Happy Birthday Drew!

Actually his birthday was on Tuesday, but didn't get around to blogging it. It was a pretty good day. Mark and I took Drew out for the morning - just the three of us. First we went to the John Deere store, and he got to pick something out. He is in the John Deere kids Club and they sent him an $8.00 gift certificate for his birthday. We kicked in the rest. He picked two small tractors - a skid steer and a backhoe loader, and a semi to go with the trailor we got him for Christmas. He also picked out a green trailor that we will go back for once he has finished his next stage of potty training! Then we stopped at Home Depot so he could pick out a light cover for his bedroom light. (It's a big deal as he saw his light as something that needed to be fixed. And he loves fixing things!) He was very excited about the soccer ball cover he picked, and it looks great in his room. Next we went out for Lunch at the Swiss Chalet, compliments of the birthday club - they sent him a gift certificate for a free lunch. What a great day! And it was even better that we had the gift certificates. After we got home, Mark and Drew "fixed" the light and put up his new cover. Later, Mark found out he could have the day off because it was slow at work. And finally, Nana and Grandpa dropped by to bring Drew a gift, Lego Bob the Builder, a puzzle and activity sticker book, and stayed for dinner. One of Drew's favorite - Spaghetti, Corn, fresh red peppers cut up, and pickles!

And one of the best things for me was that he decided he was a big boy and was going to wear underwear! He only had one accident. Hopefully he can keep it up!

We were thinking of having a party with some friends, but now that the twins had/have RSV, we'll have to save that for next year. We aren't supposed to get together with other babies until they are totally over this as not to pass it on.

On Saturday we are going to have a small party with cousins, Uncles, Aunts, and Grandparents. He is also looking forward to this and counting down the days. Every once in a while he let's me know what he wants. Today he told me he wanted a cake with candles at his party! And when I tell him it's a little party, he informs me that it's a big party! I guess I'll have to pick up the party supplies in the next few days!

Day 4 : And We're Home!

Today when I arrived, Mark had had a better night. So I sent him home to sleep a bit more, at 8 am this time. I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband. I know a lot of the fathers don't stay at the hospital very long. I was blessed that Mark stayed for the nights and let me get some sleep at home and be with Drew before he went to bed. Thanks Mark, I love you!

As I settled in to my "shift" it was evident that my babies were doing better. Ethan wanted to do some standing and I enjoyed some of his smiles again. Sophia was also very happy and relaxed. When the doctor came in she said that we could go home today! By 11am she gave us the discharge. She was going to write up a prescription for a puffer and then we were free to leave. Praise God!

The only problem was that it was Sunday and Mark was sleeping, and everyone else was at church, so I had to wait another two hours before we were actually picked up. Oh well. It gave the babies a chance for another nap. It was so great to be at home again. Now we are getting everyone settled in at home again. Hopefully we have a great night! Drew was very excited to have his brother and sister back. He cuddled up with Sophia and gave her some kisses. Later as we were eating lunch Sophia start to complain so Debbie picked her up and brought her to the table. Sophia was very happy to be back in the midst of us all. She looked at the food as Debbie was eating, trying to reach for it and kept looking at all of us and giggling a bit. They also got their first time in the exersaucer and loved it! Here are some pics of our cuties:







Supper-time at the Edigers. A little busy, but fun. Just before dinner we brought up some baby toys and Drew had to toss them all out of the box in front of Sophia! I don't think she really got it though! :) It's so good to be home!

Day 3 : Getting Better

When I got to the hospital this morning, Mark was tired and somewhat frustrated. The night had not gone so well. A lot of crying from Ethan and Sophia was up too. The morning was filled with more of the same for me. At around 11 am I finally got Ethan to sleep for about half an hour in the swing! Sweet relief! As the day wore on it was evident that Ethan was not eating very well. He was crying hard and trying to sleep. When I finally got him calmed down enough, he'd have a tiny bit to drink and then fall asleep. But he was still hungry so he couldn't sleep long. But he was too tired to eat. And the cycle goes on and on.

At around 2pm, Ethan got a new medication and some tylenol. He is still teething, so probably part of the crying was due to that. Finally after the tylenol his eating began to pick up again. Hopefully it is the new trend.

Today the doctor that came by said that there was a chance that we could go home this afternoon, except for Ethan's eating. So if we can get his eating on track and stay there I hope we can come home tomorrow. Sophia is doing great, but they said they'd keep her in until Ethan can go home too! This evening she had 145mls of formula at her eating, so I hope she sleeps well tonight! You can also pray that Mark gets some sleep at the hospital too! It's hard to get enough sleep when you have to catch up during the day.

Well, I should go to bed so I can relieve Mark in the morning again. Have a great Sunday and see you later! Good night! :)


This is where we are stationed for the time being. Ethan's cribs is on the left side.


Sophia hanging out, all relaxed in those wonderful hospital clothes!



Ethan's red eyes make him look so sad and sick (you can't help but feel sorry for him), but we're on the mend!

Day 2 Of Our Hospital Stay

When our doctor came around this morning, he said that if he sent us home today we'd only be back in. So of course I agreed that we should stay. Our stay is still based on a day to day basis, so I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Today was pretty good for Sophia and Ethan, not so traumatic. It was nice to have Barb come for a visit. Thanks Barb! The babies slept a lot on and off, had their meds, and stats taken. Ethan had a bit of a fever twice. Once he recieved tylenol and the other time it was barely a fever and he pulled out of it. He's still coughing, but appently that is good - to get all the bad stuff out and that could last for a while yet. Sophia is still coughing too but is quite relaxed. Both of their chest are still working hard and can still hear some wheezing. But I think they are doing a little better overall.

The pediatrician said that because they were premature and have rsv (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)/bronchiolitis before they are 6 months old, there is a 50% chance that they'll get asthma. So we are praying that they won't get that too!

Well, it has been a long day, and I need to relieve Mark around 7am so I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow, Goodnight!

Back In The Hospital

The twins are sick again! (Cold, cough, runny-nose) Drew was sick for the last week or two and then the twins caught it. Ethan always gets it worse. This morning I took him in to the doctor, and our doctor took one look at him and said he has bronchiolitis (sp?) and needs to go to the hospital. During the night his breathing became a little laboured and wheezy. I mentioned to the doctor that Sophia seemed to be getting it too, so he send them both in. He called ahead and talked to the pediatrician who was on call.

We got to the hospital around ten/ ten-thirty, were admitted quickly and sent to get a chest x-ray for each of them. I don't know if it was worse for them or me. All I know is that it was very traumatic and there were lots of tears. Since they are so small they need to sit on a sort of bicycle seat with their aarms raised over their heads and then this plexi-glass tube-like thing is tightened around them. Ethan cried the whole time. I had to hold his arms up. How terrible to watch your baby and not quickly grab him and comfort him. Thankfully Mark did it with Sophia so I didn't have to face the ordeal twice. Then they had to get their nose swabbed. It took Ethan a long time to calm down.

Then we had to wait for a room upstairs in peds. We spent the next couple hours on a cot in the radiology department. Finally, three hours from when we arrived we were ushered upstairs to settle in. Only for our little Ethan to be poked and prodded a little more. Once again, their temperature, and oxygen level had to be taken and a naked weigh-in. Good thing Ethan likes to be naked!! Then he once again took a long while to settle down, only to get his medication through a mask, that I had to hold infront of their face, which lets off cool steam that needs to go directly into thier nose and/or mouth. Finally after that he fell asleep and napped for a couple of hours. This medication is supposed to be administered every 2 to 4 hours depending on how they are doing. The next time Ethan woke up he ate a full bottle and went back to sleep. Sophia also had a full bottle. And they didn't need the medication two hours later - a good sign.

Sophia did really well during the day. She did cry but what baby wouldn't. Usually she is quite shy, especially with strangers poking her and strange places. I was very proud of her. She was even starting to "talk" to me in her happy little voice just before I left to come home.

Tonight, I came home to be with Drew. Then in the morning I will go back to releive Mark, so he can come home and sleep, while my Mom takes Drew. Life continues to be a family community event.

In our room there are two other babies with the same thing. One has been there for four nights and one for five. I sure hope that we are not there for that long. One of the other Mom's had heard that this can last for 7 weeks (although the hospital stays are usually only up to a week long). Any way, you can pray for us that it won't last that long in our babies and that we'll all be able to come home soon. Also, pray that Drew will be able to deal with all this change again. In five days it is his birthday, and we need to make this a special time for him to . . . maybe his birthday will have to come a little later this year. Although he is checking out his calender already!

Thanks for your prayers. I will try to keep up reporting back to you! Well, I better go to sleep so I can be ready for my hospital shift tomorow. Goodnight! :)

Well, in the past week, most of our family has had a turn with getting sick. It seems that it is going around. In the last day or two our little babes have also gotten the cold. It always seems to hit Ethan worse and this time is no exception. I feel so bad for him. But he is asleep now, and that is probably the best for him. He's get a little tickle in his throat and from there it all starts -the coughing and the crying. But I think we are now on the up-swing! He still has his smiles and cuddles. Especially when he's being changed.

Sophia is doing pretty good. Almost over her cold, and starting to "talk" and coo a little more. Her "talking" is very soft and quiet. And so cute. If you talk softly back to her she converses more with you. The other day Drew was having a bath and we stuck Sophia in for a couple minutes to join him. She was just watching her brother. He started to clean some of his tub toys off the tub wall, and she gave a little laugh. It was a real laugh. The softest, cutest, sweetest, most adorable laugh I have ever heard! And she did it three times. We were all laughing by the end. It was definately the highlight of my day. I love to see my children having fun.

Some days I can't believe how smart Drew is. Today he was telling me that he had "wrote" some things on a paper that I use to track Sophia and Ethan's eating. His writings are really scribbles. Apparently he"wrote" the names of people in our family - Drew Ediger, Mommy Ediger, Daddy Ediger, Grandma Ediger and so on, and a few other things. I think truck was in there too! Then he says to me, "I found OP in Sophia" and he points to her name at the top of the page where I had printed her name. He caught on to the OP from the stop sign. We had told him that it is S-T-O-P a long time ago. And from there he transfered his knowledge to Sophia's name. I had thought that my Mom had talked to him about it, but she said she hadn't. He came up with that all on his own! And he not quite three!

Hope you all have a great day!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Well, this may be short as it is almost 6:30 am and all the kids are now asleep again. I got 2 and a half hours of sleep last night. Thank goodness for help during the day!

I was reading some other blogs as I was waiting for Ethan to fall asleep and realized I hadn't written for a very long time. Things are going pretty well, except for the sleep. It is hard being on the night shift 24-7. The last couple nights I've felt frustrated that I can't ever get anything done, and not being able to be awake during the day. How long will it take for Ethan to start sleeping longer? One stretch this night between feedings was 3 1/2 hours and that's a record! Sophia has been sleeping from around midnight to 7am for about a week. Which is awesome. Ethan is happier with this formula so we are not switching anymore as to their pediatrician's recommendations.

We took them to the ped. on Dec. 29th and they weighed that of a normal 3 1/2 month old! Praise God! They are doing really well! Ethan was 14 lbs and Sophia was a lb lighter. She's more quiet, and reserved, where Ethan seems very friendly and more outgoing than his sister, but we'll see. Sophia is a night owl and Ethan is a morning person. I wonder if they will keep being so different.

Drew is doing well, but did have some bouts with diarrhea over the holidays. Still working on potty training! Not much new with him. He still loves his brother and sister. He wanted Ethan to come play with him in his blanket "tent". It was a short play time but they both had fun! I can just imagine how they will love to play with each other and get each other going!!

Mark is also doing well. As of January 2nd, he is back on his old shift. So the weekends are weekends again! He can go to church! Now if I could only sleep during the day things would work out great! Right now we are still having a lot of help. Thanks to all of you! Mark was reminding me that one day we will look back on this and it won't seem that bad or long of a time. Most days I'm okay with it. It's just that I'm only up in the dark and hardly get to see the light of day. I have errands to run, but can't run them, etc.

Well, before I sign off I just want to wish you all a belated Christmas and a wonderful new year to come. May God bless you with HIS Peace and shine HIS love upon you.