One down...one to go!

I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to post an update but things have been rather busy around here. If you didn't know Mr. Braxton came home last Friday! So we have been pretty occupied by adjusting to a baby in the house while still traveling back and forth to go see Cann man! 

Braxton is doing great at home. We are having to get him use to not being held all the time. He and Cannon are very spoiled in that department and aren't use to being put back in their beds to sleep. Trying to break that habit now because when Cannon comes home we won't be able to do that all the time. It is so hard to  put him down though ;) I could hold them both forever! He had his first check up this Tuesday and he is doing great. Weighing in at 8 lbs! He will have his 4 month check up and another brain ultrasound on April 8th. He was such a trooper going to the Dr. He really loved riding in the car. Put him right to sleep! Since Braxton can't go back to see Cannon, I am not able to spend as much time with Cannon as I would like. I knew it would be hard to not be with him all the time and tried to prepare myself for it but no preparation could help for a situation like this. My heart is in two places for sure! I spoke to the Child Life Specialst at Memorial Herman and asked if she could go see Cannon once a day and give him extra love and attention and she not only said yes but she said she would go by twice a day to love and hug on him! So thankful for such a loving and caring staff! Cannon is not far though! Praise The Lord! We are ready to have our other little man at home! This week we tried a different formula with Cannon to see if it would help with his reflux. We didn't see much change so we moved him back to breast milk 4 times a day and neo sure 22 cal formula twice a day (just for added calories). Dr. Wang and the occupational therapist are very comfortable with the way we feed Cannon and how we respond to his cues. For example, when he needs a break while eating, burping him often during a feed, and how he reacts right before he has a dip in his heart rate. His Brady's are not as bad as they were before and he self resolves most. When he is refluxing he sometimes bears down and decides he doesn't want to take a breath. It takes him a few seconds to realize, oh yea... I can breathe on my own! Since they feel that we can handle it well, they have decided to let Cannon come home next week but on a heart monitor! We are so excited and relieved at the same time! It will definitely let us sleep easier at night knowing that we will know if something is going on! 

Please continue to pray that things stay on track for Cannon to come home next week! We miss him and are beyond ready to be at home once and for all! I know the boys are missing each other too! What a glorious day that will be. Thank you for being so faithful to our family during this time! These sweet boys are a true testament to God's healing powers and remind us daily that HE is in control! We love you all more than you know!

Trusting in him,

Shawn, Hali, Cannon & Braxton

Almost 3 months old and almost 40 weeks!!

Cant believe that my due date is Wednesday. When we found out we were pregnant in June, 9 months seemed like an eternity because we were so eager to meet these precious babies! Little did we know that God was going to let us meet them 3 months early. We have already gone through so many parts of this journey in 9 months and the craziest part is the twins are just now supposed to be here and it's a day before their 3 month birthday! It just blows my mind sometimes! But all I can say is God has been so good to us!

A little news on the boys now!

Cannon is now 6lbs 3oz and Braxton is 6lbs 11oz! Sometimes I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday that I was holding my 2lb 10 oz little peanuts and now I'm holding almost 7lb big boys! They have grown so much in such a short amount of time and have truly overcome so many obstacles that have been put in their path at such an early stage in life. They have fought every single day since the first Dr. told me I would lose this pregnancy at 17 weeks. I think they heard her negativity and said no ma'am! We are Bells and we will fight! And fight is what they have done! From not even being able to breathe on their own, to having no oxygen support at all. From taking 1ml of milk in a feeding tube to 75ml in a bottle. From weighing 2lb 10oz to weighing 6lbs 11oz. From not being able to hold their own temperature and be in an incubator to wearing clothes and sleeping in an open crib. These are all huge milestones in the NICU and we have rejoiced and given praise for each and every one! We will continue to to give thanks for every other milestone the boys hit throughout their lifetime because they are worthy of praise!

So our news hasn't changed much. Two weeks ago we were told the boys may possibly come home together this week but so far it doesn't look like that will happen :( That is why we have all been hesitant to tell you guys when they are coming home because we truly don't know. It changes everyday. They can only give a guess but it's completely up to the boys. Braxton is closest still. He has not had any Brady's for a while now but I think the Dr's are trying to drag it out as long as possible to make it easier on us. Cannon isn't far behind him but he is still on caffeine to help him remember to breathe. They are hoping to stop that sometime this week but he still has some spells when he forgets to breathe and needs some mild stimulation. He also has some reflux issues. Dr's are thinking that the reflux could be causing his Brady's while he sleeps but it's hard for them to give a definite answer. It could just be that he isn't fully developed in that area yet. He was also on the ventilator longer and had 4 surgeries in his first month of life. So for all of that, I say he has done a pretty awesome job catching up to Braxton this fast! He is definitely getting closer and way way better than he was so that is encouraging to us! 

I am anxious and excited for Braxton to be home but I also know I will hate not having the boys together again. I know whenever I am with one my heart will want to be there for the other as well! I pray for The Lord to give me strength and patience as that time draws near. 

Last night we put our baby furniture together and got some things set up for the boys. Our sweet and wonderful cousins Jon and Kim Henderson sent us some bedding for the boys cribs. I was so excited to get it washed and make the beds and get them prepped for the boys but then forgot we didn't have mattresses! Haha! Oh well, we still acted like there was a mattress and put the mobile up as well. I cranked the dial on the mobile and watched and listened as it played Rock a Bye Baby. My eyes filled with tears as I looked down and realized there are still no babies in these beds. So, I took a minute to have my little break down (I'm still allowed to have those, right?) and then prayed over each bed. I prayed that when the boys are finally in these beds and in their home, that God will continue to watch over them. Also to develop and strengthen them all the days of their life so they can grow to be mighty men of God! Amen! I know that day is closer to being here than it was December 6th and I will remain patient! 

Thank you for all your support! With prayers, the bracelets, love, gifts and visits! We are beyond blessed and are humbled by your grace! 

Trusting in him,

Shawn, Hali, Cannon and Braxton

Life in level 2!

Things are going great here in level two. Both boys are officially tube free. Both are off oxygen and have no feeding tubes and are taking all bottles!! When they feed they both can have as much as they want in 30 minutes. They are atill rotating their feeds with with breast milk and formula so they can get extra calories but I'm hoping we can get off the formula soon because they both hate it and spit up with it every time. Cannon is 6.0lb 18 & 3/4in and Braxton is 6lb 3oz and 19 in! Out of preemie diapers and clothes! They sure are growing fast!!

My first time staying the night did not go so hot. Didn't get much sleep but I guess I should get use to that! They boys were great but it was the other babies monitors that kept doing off. I decided that I will continue to drive back and forth so that I can be well rested for when they do come home. I do like the privacy that we have in our own room. It makes me feel like I get to be more of a mom here! 

Also, our prayer bracelets finally came in and they look great! They will be at Clinton Feed and Ms Behavin in Clifton, Meridian Elem, China Spring High School, Magnolia West High School and Nicholls Sawmill Elem in Magnolia! Thank you all for the amazing response that we have gotten so far. It is such a comforting feeling knowing that our boys are loved and prayed for by so many!!

Thank you all for you love and support during this journey!

Trusting in him,

Shawn, Hali, Cannon & Braxton

Moving on up...To the 8th floor!!

Well... We finally have both boys in level 2! This is where the babies go who are close to going home and are just working on feeding! The Drs were able to put us in one of the rooms for multiples which is a lot bigger and it's private. We have our own bathroom and the couch makes into a bed so we can sleep here if we want! Tonight will be my first night with the boys to stay over night! I'm a little nervous but I need to get use to waking up every 3 hrs!  It is some what quiet up here. Even though the boys monitors might not be going off, there are other babies whose do. When that happens it comes up on our monitor. That way if a nurse is with another baby she can go check on the one beeping. Also, I can be more of a mommy up here which is nice! Now a little bit about the boys!

Cann man! 5lb 11 oz. 

Look who doesn't have his oxygen anymore!! Hallelujah, praise The Lord! This sweet boy has just been making leaps and bounds! Since they started him back on his caffiene they have been able to ween him completely off oxygen. Our Dr. said they will try and stop the caffiene this weekend or Monday and watch him to see how he does! They also moved him up to 6 bottles a day! I am so proud of him!! We should hear soon from neuro about what their plans are for Cannon long term! Please be praying for that!

Cannon and Braxton also got some Meme time this week!!

Brax man! 5lb. 14oz. 

Braxton is still doing really well and we got the best news of all for him today!! His PDA has closed on its own!! What a  miracle!! We have been praying for this to happen and it did! God listens and our God is so good to us! So thankful that Braxton will not have to have surgery! He was getting ready to go home this week and then he started to not finish his bottles again at night. So they backed him down to 6 bottles a day. Nurses say he is getting tired but I think he is waiting for Cannon to catch up so they can go home together. He doesn't want to leave him behind! We are ok with that! The longer they can stay together the better and easier on us it will be. They have also backed off of Braxton's calories because he is gaining weight at a good rate now.

Also, we may just have an answer to the question you all have been asking and we keep avoiding. When are they coming home?? The answer is...drum roll please... Two more weeks!!!! That is if everything stays on track with bottle feeding and growing! The Dr. told me today and I didn't even have to ask, that not next week but the next they would try and send them home. If they are cooperating of course. Please keep them in your prayers for continued growth, strength, better breathing and stamina to be able to finish their bottles!

One last thing! Both boys had their last eye exam yesterday and all was great!! Tears of joy were definitely rolling down my face! So grateful this will not be an obstacle for them to overcome. The Dr. on her way out said, "Have a nice life!" Boy are we going to! I can already tell these two boys will keep us young!

You guys are so wonderful to have stuck by our side throughout every step of this journey! I know it sounds corny to say we couldn't have done it without you but we truly would not have been able to! We are so blessed to be from wonderful small towns and work in such a supportive community! You guys are so near and dear to our hearts and love that you have been with us during this special time in our lives! We can't wait to tell the boys how loved they are by so many!

I will keep you all posted!!

Trusting in him,

Shawn, Hali, Cannon and Braxton

2 months old!!!

Two months?? Where has the time gone? Craziest fact of all is the boys are still not supposed to be here! Of course I would have loved for them to still be in utero but what a blessing we have had to get to watch them finish their development before their due date! Not many can say they have gotten to do that.

Now for the stuff y'all really care about!!

Cann Man first! We have two 5 pounders! Cannon is now 5 lbs 7oz of pure sweetness!!

Cannon continues to progress every day! At the beginning of last week the Drs were all scratching their heads because Cannon continued to have a lot of A's and B's (apenmia and bradycardia). This is where his heart rate drops and he forgets to breathe. As you would expect it is very scary to sit there and watch happen over and over. One minute my sweet little boy is breathing normally and then the next he isn't. This is any moms worst fear!! We do have wonderful nurses who run over as soon as his machine goes off and I know he is in good hands but I still hate watching it because I just want to make it better. Everyone thought that neuro needed to come in and tap him immediately but I didn't think that was the issue. His soft spot felt good and his ultrasound from the day before was stable. It had to be something else. They did labs and a chest X-ray and everything was great. Then Dr. Aneji asked when they stopped his caffeine and I said last week. She said that that might have been it. Once they take preemie babies off the ventilator they give them caffeine and it helps them remember to breathe. They usually stop it when they are 36 weeks corrected. So, they started Cannon back on his caffeine and he hasn't had any episodes in almost a week!!! Hallelujah!!  Dr. Aneji said that some babies just need it longer and he will get it until 41 weeks! Sweet boy just wanted his cup of coffee like everyone else in the morning! He is on a 1/2 L nasal cannula and doing great! Taking 4 bottles a day and he LOVES taking a bottle! He gets fussy when it's time for his tube feed. We knew he would be good at taking a bottle because he loves his mouth piece so much! Like REALLY loves it!! He smacks it so loud all the nurses crack up! We are so proud of him for pacing himself when he eats! He is getting stronger and stronger and has come so far!

Now the Brax man! Who is 5lbs 11oz.!!! Can you believe it? So crazy he is almost 6lbs! 

This picture was after his 2 month shots. He had a bad day after and needed his oxygen back but he is off of it now!!

This week the phrase "going home" has actually been tossed in the air for Braxton!!! We do not want to get too excited because we know a lot can happen in a day in the NICU but to know it is close seems unbelievable! Scary and exciting all at the same time! Braxton is still taking all bottles and it wears him out! He is asleep all the time! It is hard trying to wake him up to eat but he eventually does! He is also getting stronger and his stamina is getting better! We are so proud of him! He is quite the character!

We took their two month pictures last week! It's so much fun to see how much they have grown! We also celebrated our first valentines! I am so lucky to always get to have 3 valentines! 

The boys also got some grandparent time this weekend! They are so loved!

I have moved back home to get things ready at the house. Our house is a mess and I have been frantically cleaning and trying to get everything in order. I think my nesting phase has set in...just a few months late though ;) I still go to the hospital every day to be with the boys. I am struggling a little because I know when Braxton comes home I won't be able to be at the hospital near as long as I am now. I will still go every day but just for a couple of hours. I know it will kill me to not be able to spend as much time with Cannon but Braxton needs a mommy at home. It makes it easier knowing that he is well taken care of by the wonderful team of Dr.'s and nurses! So thankful for them! Even though that will be such a special day for our family, it will also break my heart that the boys will have to be separated again :( but hopefully not for long! I just wish I could be in two places at once! Please pray for continued strength when that time comes. I'm sure things will be a little hectic! 

You guys are so amazing and so good to our family! We truly are lucky! These boys are loved by many! Because of your prayers and support our boys have continued to get stronger and healthier every day! Thank you a million times! We love you all so much!

Trusting in him,

Shawn, Hali, Cannon and Braxton