Good Day for Everyone

Caption for pictures: Grandpa with Clark. Nana (the other day) with Emma. Aunt Karen with Clark. Kendall in the pink hat (can't leave her out). And Clark in his cute froggy outfit with a slightly surprised look on his face - Mommy should have left the flash off.

Grandpa(Louis) came to visit and was able to spend some quality time with little Clark while Kendall slept and Emma ate. And Happy 75th Birthday to Nana (Elder)! We were glad that she was able to come and see the babies on her special day.
We were surprised to hear from the nurse this morning (and got a little worried at first), but things were fine. She was calling to see if we would be available to "room in" with the girls Monday for 48 hours. Apparently all that is keeping them in the NICU is their feeding situation. We will stay for two nights (Troy will have to come in and out) and try to nurse them (or bottle-feed if necessary) for the entire two days - although it is still up-in-the-air if it will actually be Monday and Tuesday, or later. The purpose is to see if the girls can handle eating on their own (without the help of the feeding tubes) for the entire day without getting too tired. This is something that can take time with preemies as they build up their "endurance" (I guess that's what it is). If they can't keep up, then we will try again in a week or so. If they can do it, then they could come home as soon as the end of this week. That was the BEST news we could have heard (except for news that ALL THREE would be coming home).
Clark is just a little behind and would probably not be ready to go home quite as soon as the girls....although his breastfeeding session today was the best of the bunch. He nursed like a real champ and it was a relief. He was so cute in a little froggy outfit. He is having a little problem with what are known as "bradys" where his heart rate drops below 100. In his case it is usually around 60-65. Today it was as low as 55. In most cases, he is able to self-reverse (I think that's what they called it) where his heart rate returns to normal very quickly. There were a few more episodes yesterday than usual, so they ran some blood work. There is a slight chance of an infection, but it could just be his prematurity. He just needs a little time for his body to remember to keep breathing and keep his heart rate steady. Most likely the doctors will use caffeine (in a preemie-dose) to get his heart rate regulated (don't ask me how, but they made it make sense). Aside from that, he is gaining weight and is up to 4lb 3.2oz, which means he has now passed up his birth weight and we are really happy about that. He is such a cutie pie and still just seems to have the most peaceful expressions.
Kendall is up to 4lb 11oz....fast approaching 5lb, which is really exciting. She stays pretty sleepy which we think is helping her gain weight faster. She is just so sweet and you can really tell that she is bigger than the other two when holding her. Today they had her in a girlie pink outfit, but I think she hated the little ruffles around her face. She always seems to have a hand right next to her face or folds her hands together. And she's still making those cute baby noises that really make your heart melt. She also nursed really well this afternoon making Mommy one happy camper.
Emma is doing really well too. She is still gaining weight and is up to 4lb 6.6 oz, so she too is above her birth weight. Her hair seems to be getting a little longer and has little duck tails in back. Too cute. She seems to be very interested in what Daddy has to say when he spends time playing with her. Her eyes are open wide and she wiggles and moves her hands around a lot. As with her brother and sister, she was a nursing pro today. I tend to spend a little more time alone with her because I feel so bad that she is in a room by herself. It makes me think that she needs a little more attention when we are there.
Daddy continues to be the diaper changing zen master. He really does a great job at being a dad already. He loves to try to get them stimulated (just a little as they get tired so quickly and we need them to keep up their strength for eating) by talking and singing to them. He makes diaper-changing time a little more fun and less yucky by playing with them, so there are fewer crying episodes when he is in charge. He's also really been so helpful with me and the pumping. He feels so strongly that breast milk is so important for the babies and his help has made me get through 10 days of it. He still wakes up with me at 4am so that I can get it done faster and get back to bed.
Once again, I hope it's OK to ask for your prayers this week as we work with the babies on feeding. Hopefully we can get through the rooming in time with great success and the doctors will determine that the girls are ready to come home this week. Also, please pray that Clark's brady eps will go away and he will be home as quickly as the girls, or not far behind. We are so thankful for all of your prayers already and feel fortunate that our little ones have done as well as they have so far.