The boys are 2 months old

It's hard to believe the boys are 2 months old already! We took Brandon for his 2 month checkup which included lots of shots!!!! He pooped twice in doctor's office....guess he was telling us what he thought about getting his shots. He's a whopping 7 lbs 11 oz and is FINALLY on the growth chart! YAY! Tuesday was my actual due date as well. So...if he had been born on his due date, he'd be perfect size! That means he's growing the way he should, so we're very happy about that. He did pretty well with his shots, but man oh man...what a cry! He was worn out after his shots and so was I. So we both passed out on the couch to recover.

Brandon and I...catching up on some much needed sleep
He was a little fussy later that night, but he LOVES LOVES LOVES to sleep on Eric's chest. That always calms him down...I mean look at that face...he looks like he's in a coma!

Connor is responding very well to the 10 day round of shots to boost his red blood count. We aren't sure if the transfusion is going to happen or not yet. It's so hard to watch him get that shot everyday, but he loves a good snuggle with me right after. He has been such a trooper and is getting SO BIG! He was 8 lbs 2 oz on his 2 month birthday!!!!!! Hopefully, he'll continue to get stronger and can come home soon. My parents, Ann, Gabe, Noah, Bri and Jake are all coming in town next weekend for their baptism on Easter Sunday. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he's home in time.

The PROUD Great Grandpa

Grandpa Yibby and cousin Kelli were on their way back to MN from a winter in FL and they stopped by to see the boys. We had a very nice few days together and Grandpa was able to spend time with both boys.

Here's Yibby with Brandon...sleeping hard!
Yibby and I went to the NICU for a quick trip so he could see Connor and hold him for a little while. Connor slept through it!!!
Here's Kelli and Brandon...he was actually awake!

Thanks Kelli and Grandpa for stopping by to see all of us! We can't wait to see you again at Kelli and Jason's wedding.

Our sweet Connor

Here's a recent picture of the Con-man! I spent a few hours in the NICU with him today. Unfortunately, there's a virus going around the NICU now that is a really bad cough and Con-man has it! It sounds like he's coughing from his toes...and when babies cough from their toes, they also throw up. Needless to say, Connor has awesome projectile aim when it comes to spitting up. He peed on me and all over his medical chart and threw up on me twice. I was officially inducted in the the mom hall of fame!!! He didn't have a spell all day today! YAY! We hope to see an improvement in his blood work over the next few days. Oh yeah, he weighs 8 lbs 1 oz now too! I can't believe how big he's getting. His skin is SO soft and creamy looking...I'm pretty sure he's going to be fair skinned like me.

Update on Connor

Well, we went to pick Connor up from the NICU on Wednesday. Eric went to get the car and I stayed to wait for the final discharge paperwork, and then Connor started having another bad spell in his car seat and turned blue. The neonatologist, Dr. Carter, came over and assessed him and unfortunately, he had to stay. Long story short, Connor is anemic and his body isn't producing red blood cells the way it should. They started him on a drug, which I can't spell!, that is supposed to speed up the red blood cell-making-process. He'll receive a shot once a day for 10 days, at that point, he will be reassessed and they will decide if he will need a blood transfusion. Thankfully, Eric and I have blood types that he can have, so we're going to donate blood on Monday...just in case. He hit 8 pounds last night and is getting bigger and bigger. We aren't sure how long he's going to have to stay in the NICU now. Some babies are sent home and a home health nurse will come and administer his shot. We're just hoping he's home in time for his baptism on Easter weekend. Please continue to pray for Con-man and keep thinking about him. At least we know why he's been having these spells and now have a plan to get him well enough to come home!

Oh yeah...as I walked out of the hospital with the empty car seat I came in with...I saw a red Jeep that looked REALLY close to our Explorer. Yep...he was REALLY close...so close that he ran into the side of our car while Eric was parked there waiting for me. The damage isn't bad, but now we have to get that fixed...geez!

The Many Faces of Brandon

Brandon has really started to develop a super sweet personality. He doesn't fuss much..only when he's hungry or when he wants to be moved into his bed. He loves to smile, pass gas, and just look so darn cute! He's having an upper GI x-ray tomorrow morning to check on his reflux. Hopefully we can get an answer tomorrow and maybe get some medicine for him.

Snuggling with mom...we were BOTH super cozy!
Laying with Dad and smiling up a storm
He sleeps really well in his car seat and it keeps him from refluxing too bad...looks like he likes it too
I just started sitting him up in a Boppy pillow...he likes it too...honestly..he likes anything. He really is an easy going baby.
NO MORE PICTURES DAD...cut a baby a break...hehe


UPDATE ON THE CON-MAN....We went to a training class today to learn how to use the monitor Connor will have to come home on. It will track his heart rate and his respirations to let us know if/when he is having an apnea spell. I'm not going to say when we're supposed to bring him home because I don't want to jinx anything...but it's REALLY REALLY soon! Keep your fingers crossed. We'll definitely start posting pictures of Connor too once we get him home. We can't wait to have the whole family in ONE place for the first time in 7 weeks. Last time we were all together was when they were still "in-utero!"

Brandon's First Walk

The weather was 70 degrees on Saturday, so we whipped out the stroller and took Brandon for a walk. He seemed to like it! He was sad that he wasn't able to share the experience with his brother Connor, but there will be plenty of walks to come!


This double stroller is SERIOUS! He looks so little in such a large contraption!
My little B-buddy just chillin in his bouncy....what a cool guy!

Grandparents were here!

Eric's parents flew in from PA this past weekend to meet their first grandchildren! There was a lot of cuddling, feeding, and passing gas going on ALL WEEKEND LONG!

Dan & Brandon...he fit so perfectly in his arms

Dorie feeding Brandon....I wasn't allowed to feed him while they were here. So I just got the midnight feeds!!!





On Sunday, I had to go to a Baptism preparation class for the boys at the church, so I dropped Dan & Dorie off at the NICU so they could have some quality time with Connor.

Connor's Dollars Worth!

Ok, I snuck a picture in the NICU of Connor and his dollar just for Grandma Karen! I went ahead and put Brandon's picture right underneath so y'all can compare. Connor is out of preemie clothes, but still a little small for newborn size...as you can see below. He's a whopping 6 lbs 4 oz now...FAT BOY! I went to feed him today and he had 2 more "spells" while I was there...:( The neonatologist came in and talked to me a little and wasn't able to give me ANY idea of when he would be coming home. Whenever we find something out we'll be sure to let everyone know.

Another bath!

Brandon is just way too cute to NOT take pictures of him. Everything he does seems like a photo opportunity. Last night was bath night...

He thinks he can wash himself...yeah right...5 weeks old and already able to wash himself? We have a genius on our hands!
Getting all dried off and smiling the whole time! He's just laughing after having peed out of his bath tub all over his dry towel...funny guy!
After the warm bath and a late night snack...baby boy is passed out!

Worth a million DOLLARS???!?!??!?!?!?!?

Auntie Annie asked for us to take a picture next to a dollar bill to get a better idea of Brandon's real size. What a great idea! Just after a warm bath, smiling at us, he poses with a dollar bill.


Update on Con-man! Unfortunately, Connor had another apnea spell on Saturday and then had another one on Sunday while I was feeding him. Talk about scary! He forgets to breathe sometimes when he's eating. He aspirated a big gulp of milk and stopped breathing. Next thing I know, he literally turned blue. Natalie, his nurse, came over and started rubbing his back while I unwrapped him and talked to him. When he wasn't responding, another nurse came over and told me she had to make him cry. She started flicking the bottom of his foot HARD! He lets out a big cry, but doesn't breathe in. After a few more seconds of being flicked and ticking him off, he finally took a deep breath in while the oxygen tube was over his face. That episode is another reason he needs to stay in the NICU for just a little longer. We were really hoping to have him home for Eric's parents this weekend, but that's definitely not going to happen now. These are still "preemie" issues and are normal problems for preemies to experience. Keep him in your thoughts as he spends another week in the NICU all by himself :( His nurses LOVE him and cuddle with him all the time, so I know he's getting plenty of attention.

Brandon is home!

Well, Brandon came home yesterday! It was hard to take him and leave Connor, but we hope to get Con-man home next week. Connor had an apnea spell on Monday, and they won't discharge him until he has been "apnea free" for a whole week.

Last night was good with Brandon. He doesn't cry when he's hungry, he just wakes up and starts to stir in his bassinette. Enough talking, here are some pics.




All bundled up in his car seat!
Meeting Jade for the first time. Jade just sniffed him! She didn't lick him or get too excited around him, which we are glad about. Rena is being a wimpy dog and is SCARED of him! As if this little 5 pound baby could hurt her! Silly pooch.
After I took out the receiving blankets that were holding him in, he looks SO SO SO small in his car seat! All squished.
Here he is laying in his bed. Thanks Grandma Karen for the outfit. That was the first time he wore pants. They were really big on him, but looked WAY cute!
Sleeping peacefully...as usual
Our sweet little Brandon