Tuesday Update

Hello all- the boys are doing really well. I don't have any new pictures, but I will try to take some soon. Mostly, I concentrate on feeding them and trying to get some rest. Feeding them takes a very long time, so it is a time consuming job.

Jack is doing awesome- he is eating more than his minimum requirement, and he even tried breastfeeding today. It took a lot out of him, but he did great. He is also not as jaundiced anymore, and will be out of the incubator by tomorrow! He will still be in Special Care with his brother, but he will be in a regular bed and we can hold him for as long as we want.

Ben will slowly be weaned from the incubator tomorrow, as long as he keeps eating. He is a little more sleepy than Jack, so eating is more of a chore for him. He is getting there, though! He did great tonight at 5, especially after a few minutes of cuddling with Jack and Daddy.

I have been discharged and won't stay at this hospital this time. Mairead needs me, too, so I can't stay away for that long. I have to say, though, that there is pretty much nothing worse than coming home from the hospital with no babies. All of you moms and dads should give your little ones an extra hug tonight, just because you can!

I am home for a few hours, then I'll go back to do the 11pm feeding. Tomorrow, I'll spend the day hanging around the hospital waiting to hold and feed them. The unfortunate thing is that since I had a section, I can't drive, so I can't just run back and forth to the hospital. And, Mairead is sick, so my mom has been great enough to take care of her, which means my mom can't drive me back and forth all day.

It is a really tough time for our family right now, but we are hanging in there. We have three beautiful children who are doing great, and we are excited to have them all together. We will keep you posted!

Update and more pictures

First, a few pictures! In this one, they are only about an hour old, so they are still very swollen. Ben is on the left and Jack on the right.


Quality time with Nana



Meeting My Nana for the first time


Big Sister handing out bottles of formula

Jack and Grandma

First family photo- They had given me about 5 liters of fluid so I was as swollen as the babies were... fun times

Me and my boys- Jack in the white hat and Ben in green.

Meeting Nana and Grampy at less than an hour old.

Thanks to all of you who have congratulated us on our boys-- they are amazing and we are thrilled! They are doing really well, especially for 35 weekers. They have had a few issues with feeding, though, so as a precaution, they are both in the NICU right now. It is really hard on us and I am disappointed because I thought I might actually get to have them the whole time, but we are trying to keep them from losing weight. Actually, the fact that they didn't have to go there right away was surprising since they were so early. Anyway, they are doing well there. Jack is eating like a champ all on his own. Ben is a little lazy and needs help, so he does have a feeding tube.

I am able to feed each one, and whatever Ben needs to supplement, he gets through the tube. We don't know how long we will be here, but we know that we won't be home on Tuesday. I am hoping to bring them both home at the same time, but we'll have to see how Ben does. Dave and I are both focusing on the the positives of how well our preemies are doing, but being a NICU mom is no fun. I thought we had our share of NICU time with Mairead, but every time I have a baby, they seem to end up there! The nurses are awesome, though, so I know they are in good hands.I'll keep posting updates to let you know how they are doing. Thanks so much for checking in with us!

They're Here!

Mairead is thrilled to announce the arrival of her two baby brothers- Jack David and Benjamin Brian Hickok. The boys were born via c-section on Friday, March 6 at 12:08 and 12:09m p.m. They are both beautiful and healthy- especially for being born at 35 weeks and 2 days! Jack is 4lbs 9oz and Ben is 5lbs 3 oz, with Jack at 17 1/2 inches and Ben an even 18. So far they are doing great. They did not need any assistance breathing and did not go to the NICU after delivery. All of the doctors keep telling us how impressed they are with these little guys and how they can't believe they didn't need any help. We are pretty impressed, too! The doctor who delivered them called them 'rock stars' because they are hanging out in the regular nursery with the big kids.

They are being monitored very closely, of course, and just about an hour ago, the doctors decided that they do need to go to the Special Care Nursery. Each of them has lost a few ounces, and they ARE eating, but it takes them a long time and they are using all of their energy, so they need to be on feeding tubes (nasal, not abdominal) for a little bit. They will be there at least 24 hours, maybe more, and it is doubtful that we will all be home on Tuesday. But, we know that they are in good hands, and this is to be expected of preemies. We were hoping that they wouldn't have to take them, but we do understand. We want them to be good, healthy eaters when they get home. I just wish that every time I had a kid, they didn't have to be in the NICU!

Mairead was not at all interested in them at first- probably because her aunts were also visiting at the time and they are much more fun- especially when they let you run down the hospital hallways. Yesterday, though, when no one else was here, she was more curious. She wanted to touch their toes a lot, and brought Jack's little bootie over to him to put on his toes. I know she doesn't really grasp the concept of what is going on, but I think she will do well with these guys.

I will post more details later about our crazy day on Friday, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we are all doing great. I have a few pictures to upload, and we will definitely keep you posted on the boys' weights and how they do in the NICU. Thanks, everyone!

35 weeks

First, let me talk about what a great big sister Mairead is going to be. We have been encouraging her to play with her baby doll, and she is very cute with it. Today, she put the baby in the carseat and said, "bye, bye," and then wanted to put the baby in the crib for "night night." She is very funny carrying it around. I am glad she likes babies, but I worry about her trying to carry Jack and Ben around the house!

Earlier this week, we babysat for Connor (Mairead's BFF) who was less than thrilled. He was very tired that day and was very sad when his mom and dad left for all of two hours. But, he ended up relaxing with Dave and getting very comfortable snuggling with him. It was strange to see someone other than Mairead resting with Dave, but I guess we had better get used to that! Mairead was also very good about sharing her daddy while Connor was here. After his mom and dad got back, Connor suddenly had a burst of energy and was running around exploring the house, so all was well again!

Now, on to my boys. At my ultrasound on Wednesday we were very happy to learn that each baby is a little over 5 lbs! That was one of our goals, so we were thrilled to hear that. They look good and have very healthy heartbeats. At this point, doctors start to weigh the question of whether they would grow better in or out. So, I have another ultrasound next week and they will talk to us about any possibility of delivering earlier than March 25. It's a very strange position to be in- we might have new babies next week, and we might not have them for 2 and half more weeks- you never know!

I asked my doctor last week if he thought I would make it to my scheduled date. He said, "I don't know... it's not up to me. It's up to your babies and who knows what they are doing?" He has been great and very reassuring this whole time, so I know I am in good hands.

We will certainly keep everyone posted with any news (or lack of) about our boys-- thanks for checking in on us!

34 Weeks today!

Since this is still Mairead's blog, I'll start with her... she'll have to share it with the boys eventually, but right now she is still the star! The other day, we experimented with giving Mairead Play-Doh. Winter weather keeps us cooped up indoors, so we keep looking for new activities to try with her. Play-Doh went pretty well- she did try to eat one piece, so she certainly can't be trusted with it, but she liked pulling it apart and squishing it in her fingers.

Her favorite part, though, was just playing with the containers. She had fun stacking them and arranging them, and cared more about that than she did about the actual Play-Doh inside. At least it was something new that kept us busy for a little while!



As for her brothers, they seem to be doing very well. I am 34 weeks today, which is a huge milestone for twin moms. Babies born at 34 weeks may need a little help with breathing and eating at first, but their long term prognosis is as good as any full term baby, so we are breathing easier about that. Ideally, I'd like to get to 36 weeks, which really isn't that far away!

Yesterday at my weekly non-stress test, I was apparently having some contractions. I didn't feel them at all, so they weren't that serious, but the nurses were a little concerned. Then, today when I had my regular appointment, my blood pressure was a little high, and I had to admit that I have been feeling a little 'off' the past few days. So, they sent me to Labor and Delivery for another non-stress test and for a few other tests. Everything looked great. No pre-eclampsia, no 'productive' contractions, and bloodwork that was all good. They also did a test called 'fetal-fibronectin' (I have had one every 2 weeks since 28 weeks) that assesses the risk of pre-term labor, and that was also negative. So we should make the 36 week mark!

I do have a c-section scheduled for Wednesday, March 25 so we know that they will be here no later than about 1:30 on that day. It's funny that they scheduled me on that day because one of our boys will be named Jack, and March 25 was my uncle, Jack's, birthday-- some things just seem to happen for a reason!

To be honest, I sort of selfishly hope they are born before that because I am getting pretty tired of being pregnant and of going to the doctor 2-3 times a week. But, I also know that taking care of them is easier now than it will be when they are real live babies who need to be fed every two hours!

Here's today's picture- you can see that I have gotten bigger in the past two weeks. We have an ultrasound on March 4, so I will be very curious to see what they weigh. I am hoping for 5 lbs each, but we'll see!

It's the little things...

Since Dave is on school vacation this week, we have been able to spend extra time with Mairead, which is great. She is at such a fun age right now and I just love watching her do all of the little things that make her who she is. She is such a sweet kid- she is going to make a great big sister! We have been trying to get her ready by having a baby doll around that we talk to and play with. With Mairead, we put it in the crib after saying "night night" to it, and the baby has a special bear blanket just like Mairead does.


The boys' carseats are on the floor in the dining room, and today while she was playing, Mairead took two of her little stuffed animals (Bounce and Squirt for you Miss Spider fans) and put each one in a carseat, and said "Bye bye." She is SO cute! Today she also pushed the baby doll around in her doll stroller that Ms. Pat gave her, and then she gave Elmo a ride on the baby swing. She gives him a little push and then says, "Whee... whee." She is very gentle and sweet- let's hope she feels the same way about her brothers!



We just got this chair for her and she is very comfortable in it. She needed a place to read her books and to watch Miss Spider. We love that she seems to have a natural affinity for books. She is never without one and she sits and 'reads' them for long periods of time. Must be genetic...

The other day, Grampy was here to install a new kitchen faucet for us, and Mairead had to help out. She was very curious about what he was doing.

These pictures are from last week when we made valentines for Grandma and Grandpa and Nana and Grampy. She was very serious about her work and she is getting the hang of using crayons. It was nice to do a little project with her. I think she is starting to look more like her mom- but she still looks a lot more like her dad.

She had her 18 month checkup yesterday and she is doing great. She is in the 100th percentile for height and 80th for weight. So, tall and thin. It's funny because we are used to how tall she is, but strangers are always surprised. In the waiting room at the pediatrician one mom asked how old she was, so I said, "18 months," and the mom said, "Oh! She IS really tall!" The doctor was also really impressed with her verbal skills. It was a VERY long appointment and Mairead did a great job of being patient. Thankfully, Dave and I were both able to go so that we could distract her. On the way home, she was starving because the appointment had run right through lunch, so we rewarded her by getting chicken nuggets and fries at McDonald's. We were in the drive through line and as we pulled up to the window, we heard her tired little voice saying, "Fries, fries..."

In the waiting room there was also a one week old preemie who was 5lbs 7oz. Dave and I could not get over how tiny he was! Our boys are just 4lbs each now, so I can't even picture how little they must be. I am hoping that they will each weigh 5lbs (or more) when they are born, but even that is SO small!

That is about all of the news for now. We are so lucky to have this amazing little girl, and to be expecting two brothers for her. Thanks for checking in with us!

Valentine's Day Activities

Mairead had a very busy Valentine's Day weekend. Of course, one of the best parts of Valentine's Day is eating treats, and Mairead thorougly enjoyed the cupcakes we made today. We would have made them yesterday, but Grampy and Brian were nice enough to come down and install a new kitchen faucet for us since our old one broke. It was not really a good day to be baking since the kitchen was a 'work zone.' So, once things were back to normal today, we were ready to bake.


Of course, when baking, you HAVE to lick the spoon.

She was very helpful in mixing up her very own bowl of batter... and then eating some of it.

We gave Mairead a set of flashcards to try out and she loves them. She doesn't really care to have Dave or I involved in playing with them, though. She likes to spread them all out on the floor and look at all of the pictures. She takes it very seriously and lays them out (apparently) in some sort of order.

But I would say that the flashcards were not as big a hit as the cupcakes!

The slideshow to the right includes all of our Valentine's Day related pictures. Hope you all had a great weekend- Love to you all!