As of 10:00 pm 6/30/98
Kristoffer jumped up to 2085 gms (4lb 6oz), his dinner was still 45 cc but they put in an extra 5cc for spillage and spitting. Kris has a good manners and doesnt spit often so he got just about the full 50cc. That should make him grow even faster now. He is on ALL bottle feedings now and is a typical infant now. We need to start preparing things because we feel the Drs. are going to say 'Take him home' real soon.

Lindsey gained a little, 1035 gms (2lb 3oz) but we like any gain vs none. Her cord fell off and she has the cutest little belly button (images of peirced navels raced through my mind). She still got the same about of food and enjoyed the bath she got from Dad. Of course, guilt weighs heavy on him since he accidentally hit her little head on the isolette as he returned her afte weighing her. She seemed OK, didnt cry and gave Dad a 'Its ok, I'm fine look' afterward.
Nurses claim she hums "Paradise City" by Guns n' Roses during the day. We havent heard it yet.
She is looking great, she is filling out and growing. I need to check her length to see if how much longer she has gotten.

As of 10:00 pm 6/29/98
Kristoffer: The lucky boy got his formula amount increased to 45cc! (up from 28!) Not only that, but he can bottle feed every other one. They are impressed with how well his feedings have been going and think they can pack on more weight. He broke the 2000 gms mark, 2025 gms (4lb 4.4oz) which he had to do to go home, now all he needs to be is 35 weeks which would be next week, so he wont be home this week.
He feeds really really well, is burping better (Thats my boy!) and is a source of much amusement. He likes to make noises, little wheezes, whistles and grunts which crack us up every time.

Lindsey : This girl was upped to 20-28cc of the high cal stuff. She broke the 1000 gm mark, 1025 gms (2lbs 2.4 oz) and thats only going to get better in the next few days as the increased amount kicks in.
She is a sweetheart, takes her bath and squiggles and squirms but never even cries or makes Kris-like noises. She is right next to him and they can see each other more often.
Great news is that she is beginning to hold her own temperature which will get her out of the incubator/isolete unit. Which also leads to more hugs and easier baths and feedings.

As of 10:00 pm 6/28/98, weekend update
Kristoffer kept his mom busy with diaper changing this weekend. For some reason she had him Sat & Sun and I had Lindsey. His formula was not increased over the weekend ( I dont know why) but he got better at taking the bottle which is something that is crucial to his release.
His weight climbed to 1975 gms (4 lbs 3+ oz.) and he continued on his 28cc.
He is a great little kid, doesnt cry much (at least when we are there) and likes to look at us. He is getting pretty good at lifting his head too which is pretty cool.
We have a routine when we get there, bath, bottle, sleep. Sounds great doesnt it? We get to hold him as long as we want too, so we sit and rock him and he seems pretty happy.

Lindsey was cared for by her dad all weekend. She remained at 18cc of formula all weekend, again, I dont know why except maybe they wanted to slow it down. The Drs. did change the type, from 20 calorie to 24 calorie formula. She still uses the tube, but she loves to use her pacifier like Maggie Simpson, and that helps her digestion and she is learning to suck and associate that with getting a full belly, a must for release.
We can also hold her for her feeding time (about 30 mins) and she likes that. Its great for us too. She watchs us and falls asleep.
She went up to 980 gms (2lbs 1.4 oz) and is looking really good. She loves her dad so much she only gave him one dirty diaper, what a good girl!

As of 10:00 pm 6/26/98
Kristoffer: Major change here! The kids (both of 'em!) have been moved to special care from ICU! To those of us now filled with more medical knowledge then we care to be, it means they are in a place where they bulk babies up! We were surprised that Lindsey was put in there too, but its a statement to how stable she is that she can be there.
Kris weighed in at 1940gms (4lb 4oz.) Friday night. Obviously the conversion of his weight at birth was a little off, he was more like 4lb 1 oz at birth than 4-6. Which actually made me feel better because he was down in the 3 lb range and I thought that was A LOT of weight to lose.
Other than that, he is getting two bottles a day, one by us when we are there. I gave it to him on Friday, the first time I ever did it. I thought I was doing misearbly, he would eat, and fall asleep, he would'nt burp real well (which led me to doubt myself as the true father). But when all was said and done, he actually ate more from the feeding I gave him than when anyone else had (brrming with pride and satisfaction). This kind of helped him break the "food barrier" the rest of the weekend. Oh, and he was getting 28cc.

Lindsey is loving her new location. She has expressed a desire to decorate it in pastels and Disney characters but the staff is not easy to get these things by.
Actually, she is doing great, and as stated before, she just needs to gain weight. She weighed 960 on Friday which is a little over 2 lbs. She is getting 18cc of formula all through a tube so far. We hope that she can start bottle feeding soon.
The nurses love her, and all of them agree there is no baby that squirms like her. "Wiggle girl" is fast becoming her nickname in the special care unit. (This unit is actually across the hall from the ICU). She is usually pretty bright eyed when we get there and watches us as we bathe her and get her fed.

As of 10:00 pm 6/25/98
Kristoffer is in a crib! He is bundled up and wears a shirt and little pants and socks. Its nice not to have to look at him through plastic or touch him through holes. He got his second bottle ever yesterday and another last night. He kept falling asleep during his feeding from Lisa last night though. I got to hear him burp (real beer guzzlin' pizza-eatin kind burp too!) for the first (2nd 3rd and 4th time) last night.
He is eating 26cc of formula and his weight is 1890 gms. He takes special delight in introducing Dad to baby poop, and I appreciate it, I really do ("Uh, nurse, a little help here").

Lindsey is off her IV. We both thought it was early compared to Kris, but the Drs. did say girls do better as preemies then boys (Yeah Sue I know, it stays that way throughout life). She is still very wide eyed, looking at everything, especially when I got to hold her for a few minutes while her bed was being changed.
I gave her a nice quick bath, which she squiggled and squirmed through. Once she was dry and a new diaper on she fell right to sleep.
She is up to 16cc of formula and her weight is the same as last night, 950gms, but she doesnt have the IV in anymore so the weight is a actually more accurate now. The splint and IV paraphernalia weigh 10gms according to the professionals.

As of 10:00 pm 6/24/98
Kristoffer has had his first bottle feeding! It was before we got there, he did a good job on it, and is up to 34cc in his feedings. His weight was again 1850 grams, but he had no IV and no splint (which is used to keep him from pulling the IV out) which weighs about 4 ounces. No crib, but he was actually going in one after 11:00pm so he may be in there right now.
He got a bath from Dad, and he actually CRIED. That was the first time I have heard him. He was a little chilly and stopped as soon as I put a blanket over him. Together Lisa and I got his bed changed too. I have gotten pretty good at this diaper thing, though they dont look real good they stay on!
I forgot in yesterday's update to mention that Kris's cord fell off. He has a neat little lint-catching belly button!

Lindsey is now next to Kris! It was so nice to be able to talk to Lisa or say to her "hey look what Kris is doing". Lindsey even got a visit from her brother since he is a little mobile now.
Lindsey's weight is 950 gms (2LBS 1.6 oz) and she is up to 12cc of food. You can see the look in her eye, she wants prime rib!
Speaking of "her eye" they were open and as usual she was looking around. She loves to look around so much she struggles to stay awake.
She looks great, you can see the difference the weight gain has made. Her ribs are being hidden and she is feeling softer.
She got her bath from her mom and we changed her bed for her too, so she was mosty toasty when she went back in. She got kisses from us too, which she likes alot. She is doing well, now its just a wait for her to gain weight, which is better than a lot of other things that could have happened. Her guardian angels (My parents I'm sure!) are helping her out no doubt!

As of 10:00 pm 6/23/98
Kristoffer is doing REALLY well. We were surprised to find him without an IV last night, and he was much happier to be without it too. His Isolete was turned off and he was doing fine maintaining his own temperature, so he is bound for a crib today. His weight is up again, 1850 grams and he is getting 28cc of formula. They will probably be trying out a bottle with him today, and if he does OK he wont have to have that tube put in his nose or throat for feedings.
Lisa got to give him a bath and hold him for awhile, which was nice because he wasnt as hooked up as he has been. Time was limited because there was a baby on his street that was being prepared to go to another hospital for surgery, when there is something going on like that they get everyone (all parents) out of the 'pod'. But Kris was awake alot and got to get a good look at his mom.

Lindsey is being called squiggly, squirmmy or squiggle girl by me at any given time. While bathing her she keeps moving, dancing in her diaper (sometimes thats called 'Dirty diaper dancing'). As always, she is looking around at everything seeing what she can. She is doing real well and had a great jump in weight, from 900 grams (1 lb 15.5 oz) to 926 grams (over two pounds)!
She got held for a couple minutes last night and seemed to enjoy it. Getting a closer view of her parents (dad looking scruffy, mom looking beautiful) and rocked a little. As soon as she went back to her 'room' she went to sleep.
The nurses said the plan was for her to be moved to the same pod as her brother by 8:00am 6/24. That will be nice, so Lisa and I can still be together and watch each kid.

As of 10:00 pm 6/22/98
Kristoffer is almost up to his birth weight. He is 4 lbs again, 6 ounces short. He now gets 25cc of formula (30cc = 1 ounce). The big news is, he seems to be maintaining his temperature, and you think big deal right? Well they were going to turn off the heat in his Isolete (incubator unit, controls his environtment) and if he continues to maintain his temp, he will be eligible for a crib!
He spent the visit being held by me (good photos taken, hope they come out!) and I helped with the feeding. He didnt wake much, not even when the nurse stuck a new tube in his nose. (That would have woken ME up!) He appears to be a calm kid, of course he was only a week old yesterday. He even endured my attempts at humming (for lack of a kid song to hum, he had to listen to "Stairway to Heaven" Led Zep and "Rat in a cage" (I think thats the title) Smashing Pumpkins).

Lindsey had the UV lights removed, and when we got there she was looking around, taking it all in. She is finally OVER her birth weight, she hit 1 pound 15.5 ounces. I'll take what I can get! Her formula is up from 1cc where she started to 8cc now (they both still get the vitamins and lipids).
She got a bath from her Mom during the visit (bath at this point is washing parts with a small cloth, got things stuck to them and you cant dip them). After which she was tired from all her wiggling around (and this kid doesnt stop moving!) and fell asleep.
Talk about the floor was that they were going to move her from Broadway (Lindsey is currently appearing on Broadway!) which is her 'pod' location (each pod has 4-6 babies) to Kristoffer's pod (Park Ave). We hope this happens then we can be 'together' visiting them. Of course, if Kris goes in a crib, he may be moved across the hall to the special care nursery. We will see, and of course, you will all be informed!

As of 10:00 pm 6/21/98, weekend update
Kristoffer : We were quite shocked on Saturday to walk in and Kris was not in the spot he usually is. After a brief panic the nurses pointed us to where he was moved. He is moved to the back of the room with other babies (a brother and sister that are two of FOUR babies!) that do not require as much attention. They still have a nurse (the ratio is always 1 nurse for 3 babies) to watch over them, but they all have less monitors.
His formula amount has gone from 5cc to 18cc by Sunday night and gets the same vitamins and lipids his sister does. The Dr. said in a couple days he will probably be able to go on a bottle (not tequila in a brown paper bag!) and come off the IV. Saturday I got to hold him for over and hour as he ate, slept and looked at me funny. It was quite enjoyable! We discussed football Jerry Rice, the Cowboys, the Giants and I started teaching him the fantasy football basics.
(Side note : Kristoffer has been joined in the unit by Leif, let the Scandinavian festivities begin!)

Lindsey: On Saturday she again slept through most of the visit. Not hard to do when you are under UV lights and have things over you eyes. Not much to see anyway. However, she did come out for her bath which her mother got to give her. It was then that Lisa and the nurse brought her over to where her brother was being held and Lindsey got to see Kristoffer for the first time since they rode up to the unit together. She was placed in my arms with her brother, and I became the first person to hold them together outside of their mom (LITERALLY!). She loves to look around when she can and she looked up at me and raised her little fair-haired eyebrows, wrinkling her little forehead..tooo adorable! She was then wisked back to her own unit after giving her brother a kiss (*sniff*).
She is getting a little more formula(4cc, started at 1cc), plus vitamins, plus lipids (which I am still not sure what that is). So its helping her gain weight. She is over her birth weight now, and her ribs are becoming less visible. I spent Sunday with her, holding her while her bed was changed, and she looks at me like she is trying to understand it all. She doesnt care what was going on around her, she just stayed looking at me. Later as we she was trying to sleep again with the lights and eye patches, we discussed football and I told her I would judge by her heart rate my draft picks for this year. She did not like any of them, so its back to the drawing board for me.
The Drs. think she might be out from the lights on Monday, which would be great, because she seems to like to look around a lot. Everything else on her is fine, the breathing, the heart and all.

As of 10:00 pm 6/19/98
Kristoffer is now getting 15cc of formula. He is also very deftly learning to take that tube out of his mouth. And when his hands are held he has learned to use his tongue. His mother got to bathe him tonight, and again, no poop on Mommy. He did hold tradition and pee though! *HAHAHAHAHAHA* We have learned how to recognize the impending shower. He received a stuffed friend (beannie baby-like) named 'Mopey' to keep him company in his 'cell'. After the feedings every three hours he has finally stopped losing weight. His weight tonight was the same as last night 1765 grams.

Lindsey slept through our entire visit. As her brother was getting bathed, I stayed by her side with my hand on her back and legs. She likes to feel cuddled. She woke up breifly and saw me (The big guy that doesnt poke me with needles) and at the same time was given her feeding. She doesnt get the tube down her throat each time, but has a tube through her nose down her throat which they dont have to take out each time. The really great thing is she gained some weight. She was born at 875 grams and when weighed (usually around 8pm every night) she was up to 862 from her low of 860, not much, but progress! Her little stuffed friend is 'Pinky', a little pink beanbag dog. The actual name was 'Lila' but that sounded more like '42nd street barbie' than a little kids toy.

As of 12:00 pm 6/19/98
Picked Lisa up about 11:30 and we checked on the kids before leaving the hospital. Tranporting of all the flowers wasnt easy, but it was done with minimum spillage. Also upon arrival home, there were gift baskets and cookie baskets. Not a good day to give up cookies let me tell ya!
Kristoffer is getting his food amount increased, from 5cc to 10cc. He is handling it well which shows that his digestive functions are working correctly. He spends his time eating and sleeping which is typical baby functions. He will soon be able to use a bottle and not have to use that nasty tube.

Lindsey has had her amount of formula increased also, though much more slowly. She went to 3cc. The Dr talked to us for quite awhile and assured us that all they are going through is typical preemie stuff and she said they have every confidense that the kids will be doing fine, even the little 1 pound 15 ounce girl. (sigh!)

As of 10:00 pm 6/18/98
Kristoffer is doing better. He now has gotten fed real food (if you can call formula that) and seems to enjoy having a full stomach, but not the feeding process. As of now, they insert a small tube down his throat and use a syringe (sp?) to measure the amount. Then this goes into his stomach by gravity. His weight is still dropping a little. I gave him his 'bath' and received my first dose of baby poop as I was bathing him. It was pretty funny and something I am sure all of you want to hear over lunch. He has developed some jauntis and is under the lights like his sister.

Lindsey Doing even better. She got only a little bit of formula, the Drs. want to take it slow with her. She has still lost some weight. But she is doing very well. The nurses all say she is easy going though a squirmer. Her platlette count was low the other day, so they gave her a transfussion and it is doing much better now. She may be out of the UV lights soon. Her breathing is fine and so is the heart rate and other vitals. Lisa got to bathe her. Doesnt take much, cotton ball and some water. but she didnt seem to mind. (and no poop on Mommy..hmmmm).

As of 12:00 pm 6/18/98
Kristoffer is now off all breathing assistance! Today he doesnt just get the vitamins, but also some formula! He is scheduled for a feeding at 12 and each 3 hours of 5cc of formula (approx 1 table spoon)! This also means that Mom can be there later and I can probably feed him tonight! He had a great night and is doing great today.

Lindsey also had a great night! Not only that, but the nurse said the Drs. were talking about giving her up to 2 cc of formula! She told me I can call back later and see is the orders came down for it. Even if they dont, she will be getting food by the weekend!

As of 10:00 pm 6/17/98
Kristoffer was held by Mom for 45 minutes today, and received a bath with Dad's assistance. (Dad solo's 6/18!) He is still on the CPAC which helps keep his lungs inflated fully during his breaths. They expect him to be off it tonight and to start a liquid IV of vitamins and amino acids and other good stuff. His weight has dropped 5-6 ozs but all newborns drop some weight. He is quiet and sleeps alot, which is what babies do, the nurses say he is very easy going.

Lindsey was touched and caressed by Mom and Dad for quite some time today. She is unable to be held at the moment. She is kept under the UV lights for jaundice. She started getting the liquid IV of vitamins and amino acids and other good stuff yesterday and requires no assistance at all with her breathing. She moves all the time and is constantly kicking off her too big preemie diaper. They did not weigh her tonight because her body temp was down. Probably because we had the little doors open so long to talk to her and touch her. She stops crying when she hears my voice or Lisa's, which is really cool.