so blessed

They are here!!!!  We can now officially add March 2, 2012 to our list of very best days ever.  Caroline Faith arrived at 1:40pm, weighing 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and Emily Katherine arrived at 1:41pm, weighing 4 pounds, 8 ounces.  They are doing wonderfully so far, just facing the normal preemie issues of learning to breathe, eat, fight jaundice, and stay warm.  They are truly miracles, and I still can't believe they are here.  God is SO GOOD.  

Both girls are on CPAP, which is a machine that doesn't breathe for them, but gives pressure into their lungs to help them remember to breathe on their own.  CPAP is a wonderful thing, but unfortunately it covers most of their sweet little faces, and causes some facial swelling because of the pressure.  So we are excited for the day when they graduate from it and we can really see what they look like!  ;)  {update!  I just took a break from writing this post to walk down and hang out with the girls, and I got to see Emily's CPAP hat get changed out!  Such fun...I got to see her head and face for a few minutes and I took a couple of pictures that I'll include below!}

Both girls are being fed through feeding tubes while they are learning to digest, and while they are too small to have the sucking reflex necessary for nursing or bottles.  Emily is also enjoying some time under a UV light to help with her jaundice, which is very common in preemies.  Caroline hasn't needed the light yet, but it's most likely that she will at some point.  Right now, we are praying for good digestion, continued success with breathing, and growing!

I'm feeling much better today, and I've even been walking over to the NICU all by myself this afternoon.  Such an independent feeling after being wheeled everywhere for the first two days.  I'll be going home tomorrow...kind of a strange feeling to be moving out of the hospital after 6 weeks!  I am so excited to bond with Will at home again, even though I will still be splitting my time between home and the NICU for quite awhile.  OK, time for some pictures!

Babies day belly pic!

Sweet Caroline right after she arrived

Caroline with her CPAP on...I'm thinking I need to develop a prettier CPAP hat for the NICU that doesn't involve safety pins and rubber bands.  ;)

I got to be wheeled through the NICU on my way to my post-partum room after recovery.  I had just very briefly seen the girls in the OR when they arrived, so this was my second chance to check them out. 

Yesterday {March 4} Matt and I got to hold the girls for the first time!!  We actually weren't expecting to get to hold them so soon, but because they were very stable on CPAP and they also got some of the IV lines out of their belly buttons, we got the go-ahead from the doctor for a short hold!  There are so many things I totally took for granted since Will was a full term baby.  We won't take anything for granted this time around for sure!

holding Caroline

 Matt holding Emily

Our awesome nurse even let me sneak in and hold Emily for a second...shhhh, we were only supposed to each hold one!

And here are two pics from Emily's hat change tonight.  Her little nose and eyes are swollen, but at least we got a peek at her sweet face!  {they haven't done baths yet in an effort not to stress them out, so it's hard to tell her hair color...but it seems a bit blondish...maybe a dark blonde?}

What a double blessing to add these girls to our family.  Thank you soooo much to everyone who has been praying for us and for them.