Henry and Jameson: One Month Old!

We are very pleased and proud parents to announce that our boys have reached their 1 month birthday!  It's difficult to have the proper perspective of the last month because we're still in the midst of our NICU experience, but a milestone like this provides a chance to reflect.  I think the overwhelming feelings are that of being grateful and humble.  It's a recurrent theme for how we feel about our nurses, our families and support system, and toward our boys.  To that end, today we had the opportunity to say thanks in prayer with Father Matthew of nearby St. Joseph Morello, who was kind enough to join us and bestow a blessing upon Henry and Jameson.  It was a special moment as we were joined by Raechel's mother and sister, as well as our favorite nurse Mary who also belongs to Fr. Matthew's parish.  And to that point on gratefulness, to everyone that has reached out to us, sent a gift or even just a quick email, we say thank you.

A quick funny anecdote about the experience...Fr. Matthew requested to the nurses some sterilized water that he could bless as holy water.  One of the nurses reached into a drawer and pulled out some Similac sterilized water which fit the bill.  We kept the rest as a just in case of emergency.  It is Halloween after all :)

One other quick story...one of my best friends, Steve Bueche, got married last weekend.  Months ago I had told Steve that I couldn't picture a scenario where I would be able to make it to the wedding given our projected birth date.  With the boys arriving early, I still didn't think it was an option.  But with the boys stable and in good hands, and along with the encouragement of my wife, I decided at the last minute to go.  It was hard, but I'm glad I did.  It was a special weekend to share with Steve and his wife Colin.  At a few different moments, people asked me if it was hard to be away.  It was; there were a lot of moments of worry and stress, and generally feeling like a terrible father for being away.  At the same time, I felt like Henry and Jameson were in good hands.  I think it's because trust is such a huge part of the NICU process that I could actually make the trip.  And if there is anyone I would make the trip for, it's Steve.  He's a great person and friend, and such a role model that he and Colin will be godparents to Jameson.

We are 1 Month Old!!! Henry (left) and Jameson (right)

Jameson (left) and Henry (right)

Frick Family with Father Matthew

Henry as Thing 1 and Jameson as Thing 2 for Hallween

Henry at 4 weeks with his bunny

Jameson at 4 weeks with his giraffe

Frick Twins: Bath Time

Mom and Dad got to experience bathing the boys this week. A little easier than we anticipated. The nurse showed us how to keep them loosely bundled so they feel their boundaries and safe; and kept a heater above to keep them warm.  Here are a few pictures and a video!

Rae bathing Henry

Dave drying Jameson

Dave washing Jameson's hair

 

Frick Twins: Feeding

One of the check marks the boys need to earn is feeding on their own - bottle or breast.  While the boys are practicing both, we are learning this is something the boys must be developmentally ready to coordinate sucking with breathing and swallowing. Every day is different for Jameson and Henry. Two nights ago, the boys took a bottle for the night nurse (20 ml for Henry, 15 ml for Jameson), then completed the rest of their feeding via NG tube. Yesterday however, both boys stopped breathing with the bottle, turned blue (which no mother wants to see that!) and took a little longer than normal to catch their breath again. As one nurse shared: In the NICU, it is a lot of 2 steps forward, 1 step back... 

 

Dad giving Henry a bottle for the first time

Burping Henry

Milk Face

Frick Twins: Week 3, Development Week 34

Something that Raechel and I have noticed of late is how quickly time is flying. I've heard parents say something along those lines about their own kids for years, and I can vouch for that fact based on first hand experience.

Since our last update, the boys have made good progress. They have maintained their temperature on their own since moving to isolettes. They've started doing a little bottle feeding, which is really fun to participate in and witness. And as of today, they've each gained 1lb since birth.

They aren't without their challenges as we found out today they'll be supplementing Henry with some vitamins due to his blood being anemic, or low on red blood cells. Nothing too concerning and very common at this point in his development, but they do outline what the scenarios would look like if things get worse, which could extend all the way to a transfusion. Very unlikely at this point that it would reach that point, but it's an example of one of those things floating out there that seems to make your shoulders a little more tense and sleep a little less sound. Looking forward to the day when the boys are home, healthy, growing, and that stress goes away. But again, I've heard from experienced parents that feeling never disappears :)

Henry

 

Jameson

Frick Twins: Isolette Graduation

Last night the boys graduated from Isolette incubators to open cribs. They are now able to regulate their own body temperature and sleep in just PJs and a swaddle blanket. They are both adjusting to all the new sounds of the NICU that were muffled before in the isolettes. 

Jameson had a rough day breathing on Friday and was given a nasal cannula again to provide assistance. We also cut back on visitors to keep the noise down and any outside germs away. Since then, he is much more comfortable. 

The boys wore their new Notre Dame caps last Saturday and proved to be good luck for the fighting Irish! ND beat USC 14-10. Thank you Frick Family for the little caps.  

Frick Twins: 2 Weeks Old

Hard to believe that the boys are two weeks old today! (or 32.6 in development terms)  They’ve been doing well since our last update.  Henry is off of his nasal cannula as of 3 days ago.  Both boys are making steady progress on decreasing their apneas and bradys, which is great.  The doctor said yesterday a 3-5 week estimate seems reasonable on bringing them home, but that all depends on how the boys do over that time period.  As a parent, it’s a tough one because we want to bring them home as soon as possible, but not a minute before they’re ready.  Of course, we would love it if we can bring them home to share our first family Thanksgiving at home, but we’re not getting greedy on our asks.

 

Our schedule has shifted a little bit this week as I’m back at work.  Raechel goes over in the mornings and usually does a 6-7 hour shift.  I either join her in the morning and do some work from the hospital café, or go over in the afternoon, depending on work requirements, etc.  Big thanks to Lauryn, the Beilers, and my Dad for helping with transportation as Raechel and I head over at different times during the day.  Intel has been incredibly supportive of both Raechel and I.  My boss, Mike, gets a special shout out for being flexible on how I manage my schedule.  He’s a great example of the family-first attitude, one that I have new level of appreciation for right now.  And Raechel is going to be able to take off a substantial amount of time from work between pregnancy leave, FMLA, and sabbatical.  We feel incredibly thankful and fortunate to work for a company that can help ease some of the stress that comes from our situation.

 

We are also very appreciative of the prayers, flowers, balloons, lasagna and calzones (thanks Ellen and the Bowmans!), the preemie clothes, and everything else sent our direction.  It’s incredibly humbling to be on the receiving end of so much generosity and kindness.  Thank you!

With Henry

Henry now 3lb 14oz (3lb 7oz at birth)

Henry with his Bunny

Jameson now 3lb 6oz (2lb 15oz at birth)

Jameson with his Giraffe

Frick Twins: Day 10

Today was a milestone day!  Both Henry and Jameson are now over their birth weight, and Jameson topped 3lbs for the first time.  Feels very good to see their weight trending in the right direction.  Also, Raechel produced more milk than the boys consumed for the day!  She feels very good about being able to support the boys in this way.  Definitely a day to remember.

We spent ~4 hours with them in the late morning / early afternoon, with a couple of those being skin to skin.  Henry is still on the nasal cannula to provide pressure to keep his lungs open.  They have their breathing and heart episodes from time to time, which makes us parents nervous.  But they recover in a matter of a few seconds most of the time.  We find the hardest part of the day is in the evening when we miss our boys.