So Cute

Have you ever heard a squeaky dog toy? You know the kind you squeeze and it makes a cute high pitched sound? Well, that is kind of what Benjamin sounds like when he hiccups. It is really cute because his hiccup is very high pitched because he is so small. When he cries...it kind of just makes you laugh. He cried a little bit for me last night when I started holding him. He can pick up his head and move it from side to side. He has great control of his neck and it is weird seeing a baby this small move his head so well. He also runs out of steam really quickly so as he would move and stretch around he would fall asleep in the middle of stretching. This made for some hilarious positions and most of the nurses would stop and stare for a minute, although they were really busy last night. Oh and did I tell you...Benjamin is off of his CPAP and he is breathing through a nasal cannula. He started yesterday out at 3 liters of oxygen and by the time I arrived there last night he was down to 2.5 liters. When he gets down to about half of a liter they will take him off of that and let him try to breathe on his own. That is exciting.

Jacob is still on his ventilator but he is slowly gaining some ground. He is getting a little better each day. I don't know when he will be off of that but for now I can change his diaper and I can help give him a bath, if I am there when they do that. If I can't time it right I sit beside him and I put my hands on his back and we just sit there. I do that until he gets agitated with that, then I go and see Benjamin.

The incisions on their backs are getting better. They aren't so puffy anymore. I kept thinking that would be how we could tell them apart, but they both have the same scar in the same spots. When they get older the scar will be so small you won't be able to use that to tell them apart either. I keep looking for something that is noticeable to everyone but there isn't much to go by. I can tell them apart now. They weigh about the same now which is great considering Jacob weighed 10 oz less than Benjamin just 3.5 weeks ago. They are both tolerating the breast milk well. The doctors increase the amount of breast milk they get every day. Sometimes the amount the boys get will go up several times a day. That is great because they need the fat to help them maintain their warmth. I don't think the boys have a problem with this though. They are little heaters. I held Benjamin last night for about 2 hours and he was very warm when I put him back in his isolette. At some point the nurses will start to bottle feed Benjamin. I think this happens next week. Jacob would also be able to bottle feed if he wasn't on the ventilator. When I hold Benjamin I bother him with sticking a pacifier in his mouth so he can try and suck on it. He hates it but he is doing well with it. The nurses said that babies will forget how to suck if they don't keep persisting with the pacifier. Anyway, I think that is all I have for now. I will try to take some pictures of me holding him and without his CPAP so everyone can see on of them. Oh, and just for documentation purposes these boys have blonde hair and blue eyes...for now anyway. :)