Update on the Waugh-Nuts (One Week Three Days Old)

Hello Everyone!  I want to start off by saying thank you to all of you for your generosity and supportive messages that you have sent since the Waugh-Nuts were born!  You all have been amazing, and we continue to be awed by the kindness and generosity of our family, friends, and people that we do not even know!  Everything that you have done means so much to us and our families.  I cannot wait until the day the babies are able to understand the outpouring of love they received during my pregnancy and their birth.  What a beautiful gift!

If I tried to explain to you all how much the babies have changed and how much progress they have made since their birth, you would never  believe me!  We have some fighters on our hands, that is for sure.  We continue to be amazed with how quickly everyone is growing and how quickly things are changing in the NICU.  We are so proud of our little ones already.  In an effort to give each of these Waugh-Nuts their own praise and identity, here is a little bit about what has been going on with each of them:
Jackson Berkley
Jackson continues to be the biggest weighing 4lbs 6.9oz!  He is already growing out of some of his preemie clothes.  He has stayed on room air throughout his entire NICU stay.  He also is the first to graduate to an open crib from the incubator. Jackson is DRAMATIC!  He screams and wails during all of his care times (changing diapers, blood pressure, temperature, etc), but he loves to cuddle.  He pulls his feeding tube out multiple times a day and then screams like a crazy man when the nurses have to put it back in... when will he learn!  Jackson looks just like Daddy, at least as of now, and he hates bath time (cue the screaming).  He eats 34mL of fortified breastmilk at each feeding (every 3 hours), and he is doing great with the N Trainer (a binki machine that helps the babies learn how to suck, swallow, and breathe before they are able to try to bottle feed).  He sleeps with his mouth wide open (like Momma)!

Owen Daniel
Mr. Owen is the smallest of the boys weighing 3lbs 8.5oz.  He had a rough time with his breathing on the first day, but he turned it around all on his own in no time!  He is now breathing room air like a rock star!  When he was still on oxygen, he pulled his oxygen tubes out as soon as you would put them back in- he knew that he did not need it!  Owen continues to want to sleep with one arm in the air which is exactly how he was laying when he was born.  I find that hysterical.  He also loves to lay with his feet crossed which is adorable.  Owen looks the most different out of all of the Waugh-Nuts.  He has a lot fairer skin and lighter hair, and he definitely has Daddy's nose.  He is eating 25mL of fortified breastmilk with each feeding and is getting better with the N Trainer by the day.

Dylan Christopher
Dylan seemingly has the most sensitive personality of the boys.  He weighs 3lbs 12oz, so he is right in the middle!  Dylan was the last to get his oxygen and IV removed, but now he is breathing room air like a champ!  I actually think he does better on the room air than he did on the oxygen.  Dylan loves to lay on his side with his arms cuddled up by his face.  Dylan eats 25mL of breastmilk with each feeding, and they will probably make his fortified as well in the next day or two.  They didn't want to change too much on him at one time.  He does not care to participate in the N Trainer too much most of the time, but he is getting a little better with each session.

Millie Kaye
Miss Millie is still our smallest, but she has finally surpassed the 3 pound mark!  She weighs 3lbs 1.1oz.  Everyone, including all of the nurses, just adores her because she is so tiny but so mighty!  We all love to dress her up, and the nurses find new cute hats for her to wear all of the time.  Millie is extremely even-tempered.  During her care times, when all of the boys are typically screaming, Millie just looks at the nurses and doesn't make a peep!  That is not to say that the girl can't wail, because she definitely has a set of lungs on her when she wants to.  She is definitely the most alert of the babies.  She just looks at you and watches you, and if you are talking to her, she tries to stay awake to listen and interact with you.  We have gotten the most smiles out of her, too.  Girls typically do better in the NICU, so that probably explains it!  She has been on room air since the day she was born.  She only stayed on the CPAP for a couple of hours.  She gets 22mL of fortified breastmilk with each feeding, and she is a major rockstar on the N Trainer compared to her brothers.  She may be the first to try to bottle feed!

All of the babies were able to get their IVs out in the last couple of days which means they can all now wear clothes.  They look so cute!  The Waugh-Nuts also all got ultrasounds done on their heads which is done mostly to check for brain bleeds which can happen in premature babies.  They all passed and had completely normal ultrasounds- what a blessing!! We were definitely nervous for those results.  The doctors are all really pleased with how the babies are progressing.  They come and give us updates daily.  All of the nurses at the NICU (just like the nurses that I had when I was there for 10 weeks) have been exceptional!  You can just tell how much they love their jobs and enjoy the babies.  It is nice to have them there when I am there by myself during the day sometimes because they will just sit and talk to me about the babies and my plans and all sorts of things.  We have had such a good experience.  The doctors are also great, and if we have any type of question, the come immediately.  Basically, our experience at OSU has been fabulous from the start!
As far as how I am feeling goes, it is off and on!  I am still sore from my C-Section, but I think what is bothering me the most is the carpel tunnel that I developed in my hands during the pregnancy.  My hands are pretty much numb for most of the day which makes is hard to do a lot of things!  I am still not allowed to drive, so someone always has to take me to the hospital and pick me up from the hospital, but usually I don't have a problem with that because my parents love spending time with the littles!  My body is also still trying to recover from laying in bed for 10 weeks.  My muscles are extremely deconditioned which makes it a little harder to get back into the swing of things.  I still have to use the wheelchair a lot when I go to the hospital.  Things are getting easier though, and hopefully we will continue in that direction!
Funny story.  Whoever is picking me up or dropping me off usually lets me sit in the lobby then they pull up to the front doors.  Well, we are all so delirious that when my mom left me in the lobby yesterday to go get the car from the parking garage, she turned out of the garage and was about to turn on 315 to go home before she realized she forgot to swing back around to pick me up!  I thought she was taking a long time...... 
Chris went back to work this week so that he can save most of his time for when the babies come home.  He comes after work each day to the hospital, and I usually end up going home with him once I get tired.  We are trying to work on finishing up the nursery since I did not want to do too much of it before I went to the hospital because I was too nervous.  The painting is getting finished today, then we just have to place all of the furniture and organize and put things away.  I am so excited to be able to help do all of that.  We are also moving in the process of all of this, so it is all just a bit crazy to be honest.  I want to spend all of my time at the hospital, but there are things that need done here as well to prepare for the babies to come home, and I also get exhausted if I do too much.  It is a huge balancing act that is for sure!
Many people have asked about bringing a meal or helping right now, so I am going to include the information for the care calendar again.  If you login to the calendar, there are days to sign up for making a meal right now, and then once the babies come home, we will add other things to the calendar such as visits, errands, more meals, etc.  The website is www.carecalendar.org.  The login is CALENDAR ID: 189509 and SECURITY CODE: 7011.  When you go to the website, you login with this information and a calendar will pop up with things that are available.  Thank you to everyone that has already brought something or has signed up =)
We will update when we can!  Things are starting to get crazy- just a glimpse of what is to come!  Yesterday I think there were about 9 poopy diapers between all of them and at least 3 outfit changes per baby!  They send us home with at least one full bag of laundry for the babies every single day.  We are loving every single second.  Thank you all for being a part of our journey!