Medical update from Dad...

I couldn’t have asked for a better pre-operative present than to physically be with my brand new family as a real, whole little unit, even it was for just a little bit. It was so amazing, as many of you have already mentioned, to see them next to each other. To see them as two little independent people wiggling together was more than I was able to describe. I loved it.

You know, when I at look at new things it’s nice. They’re untarnished and right, they’re new. This can be anything, from a new car to a new pair of shoes to a newborn puppy to a new house. I know they will age and can project that onto them and see it in my minds’ eye. However, with new people, new babies, all that is impossible it seems. There is only the now. There is only peace and perfect beauty and wonderful pureness. There are no bad people or frauds when you look at a baby. There is just no sadness when looking at a baby; they can be doing anything. There is only joy, a joy I had not experienced until April 11, 2007 and experience every time I go see my babies. Life has been rough lately, with school and finals and sleepless nights and broken bones and emotions going to and fro and about the only thing certain is uncertainty until the instant I see my babies’ isolettes, then all that goes away. When I peak in and see their little faces, joy floods in and the worries take a back seat. I was particularly looking at Amelia being held by Jenny, skin-to-skin, and these thoughts came to me. It was angelic really. I couldn’t think of one thing wrong, just everything right. A baby safely cuddled in her moms’ arms, the world, at that moment, was perfect and all badness stopped and disappeared.

The surgery went well. It was kind of like being at the dentists. I was numb, almost, and could feel the bones grinding when they drilled and could feel them pulling and tugging to set my bones straight, but there was no pain. I had two screws put in and that was that. Not bad really. Pain comes in only the smallest of doses and am able to stave it off with a maintenance dose of ibuprofen, so no narcotics. (In case your interested, narcs can severely constipate you, so try and avoid if possible, if not, take a lot of fiber.) Should be up and running smoothly by the time the babies come home, which is a huge relief. Should be out of this splint in 2 weeks; can’t wait.

The babies. Well,like Jenny said in the last post, we’ve hit a rough spot again. Sam & Amelia’s PDA’s (the heart problem) got bigger so they started their treatment yesterday, as we were walking out the door to go to my surgery they called and told us. So that means that they stopped getting fed breastmilk and get fed through an IV, but should still be able to gain weight. They get 3 doses of a drug called indomethacin, which is very similar to ibuprofen, and then get checked to see if the PDA’s are closed. They will get their last dose tonight and get checked in the morning. They can have 3 more doses of indomethacin if the PDA’s aren’t closed, and then if that still doesn’t close them they will have to have surgery. We’re praying for a first time closure.

They get their brain ultrasound tomorrow as well and should also get their eyes checked tomorrow, possibly Friday. Those are big things too, big things that will hopefully come back with negative results. Will keep you posted, of course.