The Miles' Trio: 5 Weeks on February 5th

   Another week has passed and some new milestones achieved... Ryann is now at home with us, Hadley and Brynley are nippling all 8 of their feedings (feeding tubes are out!), and Hadley's cannula is out! Neither Brynley or Hadley have had any apnea or brady's since early this week and if things continue to go well Hadley will be breaking out to join Ryann on Monday (the 7th)! They've talked to us about sending Brynley on oxygen - which might happen later on - but for now we'd rather not rush her out of there and would rather she stay in the NICU and hopefully be weaned off it over the next couple weeks. The girls are still only 36.4 weeks - still preemies should they have been born today. Taking that into consideration, they're right where they should be! With Ryann coming home so early we had to explain to a number of people that she's not the typical or normal baby - she really is a rockstar! However, we can't let that go to her head!
   So, I suppose we should document Ryann's first couple nights home since they were somewhat of an adventure! We roomed-in with Ryann on Tuesday night - rooming in basically is like a trial run for parents. Most parents get this when their baby is first born - long gone are the days of the nursery, now most hospitals encourage parents to have their little ones "room in" with them after they're born! Parents with babies that are in the NICU obviously don't have this option, so when a baby is ready to be discharged, parents have the option of rooming-in with their little ones. Travis and I chose to take advantage of that opportunity and thus spent the night in the hospital with Ryann.
   ***I should probably mention that the DFW area was hit with an ice storm on Monday night and while ice is nothing new - below freezing temperatures for four days in a row coupled with the icy conditions makes for a newsworthy story! Things were shut down all week - including most area Starbucks (real news there!)***
   Back to Ryann now... our night with her went really well - though they didn't warn us about her being a night owl! She was awake from about 11:00 until 1:30 am at which point Travis fed her again! She then slept like a log until a little after 5:00! All that awake time tuckered her out! The nurses/doctors went over some things the next morning and she was discharged by 10:00 am the following day. We got her snuggled into her car seat - what a pipsqueak she looks like in there! Our trip home was uneventful - other than it being super bumpy due to the icy road conditions... we've heard about dad's driving super slow on the way home with a new baby in the car - well, we had no choice but to go super slow! We got home and Travis gave Ryann the tour - including a set-down snuggle in her crib. She then ate and snuggled in for a nap. I also went to lay down for a nap a little after noon and that's when the fun began... our power went out. Keep in mind there had been rolling blackouts all morning - which we were hoping this was. Unfortunately - three hours later the power was still out and our house was starting to get a big chilly. Travis got through to the electric company which told him that the estimated time of repair was 3:00 AM! We obviously wouldn't be staying at home that night. Luckily one of my parent's friends lives down here and called us up to offer us a nice warm place to stay. So - Ryann's first night home, was not at home! The funny part of this story however is that shortly after we arrived at "Uncle" Larry's, our neighbor texted us to let us know the power had come back on! Go figure... we didn't trust it to stay on so decided to remain put. Gama Sue also flew in that night, so we all bunked with Larry... The next morning we got up and headed home - sure enough, the power was on and has been since! So, Ryann's first night home was actually her second night out of the NICU!
   Things have settled down since and the sun is out today melting the six inches of snow we got Thursday night (on top of the ice). We're figuring out a routine - but it is likely to change again when Hadley comes home! Probably the most irritating factor we've faced since Ryann's been discharged is trying to figure out our trips to the NICU to see our other two favorite girls! The weather hasn't helped with us trying to get back and forth to the hospital, but things should settle into a pattern this week. Thankfully Gama is here to watch Ryann for us - which allows us some flexibility of going to the hospital! She can also go up to visit and feed her granddaughters... I have a feeling this scheduling nightmare is not going to be getting any easier! Below are a few pictures from our week...
   Of special note, six years ago today we lost a very special person - my brother Cade. We now see him every day in Brynley and Hadley's little grins. He is sadly missed and never forgotten...

"We don’t think of you as gone away – your journey’s just begun; life holds so many facets – this earth is only one. We think of you as resting from the sorrows and the tears, in a place of warmth and comfort where there are no days and years. We think of you as living in the hearts of those you touched… for nothing loved is ever lost – and you are loved so much..."