Rub-a-dub-dub

Today Ryan and I got to give the boys their first baths! Of course the nurses have been bathing them for weeks, so I guess today was OUR first baths! We haven't even watched them bathe before, so we had no idea what we were doing. But it was fun, the boys loved it, and no one got injured (or peed on) - so it was a successful day.  However, I still cannot look at these pictures without laughing hysterically.

Andrew

John

Nurse Lisa wheeled in a cart covered in towels, blankets, and their little tubs, so we could "race" and bathe them both at the same time. They're so slippery, so I'm guessing we'll switch to bathing them one at a time once they come home - two parents per baby sounds a bit easier until we get the hang of it.

Both boys continue to work on bottle feeding and were just switched back to the lower 22-calorie formula. They usually start all eight feedings by bottle, but often don't finish the entire amount before falling asleep, so they still take any remaining amount by feeding tube. They're starting to get the hang of it, but just need some more practice. Andrew seems to have a stronger suck, but John seems to understand the suck-swallow-breathe process a little better. Andrew just gets so excited to eat that he takes big gulps and then spits a lot of it out. Today both boys took their entire bottles for us, and I think it helped that they were wide awake from their baths.

Earlier in the week, the eye doctor stopped in for a routine screening.  Preemies born before 34 weeks often have issues with the blood vessels in their retinas which can lead to vision problems or require surgery, but it doesn't seem to be the case for either of them. Thankfully everything looked normal and Andrew and John both have fully developed retinas.  They also had a hearing screening today and both passed the test!  It will still probably be 2-3 weeks before they come home, but they're right on track for their adjusted age of 35 weeks. Most babies come home sometime between 37 weeks and their original due date, so it won't be too much longer. Once they consistently take all of their feedings by bottle, it should be goodbye NICU!