Aiden & Jackson: Day 36: Fate in action

Earlier this year, on a night when I was desperate for sugar, and a little while before we found out that Aiden and Jackson were coming, I found two fortune cookies buried in the pantry. This is a true story by the way. So, of course I ate both cookies. But, before I did, I couldn't ignore what fate was to bring me, so I read the fortunes. To this day, they are still posted on our fridge (and in the picture below). They are kind of difficult to read in the picture, so here's what my future was to hold: "Children will play an important role in your life," and "Be alert for new opportunities - pleasure or business."

It's funny to think that two fortunte cookies could be dead on correct with fate. In this case, it was only a matter of a couple of weeks until we found out that we were pregnant, and I received a new opportunity at work. There really isn't a moral to this story, except that the importance that our boys have and will continue to play in our lives is much greater given what the situation we are all in. The lessons they have taught us so far cannot be even closely matched through anything or by anyone else. Next time you eat a fortune cookie, pay attention - you never know how close it is to the truth.

Jackson continues to do well on the Si-PAP, which is very encouraging. The boys need to get off of the vents asap so their lungs can repair themselves from the damage that the vents caused. We are hoping that Jackon does not tire out this time and continues to progress and eventually move on to CPAP. Mom kanagrooed Jackson today and as he was being moved from his isolette to mom's chest, he had a huge explosion! Gotta love the movements. I mean, would you rather have this or no stool at all?? Jackson is now 14.25" long, a gain of 1.25" since birth. He weighed in at 2lb 8oz today, and is looking huge to dad! Jackson was a sucking machine today during his lunch today. He was loving his pacifier. Since they are at 31 weeks gestation (their corrected age), the suck/swallow/breathe functions are starting to appear.

Aiden is maintaining his vent settings at 45 breaths from the vent, and most of the time is breathing with them, and is performing about 15 on his own. Per minute, that is. His O2 concentration hoovers around 30%, which some minor fluctuations depending on if he is kanagrooing or if has several desaturations in a short period of time. Remember, 21% O2 concentration is what we breathe. Aiden is also sucking away like a mad man. Since he is still intubated, it is pretty difficult for him to take a pacifier, so he's been chowing down on his endotracheal tube (goes from vent to his lungs), but has managed to get his thumb in his mouth while gripping down on the plate that holds the ETT tube in place. They've been watching him closely to make sure he does not pull his tube out of his mouth. Aiden continues to do well with his boulous feeds, and is at 23ml every 3 hours.

Both boys received their first eye exams yesterday, and they did not notice anything alarming at this point. Their eyes are immature, which is expected at this corrected gestational age. They will continue to receive eye exams every two weeks until discharge, using these first tests as the baseline. Being premature, one of the biggest risks to the eyes is Retinopathy of Prematurity. To read more about it, try this link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001618.htm

Updated photos below.