Al Bundy and the Southern Belle

Saturday began the way Friday ended.  I hate the term, "took a turn for the worse," but I had to hear it anyway when we showed up to see the girls and our birthmom and the NICU nurse told me Chloe "took a turn for the worse" and had to be intibated and sedated too.  Now we couldn't touch either of them.  We spent some time just staring at them and praying for them.  At this point, I'm not crying because I'm too tired to cry.  I can't sleep, I'm not eating much and when I am, it's random, and I am worrying a lot.  I need to have faith.  Brice says that the most important time to have faith is in the face of adversity.  We pray in the chapel at the church and I feel better.  We visit our birthmom and her boyfriend and help wheel her down to see the girls.  She keeps saying, "they're so beautiful."  I tell her they are beautiful just like her.

My friend Carol who adopted a year ago gave me a really neat idea.  I gave our birthmother a charm bracelet from James Avery with a "two hearts" charm on it to represent the twins.  I told her I plan to add to it each year on their birthday so she will have something that represents their life that year.  She loved it.

Later that evening we meet with our wonderful doctor who explains the situation to us.  The girls have PDA (patent ductus arteriosus) which means there is a blood vessel near their heart that has not closed.  In this case it makes it more difficult for the babies to recover from complications like respiratory distress syndrome, which they are also experiencing.  In infants who are not preemies, this vessel closes before they are born.  They were treated with medicine to help close the vessel and remained on the IV feeding, intibation, sedation, and minimal stimulation.  They're still on the "tarmac" which is what they call the bed the girls are in.  It's basically an open, raised bed so the nurses and doctor can get to them quickly in times of distress.

Chloe on the "tarmac"

I get to touch Chloe's head.  Dr. Anna says it's good for "touch therapy."

So amidst the drama, a bit of comedy emerges in the form of Lily and Chloe's personalities.  I hear our nurse say, "We've got a Kodak moment over here!"  I go to look at Lily in the next bed and she's got her hand down her diaper.  My mother would not think that was very ladylike!  The nurse refers to her as "Al Bundy" from Married with Children.

Lily AKA "Al Bundy"

(All we need now is for her to burp and say, "That's what she said.")

Chloe, on the other hand, is the southern belle.  She is always posing with her little hands crossed across her chest or up by her forehead. 

Chloe AKA "Southern Belle"

I can't wait to see their personalities emerge!