3 weeks old

Kendall and Kaleb turned 3 weeks old on Thursday (Apr 26th). Kaleb continues to be a great boy at home! Kendall had a pretty good week and we had planned to take her home today (Saturday, Apr 28), however last night she had another desaturation episode, so she needs to stay a little bit longer in the hospital. It has been an emotional roller coaster because part of us just wants to have her at home with us, while the other part wants to do what is best for her health. Grandma and Grandpa Surface came into town last night, so they will be able to stay with Kaleb and allow Jamie and I to get up to the hospital more to spend time with Kendall.

Kendall was sucking her thumb!!! I love how her fingers curled around her nose!


Kaleb went on his first walk to the park. He loved his stroller!


We did a sponge bath at home on Thursday evening and he didn't cry at all

Kendall is so precious

Even though we are so excited to have Kaleb at home, it was very hard to leave Kendall behind at the hospital. She is so precious and we pray for her to come home soon.

She continues to have desaturation episodes where her oxygen percentage drops. If she can go 3 consecutive days without having a drop in her oxygen percentage, we will get to take her home on an apnea monitor. They started her on Prilosec on Tuesday (Apr. 24th) because they think that reflux is what might be causing her episodes and they are hoping to get rid of any inflamation that she might have. Let's hope it works! In the mean time, Jamie and I are getting up to the hospital a couple of times a day to give her lovin'...

She is also getting so big! She is doing a great job gaining weight!
Weight check:
Tues, Apr 24 - 5 lbs, 9 ounces
Wed, Apr 25 - 5 lbs, 11 ounces
Thurs, Apr 26 - 5 lbs, 12 ounces

Kaleb's first days home

We have had a great couple of days at home with Kaleb. He is a wonderful baby, sleeping 3 to 4 hours at a time, really only waking up to eat (and poop)!

We ate dinner outside on Monday (Apr. 23rd)


Kaleb and Reece are already buddies (Reece is just waiting until the time when Kaleb can throw her the tennis ball)


Trying out his swing!


Lounging like he is staying at a 5 star hotel

Kaleb's Big Day - Coming Home!!!

Kaleb got to come home on Monday (Apr. 23rd) around 7:00 pm. We spent most of the day at the hospital spending time with his sister before we came home.

At the time of discharge, weights were:
Kendall - 5 lbs, 5 ounces
Kaleb - 5 lbs, 7 ounces

Kaleb leaving the hospital


Grand entrace home!


Meeting Reece for the first time!


I love my bouncy seat!!!

Kaleb protecting Kendall - "take 2"

Back on April 13th there was a similar picture taken when they still had all of their tubes on their faces...here is "take 2"!

Best Buddies

Before we took Kaleb home, we had to do one more photo shoot with our precious little ones! They look like best buddies!

Pam visits

Jamie's co-worker Pam surprised us with a visit (and gifts) - Thanks Pam!

Here she is holding Kendall

Kaleb's first bath

Weight update:
Kendall - 5 lbs, 4 ounces
Kaleb - 5 lbs, 5 ounces

Kaleb has had a busy couple of days! On Saturday he did his "car seat test", where they have them sit in their car seat for 1 hour to make sure that they are able to maintain their breathing while sitting up (if they cannot handle it, the hospital provides a car bed for them to come home in). He passed with flying colors! He ended up staying in his car seat for 2 hours because he was sleeping so soundly they didn't want to wake him up! Looks like he is on track to come home on Monday!



On Sunday we were able to give him his first bath! He seemed to really enjoy it!


Kaleb and mommy just after his bath


Kendall is still having desaturation episodes where her oxygen percentage in her blood drops into the 80s. The doctors don't seem to think it is going to be a serious problem, but she needs to stay in the hospital until they stop, or at least stop for a couple of days and then they will send her home on a monitor. It is very emotional to see her continue to have these episodes, mostly because we would really love to have her at home....

Indy "Aunts and Uncles" meet the babies

Molly got to feed Kendall


Ryan holding Kendall


Lindsay has Kaleb, while Tarra holds Kendall


Ryan hanging out with Kaleb

Getting Bigger!

Latest update: They are both taking all of their feedings by bottle (almost 2 ounces at a time). I attempt to breastfeed a couple of times a day, but their prematurity makes it hard for them to latch on and have the strength to suck productively. Kendall can finish her bottle in just a few minutes flat - she is amazing! She is also a great burper...not sure if she gets that from me or her dad! Ha!

Kendall continues to have episodes where her oxygen saturation percentage in her blood dips into the 80s, with periods of apnea. The general rule for discharge is that they need to go 5 consecutive days without having any of these episodes....unfortunately she had another one this afternoon, so it may still be a while before she is able to come home. Kaleb has been episode free for 4 days so if he makes it through tomorrow he will be able to come home on Monday (hope this does not jinx him)! Keep us in your prayers that we will be joined as a complete family at home in the near future!

Both Kendall and Kaleb are gaining weight!!! The picture below was taken a couple of days ago with both of them on the scale (their combined weight at the time was 9 lbs 11 ounces).
As of today, they now weigh:
Kendall - 5 lbs 2 ounces
Kaleb - 5 lbs 4 ounces
Total combined weight of 10 lbs 6 ounces!



One of the nurses loves to do "photo shoots" with our little models (thanks Megan!). Here they are snuggled up together!



This one looks like Kendall is going to yell at her brother (or bite his nose off)!

Playin' with Daddy

Sorry it has been a couple of days since the last update (Jamie went back to work on Monday and I'm not as good as he was about updating the site)! Kendall and Kaleb continue to do well. They seem to look different to us every day! They are still "tube free", however have had some minor set backs with their oxygen levels (called desaturation). They need to have 5 consecutive days without having any decreases in their oxygen percentage in their blood in order to come home. They have both had these decrease episodes in the past couple of days, so we may not be coming home as soon as we thought. It is a sign that their lungs may still be a little premature, and we both feel like if they are not quite ready, then the NICU is still the best place for them!

They enjoyed playing on daddy's lap!

A couple of close-ups

No more tubes at all!

Kaleb and Kendall are both able to feed around the clock with their bottles, which means that they have no more tubes in their bodies. They both have taken to the bottle extremely well. Kendall is done with hers in less then 5 minutes! It seems as though they may be able to go home by the end of the week! It all depends on how well they do with feeding and their breathing, but it all looks OK as of now.

Weight check: Kaleb - 4lbs 12oz. Kendall - 4lbs 9oz.

Grandma Surface, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Dan and Jessie all left for the U.P. today. It was great to have them in town! Thanks for all your help.

The nurses gave us a photo-opp today! Pretty darn cute...

Reece loves the little ones too!

Reece has been smelling the babies in her bed. She seems to be taking to the twins very well!

A great B-Day gift... Out of the Incubator for both

Jill had a wonderful Birthday as both Kendall and Kaleb made it out of the incubator today! They have their own big boy/girl cribs now. They are adapting well outside of the warmed incubators. The other great news is that Mom was able to bottle feed Kendall today. She absolutely loved it. She finished her bottle in about 5 minutes, which is unbelievable for the first time with a bottle.



Grandma was able to visit the little ones for the first time since Tuesday because of a minor infection. She was fine, but didn't want to bring any germs to the NICU... typical nurses instincts. While at the Chip residence, she was able to help out a ton around the house with laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. A great help!



5-18

A couple more cute pics!

No more cannula

Kendall has no cannula in her nose any more. She is doing wonderful! Dad was able to feed Kaleb with a bottle and loved every minute of it. He did such a great job at learning how to breathe and suck at the same time... a natural. It was great to see no more tubes going into his body :) He also had a nice surprise for me today! After changing his poopy diaper, he decided to aim and pee! As I whimpered, it went down my sweater and to the jeans. He will never live it down!

Dan, Sarah and Jessie made it in late last night... they were all so anxious to meet the little ones that we left our house at 1:00 am to give them some lovin'. It was worth the late night trip as we saw the love being filtered through to Kaleb and Kendall.


Sarah was up in Indy for a visit. She was able to hold Kendall for almost an hour and seemed to be right at home.


Jessie really loves the little ones as well! Here she is with Kaleb!

5-15

Kaleb protecting Kendall

Just had to show lil' bro protecting big sis. Kaleb was patting Kendall when they were hanging out with one another.

Off the IV once and for all and all off the IV!

Kendall has been completely weaned off of the IV which makes her Mom and I feel wonderful. They both increased their feedings today and were actually able to suckle with Mom. That is all I have for now, just want to keep everyone updated. We may see Kendall's cannula off tomorrow. Dan and Sarah are on their way down to meet the little Chips!

The nurses (thanks Cindy!) are back at their part time job of photographer... thanks for the pics!

2-12

Jill and Jamie - Newborns

People keep asking "who has who's features?" Here are some pics from Jill and I when we were newborns...

Say good bye to VapoTherm and hello to each other!

No more Vapotherm... the great news of the day. Kendall is only on a simple supplemental breathing cannula. They both continue to increase their feedings. We are so proud of these little ones as they progress every single day! Mom and Dad were able to dress them in their own clothes for the first time today as well.

After 6 days they were able to meet each other once again. It was pretty amazing to see them hold hands and feel comfortable around one another. Mom felt right at home with both of them in her arms loving and cuddling them... just amazing!

Diaper update - 1 for 9... I was a little unlucky with Kaleb this morning!

Another good day...

Kendall and Kaleb are still progressing extremely well. Kendall is now breathing the same oxygen levels as you and I. She has very little forced air through her VapoTherm now and I'm guessing should she should be completely off the VapoTherm by tomorrow. Kaleb is completely off of VapoTherm and is now on a very simple supplemental breathing cannula. His I.V. has been completely removed and is eating over an ounce at each feeding. They are both starting to grow again!

On a fun side note... Dad is 0-6 with poopy diapers... that’s my kids! Mommy isn’t having as good of luck as I am, but it will catch up real soon is my guess.

Its a good day...

Kendall and Kaleb are progressing very well. They both are breathing oxygen like you and I. The NICU is now working on weaning them off of forced air. They also are relieved of the Billy light! This proves that their jaundice is going away. They are also eating a good amount of their Mothers milk, which is a real treat :)

Oh, and for those of you that do not know, we have a middle name for Kendall... it is Bernice! Bernice is the grandmother of Jill. Jill has been known to portray similar characteristics as her.


Kaleb's middle name is Arthur... his Grandpa Chipelewski's middle name.

Kangaroo Care

We were able to relive our Australia trip all over again. We were able to hold Kendall and Kaleb "skin to skin" or sometime called "Kangaroo Care." Kendall slept like a baby in her Mothers arms and Kaleb played with his father the entire time he was being held. What a great experience!

Holding Kendall for the first time...

Almost 86 hours later, Kendall finally settled down enough to let us hold her. She is so precious! She really enjoyed being held and felt right at home with her Mom and Dad. Her hair is much darker then Kaleb's and enjoyed smiling at us every once in a while.

Kendall's breathing is getting better

Kendall has been taking off of her C-Pap breathing machine. She was really fighting the big tubes in her nose (pulling them out all of the time), so the doctor's decided to put her back on vapo-therm to see if she would settle down a little bit. You can see her a little bit better with her hat off and smaller tubes in her nose. She is just beautiful!!! Look at her dark hair!


Grandma Surface calming Kendall down!

Night visit

Jill and I woke up at 1:30 a.m. to go and see the little ones. We were promised we could hold Kaleb... a good execuse to get up! We should be able to have contact with Kendall very soon and are anxiously awaiting the bonding moment.

Nurses pics

The nurses are photographers as well as excellent care takers/healers! They have been absolutely wonderful! Here are some pics from the part time photographers.

Kendall looking good...


Little Kaleb...

Playin in the sun!

Kendall is lounging in the sun with his sunglasses on. Kendall and Kaleb are both doing really well! Their lungs are starting to develop more and more each day.

Tobin family visit

Shawn and Tom made it down on Friday evening and were able to meet Kendall and Kaleb on Saturday. It was so nice to have them visit Indianapolis and their new niece and nephew. Madison and Keiley came as well and will get to meet the twins next time they visit. :)

Holdin, feedin and changin....

And the emotions begin to fly… Jill and I get hold, feed and change Kalebs diapers almost 2 days later. Kendall is in the background snoozin away. Our first family pic!

Ryan and Lindsay visit

Ryan and Lindsay get to visit the little ones. They were very excited to see the twins in action.

Grandma, Dave and T meets the babies...

Grandma arrives with David and TC to see the babies. She is having a good time with Kendall!

The boys are hangin with Kal…

Grandma And Grandpa Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Surface left the upper pennisula of MI the minute they heard Jill broke her water. They have been extremely helpful both emotionally and around the home. They are here with Kendall... giving her some love.

Mom meets the babies!

Mom gets to see the babies for the first time 36 hours after she delivers. She was very emotional (as expected) and really loves the babies. Here she is enjoying time with Kendall.

Kaleb's first bath

Kaleb received a bath this morning. His lungs are developing very well at this time. I was able to change his diaper today! You all must be impressed :)

Kendall with Jamie

Here is another picture of Kendall. She is doing really well!

Having the little ones...

It is a precious little girl! Kendall (still trying to figure out a middle name :) )Chipelewski was born at 4:33 a.m. on April 5, 2007. She is 17 inches long and weighs 4 pounds 5 ounces.


It is a precious little Boy! Kaleb Arthur Chipelewski was born at 5:22 a.m. on April 5, 2007. He is 17 inches long and weighs 4 pounds 8 ounces.


What an experience! If words could only explain the feeling, love and emotions that you have for your children when they arrive into this world!


Jill is doing great! She is ready to give birth vaginally to our beautiful children. Jill did wonderful during the laboring period!

On our way to meet the little ones...

Jill's water broke about 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4th. As you can see we are one happy couple on our way to the hospital. Jills friend Lisa and I pulled together the hospital bag in 10 minutes and were still able to get a pic. Jill is 34 weeks and 4 days at this point. With twins it is very common to deliver early.


Jill is "feelin' good" at St. Francis. At this point she was not dilated more then 2 cm. Contractions were minor, but we knew two precious babies were on their way shortly.


Jill is still feelin' well. She is dilated to 8 cm at this point and still smiling. What a trooper!


There has to be some funny pictures within this blog! We are on our way to deliver the babies in the OR/Surgery C-section room. Even though we are going to make every attempt to deliver vaginally, when having twins we are always ready to have a C-section.

Jill's Pregnancy: Week 34

Week 34: April 2, 2007



The babies have dropped so low! There is so much pressure in my lower abdomen! The babies are so active. We can see them popping out of my stomach and dragging their hands, elbows, knees, feet from one side to the other! It is amazing! I "play" with them when they are moving and my favorite thing to do is sit with my hands on my stomach and feel them. Our little girl also is getting the hiccups all of the time (poor girl) and it feels so funny! I will now start going to the doctor weekly. Heart rates were 150 (girl) and 139 (boy). My blood pressure is doing well. I have now gained somewhere between 35 and 40 pounds. When the doctor measured the outside of my belly, I was measuring at 51 weeks (gestational age - which doesn't even exist)! We are just so happy that another week has gone by and that they are able to get bigger/stronger each day!