The Miles' Trio: Growing, growing, growing... 2 Weeks!

Hard to believe that the girls are already two weeks, yet it feels like they've been in our lives forever! Perhaps that's because we've been thinking and talking to them for so long... now to get them big and strong enough to come home!
The girls are all doing quite well. The doctor's have pretty much said that they are on "cruise control" for the time being - a good thing meaning they just need to get bigger and stronger, which they'll do in time! Below is a quick update on each of the girls...

RYANN GALE

Ryann is still the "trailblazer" of the trio, she must really want to get out of the hospital and come home with us - not that we blame her! Last week was a big week for her - she made it to the four pound mark and is now in a "big girl bed" (an open air bassinet). Gama Sue and Grandma and Grandpa Miles as well as Aunt Hilary have all gotten to hold Miss Ryann! She also has begun trying breastfeeding (once a day she practices for a bit before being fed through her feeding tube). And on Saturday (her two-week birthday), she got to try a bottle! We were told not to expect much, but she drank 3/4 of the bottle before falling asleep! They tire quickly - sucking and swallowing is hard work! Babies technically aren't supposed to be able to suck, swallow, and breathe until 34 weeks - which is why were told not to expect much... however Ryann doesn't care about what she's supposed to and not supposed to be able to do! For the time being, she gets to try to nurse once a day and she gets a bottle once a day. As of today (1/17), she is 4 pounds, 4 ounces and gets 36 mL's at each feeding - as well as her 24 calories, vitamins, and beneprotein.

BRYNLEY CADE

Brynley is still as feisty and sweet as can be! She is constantly on the move and can't seem to keep her feet or hands swaddled as she's supposed to! We continue to tell her to save those calories so that she can grow big and strong, but she just can't seem to help herself! She was cannula-free for about 40 minutes last Friday - very short-lived. She just needs a little extra help still, which is far from uncommon for her age! I also think she just likes to play with the cannula - she has mastered flicking it out with her little finger... one of her nurses is pretty sure it's out of her nose more than it's in! Again, we try to tell her to leave it alone - but so far her listening skills aren't so good! She still has her heart murmur, but it's not quite as prevalent as it was when she was born, Typically this will go away on its own - in fact, in most preemies it usually resolves itself in 72 hours - however, for Miss Brynley it will take a bit longer since she had those heart issues while in utero. They said to expect it to linger for a couple months or so, but they don't seem too concerned at this point. She is now dressed and though she swims in most of her clothes, they sure do look cute on her! She's also gotten to try nuzzling (a prelude to actual nursing). As of today, she is 3 pounds, 7 ounces! She is also on 24 calories, getting vitamins, and beneprotein like her sisters! She's also up to 30 mL's every feeding... pretty soon demand is going to outweigh supply!

HADLEY MARIE

Miss Hadley is sweet as can be until she gets mad and then it's drama drama drama! Watching her little heart rate climb as she gets so mad is somewhat amusing the poor little dear! I think she might take after her Aunt Bre just a little - she used to hold her breath until she passed out when she got mad! She also still has her cannula, though she was cannula-free for about half a day on Friday. Both her and her sister don't really need the oxygen, it's more the flow that seems to help. She also likes to play with the tube and is becoming an expert at flicking it out of her nose as well! She (and Brynley for that matter) have a unique favorite sleeping position - back arched, head back, mouth open! Not only do they look like their dad, but they sleep like him too! Hadley is also big enough to wear clothes and like both her sisters, seems to like to wear a minimum of two outfits a day! They all tend to have at least once 'explosion' a day to ensure clean clothes and linens! The little stinkers (pun intended)! She has also tried nuzzling and did way better than I'd expected (she's just recently taken to her paci)! Once that cannula comes off she'll be ready to go! As of today she weighs 3 pounds 9.9 ounces, is eating 30 mL's every feeding and is on 24 calories, vitamins, and beneprotein.

IN SUM...

The nurses continue to amaze us with their knowledge and experience - plus we can tell they love their jobs and the babies! Last Thursday we came in to find Hadley and Brynley with pink little headbands on that their nurse had made during the afternoon! Ryann, because she is in the open bassinet has to wear a hat - but the nurses got creative and made a bow for the little hat! As for Travis and me, we're happy to have the house to ourselves for a bit... we've loved having the company - but with all the excitement over the last couple weeks it will be nice to have a little quiet time before the girls start coming home! I am at the hospital by 8 every morning and am there for about 3 hours, Dad visits the girls during his lunch (he works about 5 minutes from the hospital), and then we go back around 5 for a few hours... at least that's the schedule for now. Once the girls start nursing more than once a day our schedule will change, and who knows when that will be! We have finally learned our lesson and are taking it a day at a time - every time we seem to make a "plan" the girls find a way to change them! On a final note, we still do not know when the girls will be coming home... our guess is that Ryann will come home first, but that's probably at least two weeks out. We continue to upload pictures to our shutterfly site (there are a ton - thanks gama!). But I've posted a few below...