Numbers

We are so lucky to have the twins home and we are really enjoying spending our nights and days with both! Good news continues to come our way - the twins went to the doctor yesterday and both are doing very well! Elizabeth tips the scale at 6 pounds 11 ounces! Elizabeth says her prayers each and everyday for a healthy family! Tom's first doctor's appointment, post hospital and he weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces - we are so proud!!! (This was Elizabeth's birth weight) Of course Tom loves to be bundled up...since he is very lean, especially compared to big sis! Side by side they look similar in size, but a 1.5 pounds is a big difference in person! Any idea how many bottles a day? I attempted to count and lost track after 50 -thank God for my mom, aka the Bottle Washer! Believe it or not, I have not hit anything while driving my Tahoe, but driving this limo of a stroller is definitely another story....I run into everything! Doctor offices are definitely not made for this travel system! I ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers, especially that Tom continues to eat well and gain weight accordingly.....I still look forward to his poopy diapers! I will keep you posted as we are home alone for a few more nights.

Home Alone!!!

Tom and I are so excited to have the twins home with us! Tuesday afternoon Tom and Elizabeth met for the first time, post birth. In honor of Little Tom's homecoming, we both wore blue to celebrate the joyous occasion. We are so thankful for the amazing people at Northside that have taken such great care of Tom! Leaving the hospital was exciting, but as we drove home we prayed that we would be able to care for Tom as well as the staff at Northside. Our first night home, was definitely a long night, I swear Tom and I did not sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. We were constantly checking on the twins; I remember sitting and staring at Little Tom's chest...just watching his chest rise and fall as he took each breath. I spent many hours in NICU doing the same thing, just watching Tom breath in and out, but at home it was different; he was not on a breathing maching, there were no wires monitoring his vital signs, no chimes from the various machines and no trained medical individuals monitoring him......It was just the four of us, home alone. Since Tuesday, each night has been easier and we are adjusting to the dual feedings, diaper changes and administering Tom's medicine multiple times a day. He is still very small and we must pay special attention to his intake, but we are hopefully that he will turn into a great eater like his sister! Our first family photos: Tom's final moments in NICU - I put on his homecoming outfit so he could look snazzy when he said goodbye to the Nurses. FINALLY - the family of four is now on the way home!!!

As always, we really appreciate all of the words of encouragement and the sweet cards! It is great that Tom is able to come home, but we still have more testing and doctor appointments in the upcoming weeks. Please continue to pray for our family and good progress for the twins.

The LAST Night

Proud parents are all smiles because last night is really the LAST night Tom will stay in NICU - he is supposed to come home this afternoon!!! Things are going well and Little Tom has really enjoyed NICU on the seventh floor. He likes having his own room, but I know he is going to love sharing a room with his sister! Tom and I cannot wait to have both of our children in the same place - this will allow us to spend more quality time with the twins and less time worrying about who to see and when. Tom looks at his growing son as the nurse burps him after his feeding. Last night, Little Tom sat in his car seat for the first time; I think he really likes it - especially since he slept the entire time. The purpose of sitting him in the car seat is to make sure that he is able to breath while sitting in this position, needless to say, he passed!!! Proud parents are all smiles, because this may be the last night Little Tom spends the night in NICU! I told you Elizabeth loves tummy time! Another doctor's appointment for Elizabeth and she is packing on the ounces!!! I cannot believe how fast she is growing - half of a pound in seven days! Dr. B is the sweetest doctor and Elizabeth just loves seeing her!

Testing Continues...and What's For Dinner?

Auntie Laura hold her newborn neice. Grandmother Powell feeding her grandson a bottle for the first time.

Daddy feeding Tom and holding onto his hand tight - he has a firm little grip!

Who knew that once you give birth, you have all the helpers you could ever imagine! I have my incredible husband, that does absolutely anything; my mother-in law, JoAnn, the head chef, gardner and dog walker; my father-in-law, Tom, also the dog walker and lawn boy; my mom, JoAnn, baby nurse and maid; my daddy, Anthony, Mr. Fix It and fulltime babysitter. I am just trying to decide if this help is here to stay or if I need to get pregant again for them to stick around for a bit longer! In addition to family, you guys have been so supportive and encouraging, which we appreciate more than you know! So many of you have offered to bring meals by the house and we will definitely take you up on your kind gesture. Our schedule is still very unpredictable at this time, but would look forward to starting this in the next few weeks. Please contact my sweet friend, Kindrea, if you would like to be notified when we are ready to taste your cooking - her email is kindrea.becker@newellco.com and she will be in touch at a later date.

Wednesday at the hospital, we witnessed Little Tom passing his hearing test - it is amazing all the little things excite us so much! Tom and I spoke to a genetic specialist yesterday and she does not foresee issues with any of his metabolic tests. The additional testing will not prevent Little Tom from leaving the hospital. Good news continues to come as Little Tom is chowing down on those bottles! Just yesterday morning he was moved from the second floor NICU up to the seventh floor NICU. This is yet another step in the right direction, the seventh floor allows multiple visitors simultaneously and also means that the babies are on their way to head home.

While we continue to remain positive, we still realize there are more tests scheduled and more results we await. During delivery, Tom experienced some complications and we hope and pray there will be no long term abnormalities. Unfortunately / fortunately only time will tell. Tom and I have met with more doctors in the past week than I have during the entire pregnancy. Every doctor agrees that Little Tom is responding and acting like a typical newborn, which is extremely positive news. Needless to say the past eleven days have been overwhelming and it is so nice to read your comments and emails, this is a language we definitely understand.

Elizabeth continues to bring us all joy, it is amazing to think she was just in my belly two weeks ago. My mom went out and purchase some preemie baby clothes, since all of her clothes were a bit large. Tom is learning that fashion starts at a very early age, and he is thankful that preemie clothes are cheap!

Prayer requests: Our parents, we appreciate everything they have done for us and continue to do, I only hope we do not burn them out to terribly fast! The NICU doctors and nurses - it is hard to say that once strangers, now friends, have spent more time with our son than we have, but we are so thankful, because they have provided him with the best care we could every imagine. Elizabeth is such an angel and we anxiously await for another clean bill of health next week at the doctor's office. Little Tom continues to amaze us and the doctors, we are realistic and understand he has fought for every breath the past 11 days, but that gives us faith that he is a fighter and will continue to improve.

I apologize for the delay in update - we have experienced problems with our internet the last couple of days. Last weekend was definitely different from any other - the joys of parenthood are kicking-in high gear. Every time Tom or I were with Elizabeth we were constantly saying to each other, come look. Look at her yawn, look at this face, look at her feet, look at her long nails, look at this poop! It is very easy to keep yourself entertained with kids and we look forward to re-living all of these first when Tom comes home! Little Tom had an eventful day yesterday afternoon - he rode in an ambulance for the first time. Husband Tom traveled with Tom to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, which is directly across the street from Northside, where the twins were delivered. Tom went to Children's Hospital to undergo additional testing with equipment especially for, you guessed it, kids. Although the trip was short, he is still recovering from the hourney and is a bit tired. We hope to hear the testing results sometime tomorrow, if not today. I am about to go to the hospital to see my two Toms; as of this afternoon Tom drank two bottles which is a very good indication that he is getting his strength back! Here is Nurse Stacey tending to our Little Man, who was there when I fed Tom a bottle for the first time! Proud Daddy Tom impressed with his son's stong baseball grip. Uncle VJ anxiously awaits to hold his nephew. After a long day, I was shocked and so surprised to find my dear friend Nicole, husband Thomas, and daughter Marley stopped by to bring us some super special and much needed hugs. It was extra special, since they live in Mount Pleasant, SC! To give you a size comparison, her baby is about 10 pounds. On Monday, Elizabeth went to see her pediatrician, Dr. B, for the fist time outside of the hospital. Elizabeth thouroughly enjoyed the outing and even remained quite in the waiting room. Dr. B came to see her in the hospital everyday and she is very happy with our daughter's progress. She is even a little amazed how fast Elizabeth is improving - her head movements and legs are very strong and she suggested that we start spending time with her on her belly to continue the development. Since Tom returned to work this week, I brought Grandparents Graffeo to the appointment and they had a blast, photographing every moment, just as though they were doing this for the first time. With all this being said, we continue to ask for the greatest gift, your prayers. WE ask you continue to give the proud parents strength to understand the challenges we face, Tom stay on the path of recovery and improvement continues, and Elizabeth remain healthy and enjoys her new found "tummy time". We also ask that you praise God for allowing the nurses to removed the oxygen, the antibiotic tubes, the heart monitor and a few other tubes from his his little body! Thank the Lord Tom is able to breath on his own, make poopy diapers, cry, and be held in mom and daddy's arms! As we celebrate our third wedding anniversary today, we remain more in love today than I could ever imagine because we both truly understnad how precious each breath and every tear brings you closer to those you love. I hope each one of you has someone just as special in your life because daily we thank God for you and your prayers.

Thomas Herbert Powell: Still Fighting

I have an excellent University of Alabama education, but this blog is so fickle and the pictures are not in order. I have tried to fix it, but I listed the dates with the recap to help you follow along. Enjoy and please continue to pray for our family, in particular we ask that you continue to pray for good health for both twins; pray Tom continues to breathe on his own, pray that he is able to increase the number of daily bottles, pray his test continue to come back with positive results. Saturday, August 11: Tom is still making great progress and physically looks amazing!!! Today we read him stories from the Brer Rabbit Collection and he cannot wait for the next book. Here is Nurse Andrea; as you can see from the note, he is already a ladies man! ...just for the record, the Tiger in his crib is from Uncle V.J.; it is a champion tiger, like Tiger Woods....not a wimpy tiger like that Auburn character. Tom and I are very encouraged by the good reports that we continue to receive from the NICU doctors and nurses. I have included some pictures of our heavy weight champion! Many thanks go to the amazing individuals in the Pod E NICU – I have included some photos of the nurses that are taking care of Tom around the clock. I will always remember Andrea as the nurse that first allowed me to touch my handsome son. It was the Greatest Day when I put ointment on his chapped lips and changed his diaper under her loving care. Sweet Beth is the angel that let me hold Tom for the first time. Friday, August 10th: It was definitely hard checking out and knowing that Tom and I were not going to be under the same roof. Tom read Little Tom his first book, always a classic - Green Eggs and Ham. Thursday, August 9th - The Greatest Day of the Year!!! The first time Tom and I were able to hold our son. Tuesday, August 7th: My first time to lay eyes on Tom, definitely love at first site. Wednesday, August 8th - It is so hard not having him in our room, but Mom and Dad visit all the time! Our Nurse Beth, who we love regardless of their Auburn and Florida football affilations! Roll Tide!! Friday, August 10th: A Sad See You Soon...