Our Little Journey, one INCH at a time...

RSV hits them!

2012-01-01T08:02:00.001-07:00

Joscel and Joshua are just ones of the many kids who got hit with the RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). Joshua got sick first on Dec. 22 and we thought it was just a normal cold. He was terrible for a couple of days but he recovered without being taken to the emergency. Then on Christmas eve, Joscel started getting low grade fever, cold and cough. We thought it was the same as Joshua's situation. But days after, she got worse. We had to rush her to the emergency at 12 midnight of Dec. 28. We had no idea that it was RSV already.

The first 2 days at the Children's hospital was unbearable. She was just sleeping all day and had no energy at all. She looked miserable and wouldn't eat nor drink so they had to give her an IV. It helped her quite a bit in terms of rehydration but still with low energy. She just started talking and playing on the 3rd day. She had a few sips of chocolate milk, and other juices and she eats just ice cream. 4th day was waaay better. She was munching on strawberries, cookies, sandwiches and other food that the hospital offers. And she was talking a lot and we found her dancing too!

Jo and Joshua stayed here overnight to spend the New Year together as a family and it was a great feeling to see the twins play again. I could tell that Joscel was happy to hear Joshua's loud voice before she went to sleep (At home, Joshua talks a lot before going to sleep and Joscel got used to it now!)

We are for sure not going home yet since she is still on oxygen and IV. They might wean her off today and who knows, tomorrow might be the day! Thanks for all the prayers.....

They turned 3!

2011-12-11T13:38:00.001-07:00

Yay! Our twins are 3!

This year, we decided to do their birthday party in a restaurant where we could fit all the visitors. It was a great idea because we didn't have to deal with the stress of cleaning up, cooking, and preparing for the place. All we had to do was go there a little bit early to hang the signs, blow the balloons and just sit and wait for the guests!

It was a different feeling for all of us especially for Joscel and Joshua since they understand the meaning of having fun now. They love looking at the bday sign with their names and all the balloons on the walls! And of course, THE CAKE!!!

Here are the big girls guarding the stuffies for giveaways, coloring books and the crayons!

It wasn't even time for gift opening yet, but since it was their bday, we just let them do it!

That day was really snowy and the roads were bad but we really are thankful that most of our guests came!

The twins are growing!

2011-08-08T23:07:00.002-06:00

I finally recovered my password to this blog!!!

Anyway, Joscel and Joshua are 32 months (2 yrs & 8 mos.) old now. They are really growing fast and there is no way to stop it!

They are talking full sentences now and a lot of people are surprised to hear them say the words clearly. They are still reading (of course). They giggle a lot when they're playing and laugh when there's something funny in the show they are watching. They love to sing and dance and they are getting stubborn too!

This year's summer has been good to us. We've been enjoying the weather. We're happy to have a huge backyard where they can run around and play without having a hard time chasing them or worrying they could get hit by a car.

Health updates

2011-03-26T09:42:00.004-06:00

After a month of being on oxygen, Joshua finally graduated from it. But we were told to keep the oxygen machine at home for another 2 months just in case he needs it. They'll do a test again on his oxygen sats in 2 months and will decide whether to keep the machine or return it.

He's sure glad to be free from it though!

He also had his thyroid checked, (he has hypothyroidism). Everything is still the same in terms of taking his regular pill/levothyroxin and will be checked again in a year. Hopefully, his thyroid will work on its own and won't need those pills anymore.

He is also walking on his own now and loves the freedom he has.

Last week, they had their regular eye check-up at the Children's and they still haven't decided when to do a surgery on Joshua's drifting eyes.

Joscel's case is still the same, her right eye is still weak so more eye patching to do until June.

They are also on QVAR puffers until September to prevent severe asthma attack.

It may sound like that our kids are high-maintenance (I guess they are) but we already expected that when they came out a little early. We are just glad that God has been in control ever since and that they are in good health and growing normally and I would say, they are really smart!

March 7-11, Joscel's hospital admission

2011-03-26T09:25:00.004-06:00

Joscel took her turn on being admitted to the hospital for 5 days. The doctors said she had asthma but when they did an x-ray on her chest, they found some white spots (like what they saw on her x-ray last year when she was hospitalized). They were thinking that she had pneumonia again or maybe those white spots from last year didn't really go away. Anyway, they gave her dexamethasone (steroids) for 5 days and antibiotics as well.

It was funny to see the doctors get confused who's really sick when they see both of our babies on oxygen. Some of the nurses remember Joshua and us!

Playtime with daddy.... It's a good thing that the crib was strong enough to hold them!

Fifth day,,,, they did an overnight test with Joscel on room air and she did well. Just waiting for the doctor to say "you can go home now".

She was sent home without oxygen and is doing really well.

Asthma attack!

2011-02-22T10:19:00.002-07:00

We thought that there would be no more visits to the emergency and no more stay at the hospital this year but we were wrong. It's out of our control....

Joshua had an episode 2 weeks ago. He had an asthma attack and we thought it was just a normal one. But days passed by and we noticed that instead of him getting well with ventolin, he was getting worse and his lips turned blue when he coughed. So we decided to take him to the emergency.

The nurses assessed him and sure enough, his oxygen was down to 86 so they took him in right away. As usual, they gave him oral steroids (which I was told was equivalent to 3 years of QVAR, another kind of puff/steroid for people with asthma). He didn't get better so they had to admit him for the night. Both Children's hospital and PLC were full so they had to wait for a bed to be available. PLC had it first so they transferred him there thru an ambulance.

To make our story short, Joshua stayed at the hospital for 7 days and went home on oxygen. He'll be on it for a month and will be checked to see if he'll be ok without it.

We've learned that Joscel and Joshua were that close as brother and sister. They were looking for each other (Joscel asking for her BOBO and Joshua asking for his SISI). It was heartbreaking coz they didn't see each other for 3 days. We were in an isolation room so we thought Joscel wasn't allowed to go in. But as soon as the nurses asked for Josh's sister, we took her to see him and it was fun to see how excited they were to see each other!

Here they are, playing nyt-nyt time with their new bear.

Waiting for the discharge papers,,,,,

And back to normal! Yay!

I just turned 30!

2011-02-10T09:49:00.003-07:00

Turning 30 is not really exciting. I guess I'm a little scared to grow old. Everybody was telling me that it's just a number. At least at my age, God already blessed me with 2 cute babies! And I was happy I celebrated this special day with my family.

We always check for restaurant deals online and we're glad to catch one from Graze Grill so we went there for a Sunday brunch. Food was great!

Not to mention that Joscel and Joshua were eating like crazy!!

After eating out, we decided to go to Cross Iron Mills....

Here's Jo showing off the bears he made displayed at the mall....

And a birthday celebration won't be complete without a cake ( I think... ). The kids were curious what an ice cream cake would look and taste like so we got one from DQ. And sure enough, they loved it!

A New Year with a Larger Family

2011-01-09T10:25:00.003-07:00

We still can't believe that our used to be quiet house is a full-house now! At first, Joscel and Joshua were a little shocked with the screaming, laughing and giggling that their cousins were making. But a few days later, they started to be louder than them and they enjoy them now!

It also works for me coz I have new and no-pay babysitters!

Though New Year celebration in the Philippines is a lot different than our celebration here in Canada, we made sure that it's also fun for all of us!

One big happy family!

We are also praying that someday, the rest of our family in the Philippines can come here too so we can be together again, just like the old times....

Fun in the Snow!

2011-01-09T10:14:00.005-07:00

Since snow is new to my sister's family, they loved watching and playing in it. It's a good thing we have a huge sloped backyard where they could go sliding anytime they want.

Our brother-in-law trying to be brave at -3*C.

He had no idea that we here at Calgary consider this temperature spring conditions...LOL

And a bonfire was nice in this cold weather...

They also went sliding in the park close to our house...

A Christmas to remember

2011-01-09T10:08:00.003-07:00

The most awaited moment has arrived! My sister's family from the Philippines finally got their visas. They arrived here on Christmas eve, 1 hour before Christmas! It was emotional and at the same time exciting for all of us.....

I wasn't able to go to the airport to pick them up because the twins were already sleeping but I was at home to open the door and welcome them!!!

They requested a Turkey dinner for Christmas Eve (Noche Buena), and they loved it!

2010-12-15T10:25:00.003-07:00

This is the 2nd part of their birthday party (adults' time). It was great to see everybody that night!

Nurse Jasmin and nurse Claire.. 2 of the NICU nurses who took care of them when they were at the hospital. Joscel and Joshua also showed-off how smart they are with their numbers, ABC's etc...

Our late visitors!

Joscel and Joshua's 2nd B-day!

2010-12-06T19:23:00.003-07:00

Yup, it's been 2 years!!! Can't believe these two are growing so fast. We can't imagine anymore how small they were when they were born...

This year, we are doing a 2-part birthday celebration. One for the parents with kids and 1 for the adults. We decided to do it this way because the house was packed last year and everyone had no where to sit.

Joscel and Joshua are more attentive and playful now. They can actually tell you what they like and don't like.

And here they are, tasting their cake!

Of course, amazed at all the gifts they got!

Updates about their health and development

2010-09-08T18:50:00.002-06:00

So far, we haven't had a trip to the emergency and it's been a couple of months, thank God!

Joscel and Joshua are both nearsighted that's why they are required to wear glasses. Here's the thing about Joshua's eyes though. His left eye wanders when he tries to focus specially when he's watching tv. We were told that he might have a surgery to fix it if the glasses don't help. We just can't force them to wear their glasses all the time since they pull them out immediately.

Joscel started walking when she was 18 months old (15 months adjusted). And now, she's walking and running all over the house. Joshua is being checked by his physiotherapist and was told to have weak hips. He's gonna walk but he'll take his time. For now, he needs to exercise his hips and legs. So far, he can take 2-3 steps on his own.

And they are both talking and love to copy whatever we say!

"Sick" week

2010-09-08T18:41:00.003-06:00

Last week was a "SICK" week for us. After our trip to Edmonton, Joshua had a cold, was coughing and had a slight fever. 2 days after, it was my turn. Flu hit me. I was in bed for hours and just couldn't get up so Jo had to take care of Joscel and Joshua. He was complaining a lot by the way... He said it's so hard to take care of 2 babies at once (hey, that's what I've been doing for almost 2 years now!). Anyway, thankfully, I got better after resting and taking tylenol. The next day, it was Joscel and Joseph's turn.

We also found out that Jo tore his right shoulder's rotating cap. Maybe he forced it when he was lifting heavy stuff while he works. So now, he can't work for a bit. He needs that "cap" to heal first.

Twins' first long drive

2010-08-30T17:42:00.002-06:00

We drove to Edmonton to kinda celebrate Erin and Mark's birthday. It was Joscel and Joshua's first long drive.

On our way there, we made sure that it would be their nap time so we left at 12:30 pm. Joshua slept for 2 1/2 hours so he was fine but Joscel only slept for an hour and was grumpy for the rest of the trip! I gave her snacks, books and toys but she pushed them all away.

As soon as we reached the hotel, she was happy as can be.... I guess she doesn't have the patience (like Mommy!)

We didn't take pictures of our "window shopping" at West Edmonton Mall but we sure had fun there.

We also made sure that we took advantage of the pool and hot tub in the hotel.

Joscel and Joshua enjoy bath together...

And of course, they love to make a mess, not only at home, but everywhere.

Our babies can read...

2010-08-20T19:34:00.003-06:00

We've been busy with kids' stuff lately and we're happy that they are doing really well for a couple of months now. We noticed that since we kept them home, (we used to go out a lot plus the "not so fun" trips to the emergency) Joscel and Joshua are staying healthy. It's so nice to see them in great health and condition.

Here's what keeps them busy lately.

My sister's visit...

2010-07-07T13:46:00.003-06:00

My sister from Grande Prairie was here last week and stayed for 4 days. She had to get her medical done for their family immigration papers. It went well and we're hoping in 3 months time, her family will be joining us here in Calgary for good.

The plan is, Jo will finish the basement. Our house is a 4-level split so they will occupy the fireplace and the basement, and we will stay upstairs (as if it will always stay that way, knowing that we like to be together all the time!)

It is always fun to have her around, at least one member of my own family could experience playing with my twins. We both love cooking and her 4-day stay made us gain a few pounds! We also took advantage of the great weather. We were out in our front yard enjoying it!

Keep her and her family in your prayers so we can all be together again.....

They're wearing glasses

2010-06-28T22:32:00.002-06:00

The time has come, they are wearing glasses now. Joshua wasn't supposed to wear them yet but we noticed a couple of months ago that his eyes drift sideways when he focuses. He is nearsighted but it wasn't that bad. We were also told that his case needs an operation of the eye muscle but don't know when.

Joscel is also nearsighted, though the left eye is the worse one. The left lens of her glasses is thick. These glasses aren't hers, we are still waiting for the right frame.

We are still having troubles putting them on since they get irritated when they wear them, I guess. It just takes time getting used to them and that means more patience from us.

All is well

2010-06-15T23:09:00.002-06:00

Yep, everyone is doing better now. It turned out that Joshua didn't get FMD. He just had an episode of diarrhea and vomiting. Having 2 sick kids could drive you crazy sometimes but I'm glad that they are both ok now.

Joscel also had her follow-up chest x-ray today. If you recall, she was hospitalized for 2 consecutive months for pneumonia. They x-ray today showed that she still has a little fluid in her lungs but was explained by the doctor that it usually goes/clears away after 6-8 weeks. We are already on the 6th week so we're hoping that it will totally go away in 2 weeks. So far, we're not seeing anymore signs of her having trouble breathing. And she looks very active anyway. In fact, we caught a video of her giggling while playing with her new "sneezing puppy".

Here we go again..

2010-06-06T14:32:00.002-06:00

Last week was another stressful week for us specially for Joshua.. He had a fever for 5 consecutive days and we had no idea what was going on. We took him to the emergency to be checked and the doctor said that everything was fine, maybe it was just due to his 2 molar teeth coming out. I guess she was true. He got better the 6th day. And we thought that everything's gonna go back to normal 'til Joscel took her turn. Her temperature went up to 39 so we thought she'll be fine too. But on the third day of having fever (not to mention the sore on her tongue and gum, while puking and having diarrhea), it was her turn to be taken to the emergency. We found out that those sores weren't just canker, she got "foot and mouth disease". Until now, we are still wondering where she got that from. I feel very sorry for her since they said that those are extremely painful for 3-4 days and will stay in her tongue for a week or 2. She's also not eating right now. And she just started drinking milk yesterday!

We are also afraid that Joshua might have gotten it too since it's very contagious. He just started crying this afternoon and won't take his bottle. We checked his tongue and gum, we're not sure if those blisters are already signs that he got the disease. Ughhhh ! Poor kiddos. All we have to do right now is just pray and hope that they'll feel better soon. Hopefully after this, no more having a trip to the ACH emergency.

We'll keep you posted about their health as much as we can.

Learning things...

2010-05-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

As Joscel and Joshua grow, we continually see the differences in their personalities. A very specific example is the food they like. Joscel loves eating fresh tomatoes, cucumber, banana, apples, and other fruits and veggies. She doesn't like eggs and other meat. Joshua eats almost anything except tomatoes, apples, and other fruits and veggies. So sometimes, I have to cook separate food for both of them. It depends on what they like!

With regards to strolling, you can't keep Joscel in her stroller. She'll stay seated for maybe, 3-5 minutes and if you don't pick her up right away, she'll scream her lungs out. Unlike Joshua, he can stay seated for hours as long as you push the stroller. He basically likes going out. Whenever he sees the door, he goes straight to the closet where their sweaters are, point at it and say "bye!".

Here's a video showing how they fight over their toys, and this happens everyday! Just to warn you, this video shows that Joscel is the bossy one but in reality, Joshua is a bully to his sister!

Another Hospital moment for Joscel..

2010-05-13T21:21:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I updated our blog. We've been very busy keeping up with a lot of stuff at home, specially our babies' health. And to mention that Joscel was rushed to ACH Emergency (again) last week. We noticed that she was breathing really fast, 60-70 breaths/minute and that means, she's really having a hard time breathing. They did a quick assessment on her and took her straight to a room. They gave her oxygen to help her breath and as expected, she was admitted. The doctors did an xray on her and the result showed exactly the same as the pneumonia she had last month. She recovered fast enough that they took her oxygen off the next day.

Since it's a recurring pneumonia, the doctors think that the first time Joscel had it, it didn't really go away after a month (they couldn't tell if that's true because they didn't do a follow-up xray on her). Learning from their mistake, their gonna do another xray in June. Then they'll know if it was for sure a pneumonia or it could be an obstruction in her lungs (hope not).

Because of these hospital experiences, I'm already traumatized. Whenever I notice Joscel's breathing becoming fast, I worry right away. I feel like I'm having the nervous breakdown I had when I was a kid. It's hard to control it but I just turn my hope and faith to God, and rest assured, He keeps me calm most of the time.

Recovering...

2010-04-13T22:29:00.003-06:00

Last week we were at a familiar setting. On April 2, we took Joshua to the ACH emergency because he had trouble breathing, was vomiting, and coughing. It turned out that he had a minor case of bronchiolitis and asthma. A couple of days after that, Joscel was coughing and had short-labored breathing. We were scared she could have asthma as well. When they checked her at the emergency, her oxygen level was very low. After a series of testings, they found out that she had a slight case of pneumonia. She had problems keeping her oxygen up so she needed an extra boost. It took her 4 days to bring it back up on her own. After that, we were finally sent home with the rest of her antibiotics.

3 days after that, she had another episode. She started vomiting, 4 times within an hour so we decided to bring her back to the emergency. They gave her an anti-vomiting fluid and fortunately, she stopped puking after that. When we got home that night, Jo woke up vomiting and having diarrhea. Then we realized that they might have caught something from the vietnamese noodles that both of them ate earlier that day. My tummy is acting weird too but hopefully, i don't get it as bad as they did coz I have to take care of them all.

Best buddies?!

2010-03-23T00:00:00.004-06:00

Everyday, we discover how these two can be good or bad friends. Though sometimes Joshua makes Joscel cry (by biting or hitting her), Joscel manages to make Joshua laugh.

Turning 1 year old (ADJUSTED)

2010-03-16T21:45:00.003-06:00

At the end of this month, Joscel and Joshua are turning a year old (adjusted). It's hard to believe that time flies so fast.

They are not walking yet though they travel from couch to couch and very eager to walk using their walkers. They babble non-stop and try to copy everything we say and do. They love Barney and all the cartoons they watch on TV. We also noticed lately that they love playing with pots and pans no matter how I make their toys attractive!

They got their eyes tested again and Dr. Ells said that they are still nearsighted and will wear glasses in the future. And no more monthly check-ups meaning they are really doing well.

We caught Joscel pulling Joshua's ear (as always) as they watch TV. Not to mention that Joshua likes to hit Joscel (he thinks it's funny)..

We're still here!

2010-02-20T23:45:00.004-07:00

Joscel and Joshua are 1 year and 2 months now (11 months adjusted). They are just practicing and learning to walk by themselves. They like to copy what we do and I think they are talking too (in a different/baby dialect though). It is so much fun to play with them and learn something new about them every single day.

But the sad thing lately is, the 4 of us are sick. They are saying that it's all over Calgary (flu season) and everybody seems to have it. We are all coughing and sneezing. We just feel bad for our babies coz we have to wipe their nose all the time and they hate it. Keep us in your prayers pls...

Joscel and Joshua had that NICU haircut since they came out of the hospital. Jo decided to cut and make Joshua's hair even. He did so well while daddy was cutting his hair!

Valentines 2010

2010-02-20T23:29:00.003-07:00

It was a different feeling to celebrate Valentine's day with our babies for the first time. It was a great feeling actually!

We went to a hotel in SW with Jhen's family and we had loads of fun!

And here are Joscel and Joshua ready to leave....

And because our babies are tough enough now, we just put them anywhere!

THe hotel we stayed in had a swimming pool. It was a little scary for us to take Joscel and Joshua for swimming for the first time. They look cute in their swimsuits though...

Joshua seemed to like the pool (well, he likes being in his tub at home anyway) but Joscel seemed to be bored about it. Maybe she was too tired...

One happy family...

funny videos

2010-01-27T10:35:00.003-07:00

Joscel and Joshua are in the stage where they can communicate with us now. We love it when they express what they like and don't like. And it so nice to see them play together. It looks like they enjoy each other's company.

I caught a video of them talking to each other. I have no idea what they were talking about about all I know is, they're so cute!

It's fun to teach them stuff like clapping, tongue out, etc. Here's a video of them dancing. I wonder where they got that from???

Very challenging weeks

2010-01-22T23:10:00.004-07:00

The past two weeks was a bit challenging for us. After finding out that Joscel had bacteria in her urine, Joshua decided to take his turn. He woke up one morning throwing up for hours. We called Healthlink first. They told us not to take him to the emergency yet and just follow the directions on how to feed him bit by bit since anything he was taking in goes back out. When he stopped throwing up, he then had diarrhea. So we called again and we're told not to worry unless there's blood in his stool. After a week of having diarrhea, he had a fever. And it wasn't going away so we took him to the emergency. The doctors did a series of tests on him and everything came back normal. They put an IV on him just to make sure he wasn't getting dehydrated. After 4 hours, they sent us home. We were mentally, emotionally and physically stressed coz we didn't know what was wrong with him but I guess he caught that GI virus that was going around. Anyway, he is back to normal now, meaning, he is back to being a happy and laid-back boy. Joscel as well is back to being a feisty little girl.

Still a roller Coaster

2010-01-05T23:35:00.004-07:00

Just a quick update about our babies,,,

Joscel has been sick for quite a while now. At first she had fever for 3 days so we took her straight to ACH Emergency. The line-up wasn't that bad but we still stayed there for 6 hours. They couldn't find anything wrong about her because she was still acting normal ( I mean in terms of her eating habbits, playing, being alert, etc.) But when the doctor mentioned that if she doesn't get better in a couple of days, they need to check her urine. I told him right there and then that I have a family history of kidney/bladder problem. So the doctor decided to get a urine sample straight from her bladder. They sent us home after finding out that her urine was ok.

2 days ago, ACH called us saying that there was bacteria growing in her urine. So they prescribed her an Antibiotic.

Another thing that worried us was Joscel's temperature dropping to 34.5-35.5 deg. Celcius for the past 3 days. We called HealthLink and they mentioned that it might be due to her bladder infection.

For now, we can notice that she is getting her energy back though we are still keeping an eye on her very low temperature.

On the other hand, Joshua is getting more and more active. And oh boy, he loves to eat! Sometimes, we are the ones who give up but he keeps asking for more. He likes to be played with too. And if you don't pay attention to him, he'll grunts really loud, or sometimes climb on you. We are glad that he is ok and not sick, and hopefully when Joscel gets better, he won't follow.

Year 2009

2010-01-05T23:26:00.012-07:00

We are grateful of all the things that happened in 2009. Good or bad, it doesn't matter.

Here are some of the BIG things we had last year:

- Joscel and Joshua came out of the NICU after 4 months of their stay there

- We celebrated their 1st birthday

- I got my Canadian Citizenship

- I lost my job

- Jo lost his job

- My brother passed away

- My grandpa passed away

- Jo finally finished (actually semi-finished0 our kitchen and fireplace after waiting for 3 years

There's still a lot but I just can't remember.... Surely, we believe that this year 2010 will bring greater things to us.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-05T23:26:00.011-07:00

We hosted the Christmas day breakfast and of course, we did the traditional gift-opening at our house.

It was an extra special day for us coz that was the first time we had Joscel and Joshua home with us for Christmas. We still remember Christmas of 2008 when we spent it at the hospital just watching them in their incubators. When we couldn't even hug and kiss them...

And now, here they are, learning to open presents!

Celebrating their 1st birthday!

2009-12-12T04:43:00.011-07:00

Yep, our babies are a year old now!

We had loads of fun that day with our friends, family, neighbors and nurses too!

Though we didn't even have the time to decorate the house with balloons and stuff (we focused on finishing some major parts of the house, with the help of Jon), it was certainly a day of happiness.

CAKE TIME!

We sang the "Happy birthday" song separately for each of them and we couldn't believe that Joscel and Joshua did a great job eating a piece of their cake.

And believe it or not, whenever I eat their left-over cake, they gather around me and we can see their mouth-watering face! I give them a little bit thinking they would leave me alone but they won't. So I have to give them some more!

We also had Max with us (another 24-weeker). We were trying to take pictures, but as you can see on the next picture, Joshua just fell asleep. He must be exhausted.

And here's Jo telling Joshua his birth story through the journal we wrote about their daily experiences at the hospital.

Gift-opening time! They certainly got a lot of beautiful toys, clothes, stuff toys, gift cards and some cheques too. Thanks again!

Oxygen FREE!

2009-11-29T16:55:00.004-07:00

Yup! Finally, we were declared OXYGEN FREE! Joscel just joined her brother from breathing on their own. In fact, she loves having no tapes and tubes around her face. She is more jolly now and more independent.

Silliness....

2009-11-29T16:43:00.004-07:00

We really need to get working on baby proofing our house. Joscel loves to play with the computer. It doesn't matter how many pillows you put, she would still climb to get it.

And here they are, picking our christmas tree's ornaments. I might take our tree down sooner coz I don't know how to keep them away from it anymore!

TV lovers....

Are you listening???

Hmmm, this is a good idea. At least we can keep them still in one place for a little while....

Joscel's Ears Pierced

2009-11-29T16:30:00.003-07:00

I know it's mean to get her ears pierced at a young age but so far, we have no regrets of getting them done. We got them done a week ago.

She cried for a little bit during the piercing process but she did so well. At least now, she really looks like a girl (she's been mistaken as a boy a lot of times specially when she's not wearing pink clothes).

11 months already...

2009-11-11T23:32:00.002-07:00

Yep, we can't believe that time flies by so fast. Joscel and Joshua are turning 1 year old in a month. Sometimes we just want to freeze time because they grow up so fast.

And they are also in that stage where they are so curious about everything and so eager to learn new stuff.

Joscel is getting more and more independent and so focused on things around her like music and TV! She is very curious and likes to explore. She is crawling more efficiently now and she loves to eat anything she sees. She'll often pull the ornaments on our christmas tree.

Joshua is still laid-back but has attitude now. He's an attention-seeker. He'll voice out his opinion (really loud) when you take his toy away from him and when you don't attend to him right away. I guess he's the loudest in the house now.

On the flip side, when he's tired, he likes to cuddle, hold your face, stare and smile at you.

It is soooo much better now that we can take them out without oxygen during the day. And to seize the opportunity, we took some family pictures.

2009-11-10T16:01:00.005-07:00

It's so nice to wake up every morning with these 2 little angels. And here's what they do to us everyday.

A video of Joscel crawling. She's so fast now that it's hard to turn your back just for a few seconds....

Good news.

2009-10-29T22:44:00.012-06:00

Age: 10 months and 2 weeks

Adjusted Age: 7 months

Joscel (14.8 lbs)

Joshua (16.8 lbs)

The four of us got vaccinated with H1N1 vaccine 2 days ago. We weren't gonna get it but they told us that preemies are required to get it as well as their parents. It was funny because Jo and I complained about the pain more than Joscel and Joshua did, actually, they didn't complain at all. Though they were restless because both of them caught a cold. It was so hard to take care of two sick babies when the parents are sick too.

We did the overnight monitor with Joshua and Joscel sleeping without the oxygen machines. They both passed it and......

Joshua has finally graduated from oxygen. Yay! But because he has a cold, we still put his oxygen on at night when he sleeps just to be safe.

Joscel, on the other hand, still needs to be on just at night time when she sleeps.

She can be off of it during the day.

We'll test her again after a month and maybe, that'll be the last time!

Here are the best buddies in the future.

Though it's a little scary that Joscel might be the bossy one..

She crawls all over Joshua...

She reaches for things first... and will steal Joshua's toy even though she has hers already.

Here's a video of Joscel babbling non-stop.

Joshua was just listening and I think there was a point when he tried to stop his sister from being too loud.

They are not crying, this is just how they talk to each other...

And this is what they do at bedtime.

Love their giggles..

2009-10-21T23:12:00.004-06:00

I was reminded to post these videos of Joscel and Joshua giggling for those who don't have Facebook accounts.

It's amazing to see them grow everyday. Sometimes we forget what they went through because they are such happy and healthy babies. We thank God everyday for their progress and health.

As first time parents, it's funny to experience their everyday developments as they are learning very quickly to being independent. I would sometimes turn my back for a few seconds to get something, only to find that they are competing to get a particular item and I would have to choose which one to pick up first. They are really fast even though they haven't fully learned how to crawl.

Their personalities are really quite different. Joscel loves her independence. She could play by herself for a long time and only seeks for attention when she is hungry or tired. Joshua on the other hand is laid back and loves to be cuddled and talked to. I guess having a boy and a girl, you get the best of both worlds.

Taking Precautions

2009-10-16T09:14:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone,

We've decided to change the accessibility of our Blog, Facebook, and social networking sites. With all the scary things going on in the Internet with fraud, identity theft, and mis-used photo grabbing, we are limiting our sites to friends and family.

** This will be effective Nov. 1, 2008 **

If you would like to be on our list of followers, please send us your email and we will gladly add you. Thanks for all your support, and understanding.

Love, Inch's

Our superstars!

2009-10-08T20:30:00.002-06:00

Age: 10 months old

Adjusted age: 6 months and 3 weeks

They got tested again on their oxygen saturation 2 weeks ago. The results were better that they decided we can take them off the oxygen for 3-4 hours everyday. It's mandatory to take them off (even if I'm a little scared for Joscel since it's her first time to be off oxygen for that long). We need to find out if they are really ready to come off next month. They told us to pick up the oxygen monitors on the 27th of this month and see if they can sleep through the night without oxygen at all. And if they pass it, they'll come off of them the next day, and that's for good!

2009-10-08T20:04:00.005-06:00

People are saying that it's hard to get a smile from Joscel which is true sometimes specially when we are with our family. But when she's with us, she smiles and giggles a lot. Hmmm, playing hard to get?

But with Joshua, it's the opposite. Say "Hi" to him and he'll smile right back at you.

We often find them hugging each other and sometimes, wrestling too! And even if I give each of them same toys, Joscel will still steal Joshua's. I don't know why! Does that mean something? Is she gonna be the bossy one??

Because of too much crawling, we found Joscel lying on our hardwood floor!

We bought them excersaucers because we noticed they get bored so easily....

Playtime with Mommy and Daddy...

Summer and Winter look.....

2009-10-08T19:51:00.000-06:00

A few videos to show their cuteness...

2009-10-08T11:55:00.009-06:00

Here are some videos to show how silly they are. My family in the Philippines are requesting us to post them coz they love seeing them move (instead of just seeing them in pictures).

Joshua, don't know what he's complaining about.

Joscel trying to crawl..

Giggle, giggle, giggle...

Joscel telling her brother a story

Show us what you got!

The 28 yr old dress..

2009-09-19T22:20:00.002-06:00

Yep, this pink dress is as old as I am. I wore it on my Christening. I think I was 2 or 3 months old then.

I know I still have the picture somewhere where my mom was holding me with this dress. But because of moving and renovating, I can't find it.

My mom told me to keep it so when I have my own daughter, I would have something sentimental to give to her. I'm so happy I listened.

And here it is, Joscel is wearing it...

It's a little too short for her now...

2009-09-19T21:57:00.002-06:00

Jo and I always wonder how our lives could have been if we only had 1 baby.. Conclusion is, it wouldn't be this fun.

Having 2 babies was a little scary at first, but when you get the routine, you'll know how easy it could be. Of course, once in a while, they both cry and ask for attention at the same time. But we are thankful that God gave us 2 good babies. They usually wait for their turns.

No matter how tired we are at the end of the day, a hug or caress from them will make it all better....

And watching them sleep at night? Priceless!!!

Getting there! They are learning how to hold their bottles now..

Uh-oh, a pink bottle for Joshua??? It doesn't happen all the time.

More tummy time..

They have another oxygen test next week. We are still patiently waiting,,,,

Graduating to High Chairs..

2009-09-19T21:46:00.002-06:00

They finally graduated from their bumbos. We are now feeding them in their high chairs. Looking good!

I try feeding them different fruits and vegetables now. Sometimes, I just laughed at myself coz I never imagined that I would be singing and dancing like a fool while feeding babies... They love it though!

Joshua usually gives me this extreme sour face when trying new food for the first time. But after his first try, he then gives me a smile.

Some funny pictures of our 2 little munchkins...

2009-09-19T21:23:00.004-06:00

Playing Farm Town in Facebook is one of the ways I relax myself lately. I usually do it when the kids are watching their Baby Einstein shows. In this picture, I stood up just for 2 seconds to get a soother for Joshua and when I came back, I saw Joscel snooping around my farm! I thought it was cute!!!

They said that babies explore things around them by licking them, I don't know if this is a part of it. Joscel loves to lick Josh's foot. Joshua doesn't mind though...

Of course, Joshua is interested at Joscel's foot too!

No matter how hard I try to separate them in bed, they still find their way to be close to each other. Most of the time, they would pull each other's nasal prongs, fingers, ear, and foot!

I always say that Joscel doesn't know how to put herself to sleep. But in this picture, it was magic. She just fell asleep!

The King and Queen of our house

2009-09-03T22:49:00.007-06:00

Here are the videos of Joscel and Joshua making our house lively......

We no longer have peace and quiet because the little "inchkins" are always alert and seeking for attention. When they're both awake, they double-team and try to outdo each other's scream.

Updates

2009-08-27T21:16:00.005-06:00

Age : 8 1/2 months

Corrected age: 5 months

Joscel (12 lbs. 4 oz.)

Joshua (13 lbs. 10 oz.)

Our i-photo acted up 2 weeks ago and Jo just found the time to fix it last night.. sorry for no blogging for a while.

It's always fun to dress our babies up specially now that they have clothes that could actually fit them. Sometimes they match, sometimes they don't. It depends on our moods, I guess.

We are enjoying every moment with our 2 little munchkins. We sometimes look at their pictures when they were still at the hospital and we can't imagine how small they were. We are so blessed to have them in our lives.

We went to ACH for their liver follow-up and Joshua's Hypothyrodism. Joscel got us worried 2 months ago because we were told that her liver enzymes elevated. But their GI doctor said that there's nothing to worry about since her last blood test showed good progress.

Since they were still at the NICU, they've been taking tons of meds. But we stopped some of them just this week because they don't need them anymore. YAY!

Joshua will take his thyroid pill until he's 2-3 years old. They monitor him every 3 months just to make sure that his medication is doing it's job. His doctor was impressed to see that though he's got this condition, he seems like he doesn't even have it. He's developing really well physically and mentally.

We give them more tummy time everyday. Joscel can roll over from her back to tummy and vice versa. Joshua gets frustrated though and the last picture shows his reaction...

Respiratory test..

2009-08-27T20:46:00.003-06:00

Joscel and Joshua had their respiratory/oxygen test again last week. We were kinda hoping to get Joshua off of it but the monitor still showed that he's not ready yet.

We were surprised and happy to know that Joscel is improving. She used to fail the test right away but the last test showed that she could go off the oxygen for more than 30 minutes.. YAY!

We are patiently waiting for their lungs to fully develop and sustain their oxygen requirements...

Getting ready for solid food,,,

2009-08-27T19:51:00.004-06:00

They're 5 months old now and we were told to start feeding them starting with rice cereals, then veggies and fruits.

We started them with rice cereals 2 weeks ago. They're liking it so far so we'll try feeding them veggies next week.

Messy, messy, messy!

They have tons of bibs but we used small blankets to cover their entire body coz we knew how messy they could get.

This is the video of their first time trying rice cereals. They did have sour faces, but now, they get so excited when they see their colorful spoons and bowls....

Little things that make it all worth it

2009-08-03T22:32:00.003-06:00

It's amazing how the little things, like going outside, can brighten up your day. We took the kids out, with their portable oxygen, and spent a few minutes outside. They loved it, looking around and breathing in some fresh air.

It got a little windy after awhile, so our "picnic" was cut short.

They always want attention, and at the same time, so figuring out ways to play with them both is sometimes tricky.

Joscel tends to seek more one-on-one playtime.

Because it's more difficult to get a smile out of her, it's a thrill to catch her giggling.

Almost 8 months old!

2009-08-01T22:43:00.005-06:00

It's nice to have Jo around to help with the babies since he's currently not working.

Joscel and Joshua are growing so fast and seeking more personal attention. They love to be talked to and played with all the time. They don't sleep very long during the day and that means no nap for mommy, but they sleep 5-6 hours during the night,, yay! Although my body automatically wakes up every 2-3 hours just to check on them.

They have been discharged from the Neonatal Transitional Team last week. This was a group of nurses who visited us at home to weigh and monitor them. I guess that's a positive thing which indicates that our babies are doing so well.

They also just had their Perinatal Follow-up where they check their developmental stage according to their corrected age (4 months old). Thanks Ashley for being there to see how they are doing!!!

Joshua is in line with their expectation but Joscel is a couple of weeks behind,,, but that's ok coz she's a Princess and she's always taking her time right from the beginning. Speaking of being a PRINCESS, her attitude has also returned. She would scream and yell for attention. Meanwhile Joshua quietly waits for his turn....

They have learned to grab on to everything within their reach but Joscel has taken it to the extreme by grabbing her tubes and Joshua's and would get tangled in them.

When she's not yelling or fighting with mommy, she loves to babble and smile.

Our big boy and big girl.....

2009-07-16T21:43:00.014-06:00

Joscel Faith (10 lbs. 2 oz.)

Joshua Caleb (11 lbs. 4 oz.)

Joscel and Joshua had their oxygen and eyes tested again yesterday. She failed again on her oxygen stats. Joshua was good enough to go on and off it but the doctor said that he's oxygen stats are still at the lower 90's so he still wanted him to continue to be on.

Dr. Ells tested their eyes and she said they are minus now, don't know what it means. All we know was she said they might need glasses sooner than later. We are still trying to be positive but it's ok with us if they will wear glasses, we'll just get them the cutest glasses ever! And Jo and I also wear glasses anyway....

Sometimes we can see these kids are as crazy as us. Dad was trying to get good pictures of them together and here's Joshua trying to lick Joscel's head. She didn't like it and I think these pictures are enough to show her facial reaction. Good thing that it was time to give them a bath anyway.

I got a video of them watching Baby Einstein. You can see that Joshua pays more attention to it and Joscel, well, she eats her prongs and plays with her toys at the same time.

Their first roll over.....

My sister's visit...

2009-07-09T23:01:00.003-06:00

My sister just went back to Grande Prairie yesterday after her stay here for 6 days. We had such a great time and we miss her already....

As promised, we made some time to entertain her and get her a tour around our area. We took her to Banff and Lake Louise.

You might say that we are crazy to take Joscel and Joshua with us, but the truth is, they did great in all our trips. Also, before we did this, we consulted their doctors, the respiratory team and their nurses.

We rode the Gondola and here's a video she requested me to post for her husband, Kong Jay....

Elbow Falls

2009-07-09T22:56:00.003-06:00

We went to Elbow Falls for picture taking which she can show off to her co-workers and roommates in Grande Prairie...

Kananaskis

2009-07-09T22:43:00.008-06:00

We took her to Kananaskis to camp for the day.

It was also Joscel and Joshua's first camping, kind of. They stayed in the tent and it looked like they had fun too!

And another video for Kong Jay....... Ching Dess thought she could bear the cold water....

Joscel and Joshua's baby shower

2009-07-09T22:09:00.004-06:00

Joscel and Joshua had their baby shower, with friends and close people this time. We had to do it twice because my co-workers from NAPA requested to have a reunion at the same time.

The second one was hosted by Jo's mom. Joshua and Joscel were quite alert the whole time and everyone was excited to finally see them.

Here are some of their primary nurses that were able to come that day. They were thrilled to see how big they were!

Looks like everybody had a great time.....

2009-06-30T19:20:00.005-06:00

Joscel Faith (9 lbs.)

Joshua Caleb (10 lbs. 5.6 oz.)

Being visited by the Transitional Team (nurses) is great. They're being weighed, measured and constantly checked. Their developmental stages are also monitored. Unfortunately, based on their adjusted age, they're a little late which we already knew because of their prematurity.

But they are quite active and alert, keeping us on our toes whenever they aren't asleep.

While playing with them, they gave me their 1st giggles. Here I am capturing that precious moment....

My sister Desiree in Grande Prairie is visiting our twins. It's her 3rd time here in Calgary, hopefully this time we can show her around. The first time I was pregnant and I wasn't in the mood and was always nauseous. The second time the kids were in the hospital. This time we are planning to show her around Banff and perhaps camping. Hopefully the kids will be able to handle the long drive and the altitude. It will be great for them to get some fresh air and sunlight... for me too.

A proud DAD

2009-06-22T17:02:00.004-06:00

Though it was his first Father's Day, we didn't make it to church because Joshua just had his surgery. Thankfully, auntie Lucy got us a copy of yesterday's message.

We happily spent it with Jo's family who brought us food and kept the day going. It was fun!

He also wanted to take good pictures of us with our babies and here are some of them. See how happy he was?

Joshua's surgery

2009-06-22T16:43:00.003-06:00

As scheduled, Joshua had his HERNIA repair and circumcision last Friday. Everything went well. We were just a little scared when we couldn't get him settled after waking up from his sedation. They fed him, I cuddled him, did everything we could to stop him from crying. They gave him tylenol and that was the only time he stopped and then fell asleep.

Today is his 3rd day of surgery and he's been good. He doesn't give us trouble in feeding and putting him to sleep. He is such a trooper!

Hopefully, that surgery would be the last one..........

2009-06-22T16:25:00.005-06:00

Joscel and Joshua had their respiratory/oxygen test again a week ago. The results were:

Joshua is ready to go ON and OFF his oxygen but since he was having a surgery, they told us to leave him on.

And as expected, Joscel still needs to be ON. During the test, she failed right away and it took her quite a while to come back up so they bumped her up from 1/8 of a liter to 1/4.

They'll be tested again on July 15.

Here are some of the pictures showing everyday stuff.....

2009-06-09T13:29:00.005-06:00

Another week has passed and I'm still surviving! Actually, it gets better and better everyday specially now that Joscel and Joshua are starting to communicate with us. It just melts our hearts when they stare at us and as if, trying to talk to us....

Here's Joscel's chubby face without her oxygen on....

Of course, Joshua is still doing his signature cute face... macho man too!

They are more awake during the day so I read them some books. They both love it though Joscel gets bored easily. While Joshua, he would look at the pictures. If you say "the end" he'll squirm 'til I read it again...

I tried getting some videos of them trying to talk to me, so here are the best ones I got (I think).. You will notice that Joshua is more vocal than Joscel. He makes sounds but Joscel just smiles at you...

By the way, Joshua's HERNIA surgery was moved to June 19 instead of 22. Please help us pray for him, as you always do.

Getting chunky!

2009-06-01T14:18:00.011-06:00

Age based on birthdate: 5 mos. 3 wks

Adjusted age: 2 mos. 1 wk

Joscel Faith

3436 gms (7 lbs 9.2 oz)

Joshua Caleb

3930 gms (8 lbs 10 oz)

Wow! He's now bigger than the tissue box!

I've been wanting to update our blog since Jo went back to work 2 weeks ago, but I just can't find the time! Right now, our twins are sleeping (ooops, kinda waking up!) and instead of me taking a nap, I thought of posting some pics instead.

So here they are, getting so big.

At first, taking care of them alone was a little scary. But now, I have the routine of feeding, changing and playing with one baby at a time. I still can't get enough sleep though. When Jo comes home, he lets me sleep but my body automatically wakes up every hour.

Joshua's first time-out from daddy for spitting-up... It was just for 2 seconds since he can't take watching him like this :( I don't think he can give them "time-outs" in the future. We'll see!

Our future babysitters, Achi (big sister) Kalia and Asia....

They are still on oxygen. They will be tested again on the 17th of this month. And Joshua's gonna get his hernia repaired on the 22nd. The doctor said he'll be sedated so daddy decided to get him circumcised as well. He will be allowed to go home on the same day.

Ok, time to go. Joscel is screaming her lungs out!

A Handful, or Two

2009-05-15T21:53:00.012-06:00

Joscel Faith

2950 grams

Joshua Caleb

3154 grams

Hi Everyone, we finally had a chance to take some pictures with the little ones without their prongs. We went to the Respiratory Clinic on Tuesday to determine whether they still need oxygen assistance. It turns out that their lungs aren't strong enough yet, and they still need the extra boost of O2.

They also had their hearing test done, and they both passed it. Eye test went well too.

We took the opportunity to take some quick shots when we changed (every week or so) their nasal prongs the other night. It was quite difficult to get them to look at the same time, but we tried our best.

Super MOM!!.. Even just under 7lbs each, Cey is having difficulty trying to corral the gremlins. But she'll have to get used to it as Daddy needs to go back to work to pay the bills.

The challenge was to get both of them to look at the camera without crying or making a silly face... That proved to be more difficult than what I expected.

Here's Mommy trying to get a smile...

Then they just got bored...

Here's the best shot we got...

Joshua exploring, and trying to crawl... what a trooper!

Even with just a few hours of interrupted sleep, we love to just watch (and kiss) them as they sleep.

Daddy trying to convince Joshua that he can't be held all the time. He'll fall asleep in your arms and as soon as you try to put him down he'll be wide awake.

A visit from Auntie Ashley

2009-05-07T17:15:00.005-06:00

Ashley, one of their primary nurses stopped by yesterday to take their footprints to print on her shirt for the Mother's Day Walk on Sunday.

Even though they're not at the hospital anymore, it's still heartwarming to know that they still spoil and care for our twins.

Bonding Moments..

2009-05-07T16:30:00.006-06:00

Things are getting better now (in terms of sleeping time!). From getting only an hour of sleep a day, it has now improved to 3 hours. Hooray!

Here's me and our twins having some bonding time.

I'm trying to get used to taking care of them alone as Jo is going back to work in a week. It is sometimes frustrating, specially when they both cry at the same time... and how I wish I could clone myself.

Here's a sample video of them crying at the same time...

Our kids have 2 very different personalities now. Joshua used to be just laid back, but now he's the one cranky. He'll let you know when he's hungry and when he wants his bum changed. And after eating, he can't settle himself unless you cuddle him 'til he sleeps. But sometimes, even when you think he's sleeping, as soon as you put him down on his crib, he'll cry and wake up with his eyes wide open. I'm still trying to figure out how to teach him to sleep without being cuddled all the time since I still have to feed and put Joscel to sleep.

Joscel on the other hand knows how to behave. She's so behave that she would just stare at Joshua and smiles specially when he freaks out.

LIfe at Home

2009-04-28T09:53:00.006-06:00

Here's a quick update of our life at home .... full of joy, laughter, crying and dirty diapers.

Age (139 days old)

Adjusted age (1 month 2 days)

Joscel Faith

Weight - 2532 grms (5 lbs 9.3 oz)

Length - 46 cm (18 in)

Faces without tubes, tape and milk are a rare occurrence. Aren't those cheeks just squish-able, mommy will kiss, pinch and bite them until she cries.

Joshua Caleb

Weight - 2676 grms (5 lbs 14.4 oz)

Length - 47 cm (18.5 in)

After only two weeks at home with the Gremlins,

it's been quite a ride. Our daily routine isn't much of a routine at all. It changes frequently as Joscel and Joshua tell us what to do and when.

Each week consists of 2-4 appointments to the Childrens Hospital, Pediatrician, or Family Doctor, for check ups, follow ups, and vaccines.

They also have their weekly check ups from the Neonatal Transitional Care Team, where they are weighed, measured and checked. Adjustments to their daily schedule are made during these visits as well, from their medications to feeding patterns to ensure that they grow at a healthy rate.

So far they have grown 1-2 inches and have gained an additional 400-500 grams each since they've come home. They feed every 2-4 hours on demand, and have increased their feeds from 40-60 mL to 70-90 mL.

Diaper changes have gone from 1 before they feed to before, during, and after. Our garbage output went from 1-2 bags every week to 7-8.

But it's all worth the extra effort when you see these kinds of Pictures:

Just "Clowning around"

Momentary Silence

They are still so small that it isn't difficult to find space for them around the house, our couch cushions take up more space.

We try to sneak in as much sleep and rest as we can, we take advantage of all the napping cuddles we can get. They are also much more content and restless when they have a warm bed to rest on.

Mommy is already having difficulties doing the double cuddle as they are growing so fast.

Our morning sun bathing session (Phototherapy) to take care of that Jaundice.

Even with no sleep, it's always an amazing feeling to have them close by to greet the new day.

Again, a huge "Thank You" to all who keep us in their thoughts and prayers. Also we are truly grateful and appreciative of everyone's support and gifts, including diapers and dinners.

Joshua is Home!!!

2009-04-18T12:39:00.008-06:00

Sorry for the late post, but we finally got into a little bit of a routine, and got some time to blog....zzzzzzz....uuuaaauuugh! uuaaAAGGGHH!

So here's an update:

After 2 Days of RULING the house with her Princess cries, coos and cuteness, Joscel finally has her brother home with her. Joshua passed his car seat test with the assistance of oxygen.

Sometimes I have to look and make sure that they're in there, cause I can't feel the difference in weight when I lift both of the carseat... I feel like Superman. Until we got home, and realized who was in control. Don't be deceived by they're size, they may be small, but they're Powerful.

But it feels so great to be finally home with our twins. It's been 6 days of sleepless nights, but it is all worth it to have them home on my birthday. To add to the celebration, Cey became a Canadian Citizen on the same day.

HOORAY!!! Joshua is finally home!

Just so we don't get them confused, Shanna got them a pair of onesies to indicate which one is the boy and girl.

3 days ago, Joscel took over the house, including my chair...she's in there somewhere.

Despite the sleepless nights, crying, diaper changes, endless laundry, constant feeding, Cey (aka. Mommy) enjoys dressing them up, and actually taking care of them, and not watching from the sidelines. It finally feels like we've got our own family.

Together at home, in their OWN crib, and with their portable oxygen tanks, which are bigger and heavier than they are.

They will stare at each other, until Joscel feels it's no fun and squirms to find her space... After all, she was here first.

Our little Monkeys

And now "Who Rules the Hawse?"

Let me hear you say "Who?, Who?!!"

"Who?...Who?"

BOTH of them RULE the house. Anything they want, they get, at ANYtime.

Welcome Home Joscel!

2009-04-14T11:13:00.006-06:00

After 124 day-stay at the hospital, we finally took Joscel home last night. Actually, she was allowed to go home a week ago but I begged the doctors and nurses to just keep her there 'til Joshua is ready to go home.

They tried Joshua again on his car bed test, as usual, he failed it. They also thought of putting a test/monitor on his crib and see what he does since car bed and crib are just the same (flat beds!). As weird as it can be, he failed his crib test too!

They put him back on nasal prongs now which tells us that he still needs oxygen. As soon as he's back on it, he was breathing fine.

We were told that if he passes his car seat test with oxygen, they're going to send him home tonight. That means, he'll be on oxygen too for a little while even when he's at home.

Here are some of the photos we thought are cute!

Daddy giving Joshua a nice afternoon bath.

And Joscel, knocked out as we put her on her crib at home,,,, Home at last!!!!

Excited parents....

Going Home Empty and Drained

2009-04-07T23:18:00.009-06:00

After a 4-Day stay at the hospital's accomodation, Rooming-INN, it was difficult to leave. Not because of all the memories and triumphs, but because we had to leave with empty car seats.

Mommy taking advantage of all the kisses she can get

Feeding at 3:00am

A gift from the Shepherds, Joshua is almost small enough to ride the giraffes.

The Girls' beauty sleep.

Where did Joshua go?...clue, he's a little longer than the tissue box.

It was a day of mixed feelings, of sadness and relief. Sad because Joshua didn't pass his car-seat and car-bed test. It order for him to be allowed to leave the hospital, he needs to be stable long enough to take the trip home. Unfortunately, he doesn't like being restraint, and Desats when in the car-seat or bed. So the Doctors decided to keep him for another 5 days or so, to
help grow more weight and be more stable. Joscel, ironically is allowed to go home and had passed the test, but she needs to be on oxygen for a couple of months ,(with follow ups in a couple of weeks). We had requested that they go home together, and the Doctors had allowed Joscel to stay in the unit with Joshua until they are both ready. This also allows her to gain more weight as well under the Nurses' watch.

It was also relieving, as both Cey and I can go home to get some much needed rest. We are both overwhelmed with taking care of both Joshua and Joscel for 4 days as if we were home, with the nurses occasionally checking up on us. We changed, feed, changed, bathed, changed, cuddled, changed, give meds, and changed their diapers every 2-4 hours...oh, did I mention change them. We would then have a half an hour or so, if that, in between to eat or get some sleep, but alert enough to keep an hear out for them. Cey didn't get more than 1 hour of sleep in those 4 days. Me on the other hand, didn't hear a peep out of the kids while I was sound asleep.

Joshua's cute lips, did he get it from daddy or mommy?Daddy practising Joshua for the car seat.

Anyway, we had a great time and can't wait to take them home. But we're hoping that these next few days ahead, we can get some sl..z..zz..zzz..zzz..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........eep, and prepare ourselves as there are a lot more things to do than we had anticipated. As for now...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

We're Rooming In!

2009-04-04T09:52:00.004-06:00

Since dad and Josh are cuddling in the room right now, I thought I would give you a quick update about us.
We started rooming-in with Joshua on thursday night. The original plan from the doctors was just to room-in with him for 2 nights and take him home supposedly today. But it breaks our heart to leave our little princess here at the hospital. Besides, we couldn't figure out a way on how to take care of Josh at the same time while visiting Joscel. So one of their nurses talked to the doctor in charge for the week to just send Joscel as well since she had improved her feeding. I guess as soon as she heard that Joshua is going home soon, she smartened up and just proved that she can go home too! We also called some home oxygen companies to install oxygen tank/stuff for Joscel, she is still on prongs but it's ok. They said it's not that bad....
So hopefully, Joscel can join us tonight in the room and they'll send both of them home on Monday or Tuesday.
Joshua failed his car seat test because he is still tiny. They'll give it another try tomorrow and if he fails it again, the only option we have is to get car beds for them which are worth $100 each.
Shanna also stopped by last night to give Joshua his "Welcome Home" feast and presents... Thanks again Shepherd family!
Sorry for the unorganized updates today. It's just that I haven't slept since thursday night!

A taste of what's to come!!!

2009-03-28T13:24:00.005-06:00

Joscel and Joshua we're being changed by the nurse and mommy, when Joshua decided to let his big voice out, and Joscel decided to sing her own tune. It's amazing how big they're getting. By the way, the nurse had to quickly run and mix up some milk to satisfy their hunger.

They are so ADORABLE, are they? Ask me that at 3am in the morning after they come home and see if I'll still agree with you then. It's a good thing I'm a heavy sleeper. I guess mommy and them will have some great bonding time..hehehe.

Happy Due Date Mommy?!?!

2009-03-25T23:14:00.007-06:00

Yup! Today is supposed to be my due date (MARCH 27). The doctors and nurses were greeting me "Happy Due Date Mom", or should it be "Happy 107th day at the hospital"? Either way, we're glad that everything is going smoothly.

4 days ago, they put them together in 1 big crib. They are full term now so they treat them as full term babies. Pastor Darcy also visited them on that day. Thank you again for the visit! By the way, NICU is getting a little bit loose for visitors.

Joshua's infection is gone. His last blood culture came back negative and he is also alert now. Actually, he became too hyper! He screams all the time and his voice fills the whole Level 2 when he cries. You can't stop him unless you feed him right away. He can finish 50 mils every feed and will want more. But we're making sure that his tummy tolerates it well so we try not to overfeed him. Sometimes, we give him more just to make him feel better.

The doctor today told me that Joshua is almost ready to go home. He feeds on demand, knows how to breastfeed, awake when he's hungry, finishes the whole bottle of milk, etc.. He just needs to gain more weight. He is also off the prongs now. They said that if things go well for the next few days, we can take him home sometime next week. But that means Joscel will stay at the hospital for a couple more days 'til she meets the other requirements. When that day comes, we'll figure out how to take care of Josh and visit Joscel at the same time. Any suggestions????

Another "thank you" to those who want to help us finish the house. Right now, we are trying to make the first 2 levels/bedrooms, kitchen and living room of our house clean and ready enough for the babies. We're not sure if Jo can finish the last 2 levels/basement. For now, that seems impossible. Hopefully, the help offer is still available when time comes....

103 days old

2009-03-23T15:16:00.011-06:00

Joscel Faith (A.K.A. Lashes)

Whenever somebody comes and visits our babies, the first thing they would notice about Joscel is her long and curling eyelashes. They are super long and they make her look more adorable. She still has some attitudes but she just melts your heart away when you see her smile and stares at you when you talk to her.

Joshua Caleb (A.K.A. Cute Lips)

Yup, he likes to show-off his cute lips. Here are some of the moments we captured when he was doing it. Jo thinks he's practicing the Zoolander "Magnum" look.

Cute as a button...... Their hair is growing back... Still looks funny though....

Just for fun, daddy took a picture of Joshua's feet. We'll try taking Joscel's tonight.

Joshua got us worried again 4 days ago. He was lithurgic and was holding his breath for almost 10 seconds. They did some tests on him and his blood culture came back positive.. He has an infection/bacteria growing. They couldn't figure out what caused it though. Good thing is, they started him on antibiotics right away before they got the result and will continue taking it for 3 more days. They also put him back on nasal prongs to help him breath. Two steps forward, one step back eh? He's getting better now and he seems more alert. At least they didn't stop feeding him. He's on full feeds too.

And it's so nice to see that their nurses are trying to look for linens and sleepers that match for them..

Lately, I've been spending 12 hours or more everyday at the hospital and it's not even enough.I'm there to constantly change their diapers, clean their face, take their temperature, feed them, put them to sleep, etc.

I could imagine how my life would be when I take them home. There'll be no resting! When I feed one of them, the other would be crying. Hence, my adrenaline level goes up! Specially when Josh is hungry, he would scream his lungs out! He wouldn't stop until the bottle touches his lips...

It's also a good thing that I spend most of my time with them because I'm learning my babies' attitudes, cues and needs.

Jo took some time off again from work to make our house ready before the babies come home. It's so nice of "SYC" to let him take the time we need to get ready for the babies. We are still not sure when we could take them home specially now that Josh is sick.

Do they look like us?

Everything's alright!

2009-03-16T08:32:00.009-06:00

Joscel Faith

Weight - 1667 grams (3.68 lbs)

Joshua Caleb

Weight - 1683 gms (3.71 lbs)

We got a phone call from the hospital on Friday (really scares us when that happens). They asked us to come right away to sign a consent form (scarier!) It was for Joshua's PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catether) line. Since he's only getting a little bit of milk a day, they had to get a permanent line for his IV and some meds he's taking 'til he reach his full feeds. They had to poke him every single day just to get one but it looked like when he's mad, the lines blew up! We were warned before, that if it keeps happening, they had to do a surgical procedure called "BROVIAC" where they had to put 2 tubes below his neck (ouch!). But before they do that, they would try to get one in his arm. They also told us that last Thursday night, they had to poke him 9 times but none of them was successful. Not to mention they also poked him 3 times on the same day (WHYYYYYY!!!!!)

So we rushed to the Children's Hospital for the 4th time. We prayed that the arm one would be successful so they don't have to make holes in his neck and God heard us, as always. He came out of ACH with the tube in his right arm, not in the neck. And now, no more pokes for him. Whew!

Saturday night, their nurse told us that she would try to put them together in one bed, it was soooo tiny. And here I am again, worried that they wouldn't be comfortable in that crowded bed, knowing that Joscel would be kicking and smacking Joshua. Also, Joshua has that huge tube in his arm. We saw them wiggling and crying too much. So we ended up staying 'til 12 midnight just to make sure they were ok. We made sure they were comfortable enough before we left. The next day, Joscel was back in her isolette (a closed bed)! See! Mommy's instinct is always, or should I say most of the time right! The doctors noticed that they weren't gaining enough weight and putting them together in one bed wouldn't do them good either, FOR NOW. It's a great thing to put them together but not at this point of time where they still need to gain a lot of weight. They'll stay in 2 separate isolettes until March 22 and then they will re-evaluate, maybe put them together in 1 big crib.

Today, I got the most awaited letter in the mail. It's the letter of confirmation that I passed the Canadian Citizenship Exam! Yay! Oath taking will be on Jo's birthday, April 17. Hopefully my babies can be witnesses on that special day too.

91 days,,,,

2009-03-11T15:22:00.008-06:00

Joscel Faith

Weight: 1630 gms (3.59 lbs)
Length: 16.5 inches

Joshua Caleb
Weight: 1526 gms (3.36 lbs)

Length: 15.5 inches

91 days old
37 5/7 weeks gestationally

Joshua started eating 3 days ago. He started with 3.9 mls/3 hours. And he finished it all within 2.5 seconds! He was so hungry. Yesterday, they increased it to 6 mils. Whenever they feed him, he would want more. They can't increase his feeds too quickly due to his tummy issues. They want to make sure that his belly is ok. I guess that's better than getting him to full feeds and then will get sick. We'll just let him suck on his soother coz it makes him feel better that way.We also noticed that he's been traumatized. Everytime they touch him he screams. Because of the fact that they either poke him, take some blood, x-ray him, etc. 2 nights ago, his nurse was just trying to bundle him up really well while I was cuddling him and we saw his eyes popped out like he's afraid to get hurt again. It just breaks our heart to see him getting scared of the nurses. At least mommy and daddy are always there to make sure everything will be ok and that nobody's gonna hurt him anymore. I also make sure that he get's all comfy in my arms and just watch him sleep.

Joscel got us worried too. 3 nights ago, she was bradying and was lithurgic. Her tummy went up to 28.5 cms from 26 cms. Of course, the nurses got some blood tests, x-rayed her tummy, etc. They found out that it's full of air pockets. But it didn't look like Josh's problem. They stopped feeding her though and just waited for her to poop. I guess pooping was the solution for her. The next day, she pooped 2 big ones. She felt better and her tummy went down to 24 cms. She started eating again. She's also in an open bed now and she's doing great in maintaining her temperature.

Today didn't start well for me. I've been bugging Jo to take me out to get a hair cut. I had my last haircut in November so I needed it really bad. So this morning before heading to the hospital, we stopped by First Choice Haircutters to get my hair done. I guess it shouldn't have been our "first choice". The lady cut my hair really short! She suggested that she'll do short at the back and long at the front. I kinda liked her suggestion. At first I was liking it, but all of a sudden she was pulling some of my hair at the back and started cutting it really short, as in really SHORT! I was shocked.. I couldn't complain anymore and just let her do her stuff. She was asking me if I like it, I believe I only replied "It's different!". Was I too nice not to complain about it? Well, at least I've learned my lesson not to follow their suggestion anymore and just get them to do WHAT I WANT.

Things are getting better again....

2009-03-07T15:40:00.006-07:00

Joshua's laser eye surgery on wednesday went well. He was transferred to Level 3 when he came back from the Childrens' Hospital where they did the surgery.

They had to intubate him because of the heavy sedation the doctors gave him. He was finally extubated yesterday and they put him back to nasal prongs. We were planning to come home early last night (we usually go home at around 10 pm) but when his nurse asked us if we want to cuddle him, we immediately said YES. We haven't cuddled him for almost a week and for sure, he missed it too. So we stayed late and just enjoyed the night with our babies (as always).He was also scheduled this morning for his upper GI to make sure his tummy is ok before they start feeding him again. As we remember, he had his upper GI a week ago and the result was "no obstruction". They told us that the test went well but they found out that he has reflux so they're starting him some meds to help him get rid of it. And it's nice to hear that they're going to start feeding him slowly as well. Poor boy, when we held him last night, he couldn't get enough of his soother. He was really hungry!

Everybody who knows Joshua were shocked when he was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. At first, it was hard for us to accept that our baby boy will be on meds to regulate his thyroid for the rest of his life. But we felt better when the results on his tests, xrays, and ultrasounds were normal (his neck/thyroid, knee/bone age, liver etc.)

In level 2, our little princess Joscel is getting better and is bottle feeding.

Whenever we come to visit her, she desats and then smiles. That's how she says "Hi". We can tell that she misses her brother and hopefully they can be together again soon.

Back to the NICU Shuffle

2009-03-02T22:54:00.008-07:00

One step forward, Two steps back, and around and around and around. Things have been progressing so fast that we forgot that anything could go wrong within the remaining 4 weeks at the hospital .

Yesterday, daddy was cuddling Joshua and we noticed that he was just sleeping and not active at all. He was also bradying (slowing of the heart rate) so Jo put him back in his isolette. But after a few minutes, his bradys continued.

The Doctors and RTs came to check on him. After a few medical procedures (nasal prongs for oxygen, some blood tests, spinal fluid tap, x-rays, blood transfusion, etc.) They found out his tummy is an issue again. They found that his intestines are lined with pockets of air that may perforate again. They also found that his thyroid reading is low, which may affect his stomach, heart-rate, and perhaps mental development. The Doctors are fortunate that they have detected it this early and have started treating the deficiency with a pill a day for the rest of his life, depending on his reaction. The Eye Doctor has also concluded after his frequent check ups, that his ROP has developed to Stage 3. Which means that he requires eye surgery within the next few days.

For both of us, Jo and I, it has been such a roller coaster ride. Going to and from the hospital everyday and night, has drained us both physically, emotionally and mentally. The only thing we can really count on is God's promise that He will never give us anything that we can't handle.

Joscel seems to be the one that brings a bit of homour in our daily visits. Although it makes our heart skip a beat when she Desats, her little smile afterwards always makes us laugh.

So until next time, to everyone who are continually praying for our family, and your support and understanding, Thank You. We know that our challlenges won't stop after the hospital. From weekly, monthly, yearly, and everything else in between checkups, we are grateful for all you help and encouragement.