1 Home, 1 To Go...

On July 29,2012 Aryiah Michele Voorhies was discharged from Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She weighed 6lbs 4oz and this is just shy of gaining 2lbs from her birth weight, which was 4lbs 6oz. Both doctors that have been working on our girls told us that our little ones will be slightly behind in developing because they were born prematurely.

She has such a sweet disposition, as you can see


She does not like to sleep during the evenings and this makes for some fun sleepless nights ;) She loves to be held and finishes her bottle in about 2 minutes! She loves to eat.

Today she had her first bath out of the hospital and if you ask me, we were triumphant!

She also got to do some tummy time. It  was neat to see her relax and look around while on her tummy.


Aryiah got to go see her birth family today. It was tender.  Here are some pictures :)

x`

Their birth family loves these little girls so much. It is touching to see them with the girls.

 

"There's no use in crying over spilled milk...."

Do you ever wonder where the saying "There's no use in crying over spilled milk," came from? Odd question, but it is one that is growing increasingly frustrating in my current position.

This morning a little past 2:00 am I had just finished pumping and was getting ready to feed Aryiah, when she woke up and was ready for her bottle-Yesterday. She got even more agitated when I decided to change her little bum before feeding her. Groggy and flustered I tried getting her bottle ready and amidst the crying, semi-darkness, and my lack of sleep the bottle slipped out of my hand and milk spilled EVERYWHERE :(  To get 2 1/2 ounces it took me 30 minutes of pumping, needless to say I was fuming at my lack of carefulness. I couldn't believe myself.

Good thing I have Superman husband who rescued both Aryiah and me. He is so patient, calm, and long suffering. Not sure how he pulls that off but he does.

So, I decided to Google  "There's no use in crying over spilled milk," and Google said this:

"This saying comes from the days when dairy animals were milked by hand into a pail. Milk does get spilled occasionally when the pail is tipped over, and then there simply is no getting it back into the pail. Like many other times in life, crying or complaining won't help at all, and it's better not to waste the time or energy and instead just get back to the task at hand.

It means what happened has happened. Alternate spellings: Don't cry over spilt milk. This idiomatic expression means that it's no use worrying about unfortunate events which have already happened and which cannot be changed."

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_meaning_of_'There's_no_use_crying_over_spilt_milk'#ixzz22B2mbAdO

Idiomatic or not... I "cry over spilled milk."

Flying Paper and a Chinese Buffet

07/20/2012

Today we had the privilege of taking some of our birth family out to lunch today!

 It was a lot of fun but before the fun we got to stop and help out some men who were chasing flying papers! Okay, so maybe there were not actually "flying" papers but their truck was transporting boxes of paper from a warehouse when some boxes spilled and the papers went EVERYWHERE! It was 103 degrees outside with with who know how much humidity and the wind was blowing when we stopped to help. I felt awful for the guy! Cars tried not to run over stuff but it was unavoidable.


Picking up the papers made us a bit late to lunch but all was well :) We arrived to their home sweaty and red faced but excited. When we pulled up to their home the door opened and Etije and Dan's oldest daughter Jenny(14) popped her head out of the door followed by Jason (4), the second to youngest. They were all smiles and it seemed as though they were enthused to see us.

When we went in Etije was sitting on her couch. Her youngest son Don (2) ran in and jumped on her lap hiding his face. She told us he was shy but soon enough he was playing peek-a-boo and waving to us.

Trying to figure out where to go to eat was a funny event. We had been texting all day, asking the family where they would like to go but we received no answer. When we asked where they wanted to go once we got to their house and they replied, "We will go where you want to go." This put us in quite a predicament because we have no IDEA where places are down here. It was quite comical. The finally resigned to deciding where to eat! and it was...

The Golden Dragon Buffet! Now those of you that know me know that I am not exactly a fan of buffets... that is probably an understatement but they love buffets! It was fun. I really wish there wasn't the huge language barrier but luckily their niece Lala came and interpreted for us.

Etije, Dan, Lala, Jenny, and James came with us to lunch. It was funny because every time Nate got up to go get food he would hit his head on the lamp above his head. Dan thought that was the funniest thing!

We really did have a good time today. This family is beautiful and I consider them apart of my family now. I love them and think the world of them.

It's Official!!!! We Have Bands and EVERYTHING!

July 18, 2012

Our court time was at 8:30am. We woke up excited and somewhat sleepy from our restless night, but today was the day!

We arrived at the courthouse early. We went through the metal detectors and security screening to go find our lawyer. When we found him he proceeded to take us to our courtroom.

(Side note.... I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter and Mr. Weasley making their way to the Ministry of Magic after Harry's breach of under aged wizardry, of course we were at the courthouse for a much more pleasant hearing but still, that is what popped into my mind.)

We waited for about five minutes for the judge to arrive. Our lawyer is a very kind man. He has adopted 5 out of his 6 children and so he understands the stress and anticipation we experience. He told us that the judge we were assigned to is  bit stoic or apathetic. Another judge at the same courthouse has a bunch of candy for the kidos and loves taking pictures with the families. He told us not to be discouraged about our judge and to remember that the finalization is the important part.


We finally were called in to see the judge. He had already been signing everything as we were walking in. Once he finishing signing he shook our hands and that was it- the girls were ours. It wasn't quite what I had expected but nonetheless Aryiah and Lily are ours!

We then got to apply for their birth certificates.

After finalization the hospital was able to give us bands that matched the girls so that we didn't have to keep signing the visitors log each time we visited.

A Gift

Last week Nate and I received this gift from a couple whose twins were in the NICU at the same time as ours.

Their names are Kristie and Jeremy. They were blessed with twin baby boys, Benjamin and Kreigger. Kristie and Jeremy are the epitome of Southern folks :) Their long southern drawl is warm and friendly. The card they gave us has Samuel 1:27 on the front;

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."

Many of us know the story of Hannah and her desire to bear a child. This scripture is dear to this couples heart as they tried for years and years to have children. Their boys weighed 3lbs 3oz and 3lbs 11oz. We see each other everyday and we love our little chats.

The South has some of the sweetest and most friendly people I have ever met. Remember I lived in Texas. Although I do not have a desire to live here I love the Southern Hospitality.

Speaking of Southern Hospitality, I am going to do a post tomorrow on the family we are staying with. They are amazing!

I also had a cool experience at the Sprint Store down here. I was getting my phone fixed when a woman inquired about me being here. She overheard that I was from Utah and she asked me what I was doing here. I proceeded to explain what we were doing here and as I finished she said, "Let me give you my phone number. You can call or text me if you need anything. When I say anything I mean ANYTHING! If you want good food, a person to talk to, if you need directions, or even if you need my company-YOU LET ME KNOW!" This was shocking to me because we were complete strangers! She didn't know if I was some weirdo or not and she still offered her phone number and her help. Trust me when I say this, this is not the first person to offer help and assistance to us.

I am amazed at the pure goodness in people. Many of you who know me, know that I am a skeptic and I usually exercise caution when it comes to strangers and new experiences. Too many things go wrong in life for me not to be. I guess this is an experience for me to learn to have a little more faith my fellow brothers and sisters than what I have in the past.

I want to close with what Kristie and Jeremy wrote to us in our card.

7/10/2012

We just wanted to let ya'll know that we are so happy for ya'll. We know how hard it is to desire to have a family and we are just so excited that ya'll now have two girls as blessings. We pray for you daughters daily. If there is ever anything that we can do to help ya'll or if you just need to talk we are here. We understand this is an emotional roller coaster at times. Congratulations to the both of you!

In Christian Love,
Jeremy and Kristie Young

My Niece Mila Learning the Babies Names

Mila is my sister Mandy's daughter. She is my absolute favorite. When I watched these I got all teary eyed. She is so cute and I know Aryiah and Lily will just love their cousin!

It is funny because my sister is filming Mila on her phone so she can see herself. You will see she keeps smiling at herself. It is priceless! 

These will make you laugh!

07/14/2012

Both our girls are out of their incubators!!! They are in a testing period to see if they can maintain their own body temperatures and if they do, they will be out of the incubators permanently!

Aryiah weighed 5lbs 4oz and Lily weighed 3lbs 13 1/2oz. They are both wearing clothes now and they look so cute!

I am now doing the nutritional feedings. This is where they nurse on a sliding scale. If they nurse for 15 minutes they only get half of their scheduled feeding through the feeding tubes. If they nurse longer than 15 minutes they do not get any of their feeding through the feeding tubes. I get so worried that they are not getting enough even if they nurse for 15 minutes because they don't suck the entire time. I am going to talk to the lactation specialist Monday.

The next step to coming home is taking all their feedings from me and not their feeding tubes. If they do this and maintain their body temperature we get to bring them home!

07/12/2012

On Tuesday, 07/10/2012, our Birth Mother and Father as well as their niece "Lala," came to visit the girls. This was the first time we had seen them since they left the hospital. I don't even think they visited the gitls while they were in the hospital, they just saw pictures of the girls.

Nate had me accompany the birth family since the hospital only allows 2 visitors per baby. I took the camera and showed them the way to the nursery. As we were approaching the doors, my mind was racing a million miles a minute, will they be okay? will they be happy or sad? will they want to hold them? will they let me take pictures? And trust me, there were many more thoughts.

When got in there our Birth Mother was asking a lot of questions about their health and well-being. Her niece would interpret the questions in English so that I could respond. I asked her if she wanted to hold one or both of them but she said she didn't want to wake them.

The Birth Father was shy and silent. He walked around, opening their little windows and touching their precious little heads. They did let me take pictures. I was happy about that because I want our girls to have pictures of their Birth Parents and I want them to know that they were given to us with love because these Birth Parents truly do love them. They are the ones who gave life to these beautiful girls.

As I was taking pictures I noticed the Birth Father had tears coming out of his eyes. He readily left the nursery and went out to the waiting room. I felt awful. I cannot imagine the loss he is feeling inside. I cannot begin to express my sorrow for this family.

 I almost feel guilty for feeling so happy at times. I know they are choosing this and I know it is best for the girls but my heart cannot but ache for their loss. Life is intersting and is hard at times but I look at  those little faces and I know they are meant to be with us. We couldn't be more grateful for such perfect beautiful girls. We owe so much to our birth parents.

07/06/2012

Aryiah sucking on her thumb!

We have nothing but good news to share :)

Lily and Aryiah have both officially surpassed their birth weights! Lily is just over 3lbs and Aryiah is 4lbs 9 oz.

Both girls are off their oxygen and Aryiah's PICC line was removed!  They are both in incubators to help regulate their body temperature and to help eliminate over stimulation.

We are doing non-nutritional feeds. Both girls are doing well. Aryiah sucks like a champ. Lily tends to fall asleep after 2 or 3 sucks.

Every day I ask the nurses when they might estimate the girls getting out of the hospital and the nurses just smile at me and tell me that they really cannot say-same with the doctors. I am a little bummed that we are spending the maternity time here in Arkansas in the NICU rather than at home close to family but it is all about perspective, is it not? Our babies are healthy and that is what really matters. We are immensely blessed by all the prayers and love. It is amazing. This gift of life is amazing. I cannot begin to express my amazement and gratitude for these two precious angels. I cannot fathom the strength and courage it took our birth mother to give up these babes. After she had the girls she wanted to be with her other children. She has an endearing love for her children. She recognizes the circumstances and feels that they cannot give the twins what they need but that we can. This is blind faith at its finest. She has entrusted these blessed babies in our hands. This is a tremendous responsibility that has been placed upon our heads. We hope to give these girls all they need and so much more. Yes, I am homesick but it is ALL about perspective and from where I am standing we are truly blessed.

Our First Baths

July 3,2012

Happy early 4th of July!

Aryiah now weighs 4lbs 7oz and Lily is over 3 lbs, We do not have Lily's exact weight because she was sleeping so soundly that the nurses did not want to disturb her.

 Lily is now off of oxygen and had her UB line removed today. We get to give her a bath tomorrow! I am so excited I cannot sleep!

Aryiah is a little bit behind her sister in her feedings. She is not progressing as fast as Lily. We thought that this was odd because we assumed that out of the two, Lily would be the one to progress at a slower pace. We assumed this because Lily was the smaller of the two. We were wrong. The doctor told us that this was actually quite common to have the smaller twin progress more rapidly than the bigger one. Aryiah was having irregular hear rhythms and because of this they put a PICC line in her leg.

"A PICC line is, by definition and per its acronym, a peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access. It is similar to other central lines as it terminates into a large vessel near the heart. .
A PICC line provides the best of both worlds concerning venous access. Similar to a standard IV, it is inserted in the arm, and usually in the upper arm under the benefits of ultrasound visualization. Also, PICCs differ from peripheral IV access but similar to central lines in that a PICCs termination point is centrally located in the body allowing for treatment that could not be obtained from standard periphery IV access. In addition, PICC insertions are less invasive, have decreased complication risk associated with them, and remain for a much longer duration than other central or periphery access devices.
Using ultrasound technology to visualize a deep, large vessel in the upper arm, the PICC catheter is inserted by a specially trained and certified PICC nurse specialist.
A PICC line may requested for a variety of treatment options which include some of the following:
-Prolonged IV antibiotic treatment;
-IV access obtainable by less invasive and longer lasting methods;
-Multiple accesses obtainable with one access line;
-TPN Nutrition;
-Chemotherapy;;
-IV access related to physiological factors; and
-Home or sub-acute discharge for extended treatment."

http://picclinenursing.com/picc_why.html

 

 They are monitoring  her heart to see if either there is something wrong  with it or if her heart is still developing and working itself out.

We met with their physical therapist today-yes preemies have physical therapists! I had no idea. She taught us some calming massages to use on the girls that work like a charm! The therapist mentioned that Aryiah is a little bit more irritable and more easily startled than Lily.

I have been working on my milk production more aggressively now that the girls are getting bigger. It is hard to want your body to do something when it is doing another. They girls are starting to intake more than my output so we have opted to use both my milk and donor breast milk. 

Nate is doing well. He loves holding the babies every chance he gets. He is lucky to have the job he has. He is able to work from here. It is such a blessing to have that set in place so that we are able to focus our energies towards our new little family. 

We miss everyone and hope all is going well! I will write more tomorrow :)