Our daily routine looks a lot like yours would if you've had or have a newborn. We eat every three hours, burp every ounce (20 ml/cc) and then sleep. If either of the babies has any energy after all of the eating, sleeping, burping and diaper-filling then it is directed to just before a feed. This way we aren't over stimulating them or taking away any opportunities for them to sleep.
Being preemies they need to sleep as much as they need to eat. It is very important for them to sleep in every cycle and hopefully get into that deep sleep where they will release their growth hormone.
Just how premature are they? My little tomatoes, Jackson and Tabitha, were born at 25 weeks 5 days gestation. They were three months early. They missed 1/3 of their womb time. And not only did they survive but - BUT they are thriving!!! We are all very grateful.
The first thing most people are interested in is weight. Jackson was 1 lb. 15 oz at birth, Tabitha was 1lb 15 oz at birth. As of this morning Jackson is 9 lb. 9 oz and Tabitha is 10 lb. 14 oz! They are doing wonderfully. We are one month and two days past their due date today. They are four months actual age and one month corrected age.
Recently Norah assessed them using the Bayley [Scales of Infant Development]. They scored remarkably well. Their gross motor was delayed, tested at their corrected ages, but everything else - including fine motor skills - tested much closer to or right at their actual ages. Cognitive was their highest, Hooray! They each scored within one point of each other, Jackson scoring that tiny bit higher.
As you can tell the new family is wonderful. Roger and Sara are highly educated, open-minded and intelligent. I enjoy working with them, helping with ideas, routines and changes, even just chatting with them. While it wasn't a long-awaited change, finishing with my last family and starting fresh has been so much better than I could have hoped.
The last family had 31 week preemie twins, also boy-girl. Madison and Addison were amazing but Clover and Stephen's expectations were a tad low. While I was there we maximized their intelligence, interactions, growth and development. Within days of my leaving they were different children. The two years I spent there since their arrival home were lost in a matter of 72 hours. Madison and Addison were so demanding, slimy and cranky the last time I saw them that I'm having trouble missing them at all. The broccoli-loving-toddlers that I loved and remember are far from the tired-drooly-fit-throwers they are today. It is very disappointing because I work so hard to educate the parents as well as the children.
What is done is done. I can move on.
Time to finish for today, but a quick update/recap.
New job is great. Jackson and Tabitha are great. I am great.
New place is nice, mostly organized and comfortable.
Norah is pretty good. She had her 1st therapy client today. (very, very exciting as she is only in the beginning of her second year as a PsyD student)
And Basel is good. He's learning to swim! Funniest thing ever!
More tomorrow - until then.
