More great weight gains....Ross is now at 3lbs 5.9oz and Riley is at 4lbs 6.6 oz. They are both taking all feedings by mouth and Ross' feeding tube is scheduled to be disconnected today! Riley's will stay in until the 10th and then his should be disconnected, too, as long as he continues to do well with his feedings. We had a great visit last night with my mom and sister. My sister got to hold Riley for the first time! Both boys were alert and looking around and both did very well with their bottles. Ross was a little chilly so the nurse bundled him up very well and he looked even tinier than usual, but still so adorable! We took a picture and I will post it when I can.

Better news

Quick update...the boys are both doing well. Riley's heart rate is nice and stable again, thanks to the quick work of the doctors and nurses and the meds they put him on. His face is much less swollen and his eye is completely better! He is taking almost all of his feedings by mouth now, which is wonderful. Also, he had a great gain of 2 oz yesterday and weighed in at 4lbs 5.2oz! Ross is also doing a super job! He is taking all of his feedings by mouth and loves to eat! He also gained and weighed in at 3lbs 4.4oz.

Scary times

It has been a bit of a tough 24 hours, but things are looking up now. Riley continued to have even more trouble with his heart rate dropping and then, late last night, the left side of his face became red, hard, and swollen, and he was unable to open his left eye. The doctors did lots of bloodwork to determine what was going on and they figured out that he was battling an infection somewhere. So, they started IV antibiotics at midnight last night. Today, he had a CT scan and was seen by an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, who determined that he has an infected parotid gland (salivary gland), which is causing the swelling. The antibiotics have already started to work and the swelling is going down and he is now able to open his eye again. Thankfully, the antibiotics should completely solve the problem and he should be absolutely fine. The doctors feel that the heart rate dips were due to him fighting the infection, and thankfully, he is having far fewer of them now (all preemies have a few dips but he was having too many!). More good news for Riley....he gained another ounce and now weighs 4 lbs 3oz! Ross also had another gain and is now at 3lbs 3oz. For those of you who have been to visit and have seen Ross' bellybutton....yes, it is weird looking. But, he had an x-ray today and the doctors discovered that he has a hernia, which is why his bellybutton looks that way. It is no big deal and will either get better on his own, or he may have to have it repaired when he is 5 years old. Thankfully, it's nothing we have to worry about now! Thanks for checking on the boys!

Ross is continuing to do beautifully with learning to drink from a bottle. He has really gotten the hang of it and seems to look forward to eating, which is a great sign. Riley is also learning, although, he is having a little more trouble coordinating sucking, swallowing, and breathing in the right order. He had a bit of a tough evening last night with some heart rate dips, but he is doing much better today.

Piglet!

Another wonderfully exciting day! Ross now weighs 3lbs 1oz and is 14 3/4 inches long!! Riley now weighs 4lbs 2.1oz and is 17 1/2 inches long! I am so proud of how well my boys are growing! Also, both kiddos are making amazing progress with learning to drink from a bottle! Ross took three whole bottles today! His nurse has nicknamed him "Piglet"! Riley took one whole bottle and part of another one today, but he was sound asleep for his third one. I am thrilled with how fast they are learning. Thanks to all of you for reading these updates and for your messages on the message board!

Just a quick update....my mom, sister and I went to the hospital tonight for the nightly weigh-in and bath time and we got some exciting news! Ross now weighs 2 lbs 15.9 oz (so close to 3lbs!!) and Riley weighs a whopping 4lbs 1.1 oz!! Yeah!!!!

Gaining weight

More excellent weight gains to report! Ross is now at 2lbs 14.8 oz and Riley is weighing in at 3lbs 15.1 oz. They are both learning to drink from a bottle and to nurse and are taking more and more food by mouth, which is fantastic! The doctors think that they will be ready to move to a step down unit in about a week!