for now she isn't worried about it but just monitoring it. They still don't have a date when they expect them to come home.

Taylor 1-31-09

Kaylie 1-31-09

Kari and Taylor 1-31-09

Neale and Taylor 2-4-09

Kaylie and Taylor

These photos are from 1-31-09. We put the babies together for the photo because they have been separated since birth in their isolets. I went up to the hospital for their 9am feeding and they are doing well. The nurse hopes to have them out of the isolets and in the room with the other babies (even thought there are rarely any other babies there) by tomorrow. It just depends how they do with maintaining their body temperature. I am not sure how much longer they will have to be there. They have to be able to maintain their body temperatures by themselves outside of the isolet, gain a little more weight, and Kaylie has to be able to keep her monitors from going off. The nurse said her heart monitor went off 2 days ago but she was able to correct the problem on her own. They are starting to eat a little better. Kaylie seems to eat better than Taylor but they are both doing pretty well.

Kaylie and Taylor

Taylor

Kaylie

Kari and babies