8 Weeks!

Today was a big day in so many ways. First off, they are eight weeks. Can't believe that they are eight weeks old. Has been a crazy adventure.

Secondly, they got their first baths this morning. They both loved their baths, both relaxed and enjoyed the warm water. Shawnah got to bath both of them, which was so nice. TJ took a bunch of pictures!

Here is Kandis getting her bath, she stretching out to let us clean her. Here is Kenedi, also stretching out. (Look at that big ol' Belly!)

Then, Kenedi got upgraded to the cannula, which is just a small hose that goes in her nose. This does not give her breaths of air, just oxygen that is through the nose. It looks a lot better too. Plus, she is much easier to move her around. We can get her out of her bed by ourselves now. It's so nice. Kandis is not far behind, hopefully. We also got to see her face for the first time without anything thin attached.Plus, they got them put clothes on for the first time. We got matching shirts from TJ's sister (Thanks Toni) that says "I can't wear Pink everyday." They are perfect for Shawnah who swears against Pink!

Here is Kandis in her first outfit.

Here is Kandis in her first outfit.They got their weekly pictures as well...

Here is Ms. Kenedi with her cow.And here is Ms. Kandis with her Giraffe.All is all, this was a great day! A lot of good upgrades and changes. Yea for 8 weeks!

7 Weeks & 5-6 Days

Oh my goodness. The girls shot up in the past two days. Not sure if the Nose prongs helped out, but the weight gain was amazing. Kenedi gained 6 ounces in two days, putting her at 3 lbs 8 oz. Kandis gained 4 oz, putting her over 3 pounds at 3 lbs 2 oz. We officially have two 3 pound babies. They are getting a lot of food, so it doesn't surprise us, but its nice to see the growth.

They are still on continuous feedings because of their reflux. The doctors told us that they wanted to get the respiratory under control first, then they will start switching the food around. They also got eye exams. This was their second ones, the first was was too early to tell anything. The verdict this time was about the same. They are too premature, but looks good as of now.

We got to hold them in her arms instead of on our chests for the first time. It was so much better, we could see them and they could see us. Was great day!

7 Weeks & 3-4 Days

Just doing the growing that they need. The girls are becoming easier to move around and hold in our arms. It is great that they are truly stable.

Kenedi hit the 3 pound mark. She weighs 3 lbs 2.6 oz. She gained a bunch.
Kandis is not far behind, weighing 2 pounds 14 oz.

The weight gain is steady and constant. They really like Mom's Milk.

7 Weeks & 2 Days

We got back from Red River today. We went up on Saturday afternoon, taking one four-wheeler in the truck and towing a trailer with another. We had issues with the battery here in town, but we took it down to Checker to see if it was the battery or what. They said it was our charger and they sold us another one to charge the battery to use it. So, we took the charger with us to do it up there. We got there late, and just relaxed. The next morning, we planned on taking the four-wheelers up Mount Wheeler to have a little fun and get away. Well, the battery still didn't work. Wouldn't take a charge. So, we ended up just taking one. It was a lot of fun and we got to relax a bit. We hung out that evening and then got up to come home today. It was a nice change of scenery. We missed the girls, but it was worth getting away a bit.

7 Weeks & 1 Day

Kandis went on the Nose Pap today, joining her sister. Kenedi is doing well and is getting her oxygen lowered more each day. They are both gaining weight regularly and we are able to hold them more and more.

Here is Kandis on her Nose Pap. Look at those big ol' eyes.

Here is Kenedi, the hat hold the tubing on to them. Both of them have big eyes.

7 Weeks!

Here is Kandis on her Week 7 picture...Though you can't see much of the body, you can see the head and compare it that way.

Here is Kenedi with her Cow. The same thing here, you can't see much, but you can see she's grown.

6 Weeks & 6 Days

Kenedi got to get moved back onto the Nose Pap. Again, this is almost the same as the tube in her throat, she is still getting the breaths she needs at a specific rate, but she looses more air and she has to breathe a little more on her own. This will be a big help. So far, she did great today.

Kandis shouldn't be far behind.

6 Weeks & 4-5 Days

Went to the morning 'rounds', where they discuss each baby. Each nurse goes in and is joined by the Doctor that is on for the day, the Nurse Practitioner, a Pharmacists and a Charge Nurse. They just go over each baby and let them know what is going on and make plans if there is anything to be done. They decided to start slowing weaning down the oxygen and the rate at which the air is given to the girls. Kenedi is a little higher, because of the fall back when they tried the Nose Pap on her. So, Kandis, because she is already a little lower on her settings, they are going to try her on the Nose Pap tomorrow if all goes well today. So, that is a good sign.


They are gaining weight like crazy. They even upped the food because they are digesting it well. Kenedi is now getting the continuous feeds at 8.5 ml. per hour and Kandis is getting 8 ml. They even have little guts that hang out over their diaper. It's so cute. Kenedi is at 2 lbs 14 oz. I'd say by Saturday, she'll be at 3 pounds. Kandis is not far behind at 2 lbs 11 oz. She'll hit the 3 lb mark probably next week.


Here is Kandis, passed out hard. Can't really tell, but she has her pacifier in her mouth, but it's hanging out because she's so sound asleep.





Kenedi is also sleeping hard here. You can see how chunky she is!

6 Weeks & 1-3 Days

Been a couple days since I've been updating. We apologize for those who are religious about checking on the blog. We've been catching up with work and finishing up Shawnah's finals week for school. She has a break for school for awhile. It is just too much for her to deal with, especially with the better the girls are getting. She is going to want to spend as much time as she can with them. TJ is still doing classes and working, crazy for him to. Guess, it is preparing us for no sleep when the girls come home!

Sunday we slept in so late, until almost 10. That was so nice. It made us get back to normal. Have felt better ever since. We stayed at home for two night this weekend and it was nice to relax. TJ's mom ended up spending all day Sunday with the girls, so we relaxed a little bit more. Plus we went to a friends and went through all her daughter's old clothes for our little ones! It was exciting. Got so much stuff. (Thanks Carlie & Jesse)

There is not much change for the girls. They are growing and gaining weight like crazy. Because they are on continuous feeding, due to their reflux, Kandis is getting 7.5 ml per hour and Kenedi is getting 8 ml per hour. Instead of giving them all the food at one time every two hours, they are getting food constantly, just measured out by the hour. Besides that, they are steady. Their spells have dropped a lot, where they are not having any issues with them. If they have spells where they drop their oxygen levels, they pull themselves back up without nurses or us having to do anything. We are able to hold them more often as well, which is nice.

6 Weeks!

The girls are a Month and a Half. It is crazy that time flies when you look back at it, but it sure goes slow when you are living it day to day. We had a couple visitors today, including a couple from out of town, plus TJ's Mom came up again. It is nice to have company.

The girls got their weekly pictures...

Kandis Tayler:

Kenedi Rhyan:

5 Weeks & 5-6 Days

Kenedi is 2 1/2 lbs. She has gained even more, she even has a little gut that is hanging out of her diaper! It's great.

Her sister is not far behind, sitting at 2 lbs 5 oz. Kandis also got a new breathing tube today. The one she had was too small for her, so she got upgraded to a bigger one. When the put Kenedi back on hers earlier this week, they just put the bigger one in.

We went home today, that way we could catch up on the house work and laundry. Sleeping in our own bed is nice too. Also went to dinner with some friends and ended up hanging out at the house after. Was a fun and relaxing night.

5 Weeks & 4 Days

They are both gaining weight still. Kandis has hit 2 lbs 2 oz, so she is up a little and Kenedi is up to 3 lbs 6 oz. They just keep on growing. Nothing new besides their weight today.

Had a couple issues with a nurse who was taking care of them. Didn't like the condescending way she was. We ended up talking to a charge nurse who said she would take care of it. We then was set up with the Nurse Manager, who wants to meet with us on Friday after work. We'll see how that goes. Otherwise, the staff at the hospital has been amazing.

5 Weeks & 2 - 3 Days

They ended up having to put Kenedi back on the ventilator tube. The nose pap was just not enough for her to keep up with breathing. She was having to work too hard at it and intern not getting enough air. I figured she'd only last a couple hours on the nose, but she did really good for a little over two full days. The doctors say that it is a good sign for next time. The fact that she lasted two days was amazing for her size and age.

They are still both gaining weight and growing like crazy. They have come to settle down a little bit more than before. I think the extra food is helping them.

5 Weeks & 1 Day

Today the doctors/nurses took the tube out of Kenedi's throat to help her breath. They put her on one that goes into her nose, but not down to her lungs. This helps her try harder to breath. Though it is still helping her along, she is able to breath out of her mouth on her own. Plus it gets the big patches that held the tube in off of her face. We can actually see those little cheeks, well they take after Shawnah, so they are big cheeks! Can't really see them in the picture, but they are definitely there!

They are starting to such on little pacifiers as well. The nurses told us originally that they might take a bit to start sucking and figuring out how to do it all, but they both took them great. Kandis' has to be held in her mouth because of her tube still in, but Kenedi is going to town on hers!

They weighed the girls again last night. Kandis has hit the 2 pound mark! Yea! She weighed in at 2 lbs 1 oz. They are looking to start her on the nose air instead of the tube in the lungs either tomorrow or Tuesday. Kenedi is gaining weight like crazy. She gained 3 oz in 2 days. She is now sitting at 2 lbs 5 oz.

It's back to the trailer for us to start another week.

5 Weeks!

We spent last night at home. It's nice to be able to do that! We just relaxed last night and slept in this morning. We are going to visit the today, but come back home to stay another night here. We have a BBQ to go to at a friends' house, so that should be something different for us.

They are getting older! Yea! Here are the pictures of their weekly cow/giraffe visits!

Kandis & her Giraffe:


Kenedi & her Cow:

4 Weeks & 5-6 Days

Two days in one. Not much changes going on yesterday and today.


The feedings were upped one more time. Kenedi is on 13 ml and Kandis is getting 12 ml every two hours. This is making them grow. They were weighed and Kenedi is 2 lbs 2 oz and Kandis is 1 lb 15 oz. They are getting stronger and stronger. Spells are starting to decrease more and more, which helps with their breathing.


We looked back on their pictures from the beginning and can completely see how they have grown. This makes it easier for us to see, because when you see them four time a day, it doesn't seem like there is much growth. Their legs are getting chunky and they've got little bellies! So exciting! Plus, they love Mommy's milk, which is nice to know.


We are still living out of the trailer during the week. We plan on going home on the weekends more often, to get stuff done and just be in our bed and relax a bit. Picture below shows our set up at the hospital. The security building is right there, plus we have shad/vines in the back! Even lawn chairs and a BBQ grill are present! Sometimes we forget we're in a parking lot!

4 Weeks & 4 Days

The girls did better on having their little spells today. One of the nurses came up with a great conclusion... when the girls move, which they seem to do quite often, the tube tickles their throat, which then makes the spell. Totally makes sense. It's nice to have a new nurse, kinda gets a different point of view.

They got their pick lines pulled out today, which were the IV sort lines that they would do everything with. It was like a permanent IV. They are doing so well on their feedings, the don't need those anymore. It was the lines they they were given other nutrients and fat. They are completely off that now, so they are gone. One less wire to worry about. The feedings are at what they call "full feedings." This means that they have the most amount you can give them for their weight. Kenedi is at 12 ml every 2 hours and Kandis is at 11 ml every 2 hrs. They will only increase them when they get heavier.

We got to hold the girls again. Most nurses are pushing for the Kangaroo Care, so it is going to become more regular to hold them.

Happy Birthday Kenedi & Kandis!!!

Today, the girls turn one month! Yea! They had a couple visitors today too, which was nice. TJ brought home steaks and veggies to grill up for their birthday. It was a nice surprise and a great way to celebrate their birthday!

They are doing good. Going up on feeding... Kenedi is at 11 ml and Kandis is at 9.5 ml every 2 hours. They just keep going up. Plus, they are digesting it better this time.

Just a couple more pictures for ya'll to see. Here is Kandis doing a little stretch while lying on her back, which they don't do often. They really don't like their backs, but it is good to round out their little heads...


Here is Kenedi curled up with Mommy. She is so peaceful when she's held, unlike her wiggle worm sister!

4 Weeks & 2 Days

The girls had a change of feedings for the first time in a couple days. They let them have a break to let their bodies catch up, but now they are going up again. Kandis is going back to the adding of 1/2 ml every twelve hours. By tonight, she was getting 9 ml every 2 hours. She is catching up to sister again. For Kenedi, they have added in the extra calories and fat into the milk. This gives them a chance to have just as much in their system, but gain weight faster. She is getting 10 ml every 2 hrs, but just more calories and fat than what is in regular breast milk. So, they both should be gaining weight.

They both had head ultrasounds today, which shows if there is any water or blood in the brain. Also shows if there are any blockages or swelling anywhere. Both of the results were good and nothing was found. They did one right after they were born, and then this one is the second one at four weeks. They will do one last one before the girls go home as a precaution.

The nurses are trying to keep the heads nice and round, so moving the direction they are facing helps with this. Lately, they have been on their backs more, which is so cute.

4 Weeks & 1 Day

We went home last night after holding the girls for over an hour. We spent the evening relaxing and today we spent the day cleaning up the house. It's been almost 7 weeks since the house has had anything done to it. Plus, we ended up getting the garage organized and set up. We moved stuff around in the attic to make sure for the future clothes, toys, odds and ends that come with twins!

Girls did well today without us. We called a couple time to check on them though. They got measured again and they are still the same as last week. Kenedi is still sitting at two pounds, and Kandis isn't far behind.

4 Weeks!

Today they turned four weeks old. We can not believe that it has been four weeks. Though the day to day seems to take so long, the time sure flies by. They got their weekly photo today as well. (Above) Today was a good day... not too many episodes and they are still eating well.