The day is finally here. On Thursday, Sophia got discharged from the NICU! Over the past few days, Sophia’s feedings have improved a ton. She’s been able to either nurse or bottle feed for a couple days in a row now without any issues. So, that’s it. The last item on her checklist is complete. Time to go home!
Tanya didn’t waste any time getting Sophia moved out. Here’s Sophia’s crib empty and ready for the next mom & kiddo. We won’t miss those rocking chairs. They’re pretty much the most uncomfortable chairs in the history of mankind…
Here’s Sophia getting excited about leaving the NICU. She’s also pretending she can make out all those flashy colors and patterns in the toys. Soon…
I had to wait outside with Cameron because “outside babies” can’t go into the NICU. Cameron & I hung out in the hospital lobby for a while. Even in a hospital full of babies, Cameron still attracted lots of attention. I had to bat off the paparazzi & their cameras and a couple other people’s grandmas who wanted to pinch & kiss him.
Tanya handed off the camera right before she strapped on her speedy wheelchair. Remember that whole lawyer-driven hospital exit we had to do with Cameron? Yup, same thing. Here’s the hallway to freedom…
The volunteer who helped us out said she charged a $50 photo fee. So, she is absolutely not in any of these pictures…
FREEEEDOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!
Sophia was really alert for her trip to the car. I’m sure she won’t forget any of it…
On a serious note, whatever you do, don’t have that little cross brace buckle thing on your kid’s car seat way down by the lower buckle. It’s supposed to be much higher than that. Of course, we had it in the exact proper location before we drove off.
Sophia and Cameron took their first car ride together. The 45 minute magic carpet ride went really well. I think we lucked out and got kids that like to sleep in the car. I’m sure they’ll hold that against us later.
Tanya and Sophia were glowing. Look at the photo below and say one of these things…
- Amazing!
- Awwwww, cute!
- What a blessing!
- Wow, they look beautiful and happy. That’s so wonderful!
- There’s absolutely no way that that lady had twins 7 weeks ago!
We were really concerned about the kids being apart for the last 7 weeks. They spent months & months “cuddled” with each other in the womb. Everyone says how twins have an amazing bond. Since the hospital rules were that the kids couldn’t even touch, we hoped that “twin bond” was still there.
For their first crib time together, Tanya swaddled them so their arms wouldn’t accidentally do something not nice. They did really well together…
When they woke up later, Tanya put them in the pack-n-play downstairs. They had a really good time reaching for each other and looking at each other…
It was amazing to see them together for the first time. Over the last week, Cameron stayed fairly still when we put him in the crib. With Sophia there, they both wiggle towards each other. Magnetic wiggle worms.
They’re still learning basic motor skills, but they mustered enough will power to hold each other’s hands and all kinds of other cute stuff…
Today (Friday) the twins had their first pediatrician appointment. The office called and changed our appointment because they were closing early for the weekend. What they didn’t tell us is that they changed all their afternoon appointments to the same time. So, we got there and for the one-doctor practice, there was an entire waiting room full. So, Sophia’s first trip outside the house included a marathon multi-hour wait around a ton of other kids. Great first impression. We asked the doctor if there’s typically a long wait after an appointment time and she said there’s almost always a wait. If we weren’t super impressed with the doctor’s background, we’d never be going back. We’ll see.
When we do have time to talk to friends and family, most ask how we’re doing. I can safely say our status is “tired.” The other night I decided to have a beer after dinner. Twelve ounces later, I felt like I’d had a keg.
After the pediatrician appointment today, Sophia decided that she didn’t want to eat. We spent over 7 hours tonight trying to get her to swallow even a drop of milk. Tanya fought through her sleep-deprived months and convinced Sophia to eat. Tanya’s an amazing mom to them. I’m glad the kids have her determination on their side.
Today was the first since November 2nd that Tanya wasn’t at the hospital. That alone is a giant relief. During that time, Tanya put nearly 4,000 miles on her car just between our home and the hospital. In other terms, that’s the distance from New York to Berlin, Germany. Now that’s a road trip.
This marks the beginning of our lives at home together. Welcome home, Cameron and Sophia.