We are finally home!!!

Well our journey at the University of Utah NBICU has come to a close...thank goodness. We've been there since April 25th and it's so great to have everyone at home in West Jordan. I look back over photos from May 21st and I can't believe how far we've come. Those were some dark days for us not knowing what was in store for our lil boys. Some days it seems like years ago and some days it seems like yesterday.

So here's what's been going on.


Colby is doing great. He is steadily eating and growing. The preemie clothes he has actually fit him now and a couple are starting to get a little too tight. I remember when none of them fit him and I wondered if they ever would. He currently weighs 7.3 pounds and he looks great. He still sports his mohawk hairstyle, mainly because his hair is so curly and the mohawk is the easiest way to fix it. He loves to lay on his tummy and is doing really well at picking up his head up to look around or rotate from side to side.





Colby still loves his bath too. A funny story for you....the other night I was bathing him and I had decided to let him just relax in the tub for awhile...next thing I knew the tub had turned into a jacuzzi and he was grinning from ear to ear. He thought that was so funny and all I could do was laugh. It reminded me so much of the movie Shrek. Guess his tummy felt better after that.









Here is Colby decked out for the Texas Longhorn football game. Yes, his Daddy dressed him.

Colby had a double hernia surgery on the 24th of August and he has recovered nicely from that. They went in to fix the hernia we knew hehad on the right side but the doctor also scoped his left side and found he had one there as well so they fixed it too. Apparently hernias are very common in preemies due to immaturity. Everything seems to be common in preemies and our boys seem to have hit all of them so far. We also have Colby on reflux medicine for a couple of weeks to see if that helps with his fussiness. I haven't seen any big change in the last 6 days so I am thinking maybe he's just a colicky baby and hopefully he will outgrow that very soon.




Austin is loving being home. He came home weighing 8.9 pounds and he looks so good. He feedings are going extremely well and in fact he has turned into quite a pig. The amount they would like him to eat each feeding is at least 70 ml but he usually eats around 100 ml. I guess all that extra time in the NBICU turned him into an eating monster. He gets so excited when you put his bib on because he realizes food is on the way. He is still on his reflux medicine and he does still reflux but he is able to control it on his own. Only once has he kind of scared me by turning a little pasty but he took a deep breath and was fine.


He's had his first doctor's visit since he's been home. They each had to go 1-2 days after being home for initial baseline weight with Dr. Cox our pediatrician. He was very pleased to see how well he is doing. Dr. Cox's wife was one of our doctors in the NBICU so it had made the transition pretty easy as far as doctor to doctor.

Austin still loves to swing. In fact both boys do so we had to purchase another swing. That's the only thing that lets me get a shower on weekends when our Nanny Heather is off duty. By the way I know some of you are wondering how that is working out and let me say she is a true blessing. She is doing great with both boys and I will feel very confident leaving the boys with her when I return to work on October 2nd. Yes, I dread that day more and more. I just can't imagine being without them during the day after having been with them every day and the roller coaster we've been on for 4 months, but I know they'll be fine. I survived my first weekend by myself with the boys last weekend. Pat and Sean took off to Austin, TX for the Texas Longhorn football game. Luckily for me the boys were pretty good. I'm not saying I got a lot of sleep but they did at least take a nap at the same time so I could shower and eat a quick bite.

Well our journey continues but it's a whole new journey. One of sleepless nights, lots of bottles and feedings, tons of dirty diapers and more love than I can possibly know what to do with. I look at these two lil miracles each day and I just thank God for holding them in the palm of His hands and taking good care of them. Without Him I don't know where we would be or how we would have survived these past months.

We also thank each of you for your continued support, cards, meals, emails and prayers. We feel very blessed to have the family and friends that we do and we can't wait for you to watch our boys grow and to see what God has planned for them.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.
Alexa and Pat

We are 3 months old

We are 3 months old today but only 3 weeks age corrected. Here's what's been going on with us.







Austin is still in the hospital with severe reflux. He still has his NJ tube that goes into his intestines but he is starting to take a bottle or nursing 4 times a day with small amounts. He's up to 20-30cc and Colby right now eats around 60. We are meeting with the medical team tomorrow to re-evaluate his care plan and feeding plan. He had a MRI about a week ago and we got all good information from it. It said his ventricles are still enlarged but we knew that from the head scans and it said no signs of PVL or structural damage to the brain. Both of those we are very thankful for. He now weighs 7.9 pounds and he is officially the oldest baby in the NBICU. He is so sweet and we swear he is starting to talk....ok baby talk but it's still so darn cute. He has the best personality and all the nurses love him.




Colby is home and doing well. He weighs around 6.2 pounds. We have taken him for two doctor appointments only to find out he has a hernia. We are having our surgical consult Thurs. at Children's Primary hospital where Austin had his surgery. He is eating well but not sleeping great at night. He was totally reversed out when we got home but is doing a little better.












Here is Colby in his swing. He enjoyed it that day for quite awhile.









The kids start school this Wed. Natalie will be in the 7th grade (Jr. High) and she is so excited but also very nervous. Pat and I took her to get her schedule, check her locker combination and find her classes. I think she's going to have a great year.

Sean will be in the 3rd grade and he is looking forward to a good year. Right now he is more focused on football that he is finally getting to play. Yes, it's tackle and he loves it. He strutted around the house for an hour the night he got his pads, pants and helmet. He is one of the smallest on his team but he's so quick they have to catch him first. As of now he'll be playing quarterback, safety and running back.

Pat and I are hanging in the best we can. It will be so nice to get Austin home soon and try and get on a routine of some sort. I usually pull the night shift so Pat can go to work and at 8:00am I give Colby to Heather, our Nanny and then I try and sleep for 2-3 hours. About noon I am up showered and on my way to spend the afternoon with Austin.

We've had several visitors and have loved every minute of it. We had Granny Lou Lou from Arkansas visit for 3 weeks. Aunt Anna, Lauren and Christy from Arkansas came for a week, Granny from Texas came for a week and Aunt Cindy from Texas came for a few days.

I just wanted you to know we are doing ok and we still appreciate the support and prayers.

Alexa

In Memory of Max

It was a very sad night for our family last night. We had to put our family dog, Max to sleep. We've had Max since he was a puppy. He was getting ready to turn 5 in October. Max apparently did something to his back that caused him to become paralyzed from the middle of the back all the way down. There was nothing the Vet could do. So the kids have been telling Max stories and looking at photos remembering all the good times with him.

This is Max dressed and ready for Halloween. He definitely was the perfect pirate.

Max was always willing to give as many kisses as he could. He loved the kids and always wanted to be right in the middle of whatever they were doing.

Who could forget Molly, the sister he never wanted. As you can see the bed was not big enough for both of them but neither would give up their area of the bed.

Farewell our beloved Max, we'll miss you and think of you often.
You were the perfect dog for us.

What a journey so far....

It all began at 24 weeks of pregnancy when I was put on hospital bedrest then after those two weeks of bed rest in the hospital and they finally let me go home on May 8th but still on strict bed rest. I did everything I was supposed to which was NOTHING. On May 19th I felt a little fluid leaking but really thought nothing of it but I called the doctor anyway and of course they said get back to the hospital. They ran 4 tests on me and two showed my amniotic fluid and two didn't. So they weren't real sure so they admitted me for 24 hour observation. During the night I got the "gush" of water and there was no doubt at that time I would be there until I delivered. They were pretty sure it was only one bag that had broken and they were predicting it was Colby.

My doctor told me to stay in bed and hopefully we could get another couple of weeks for the boys as I was only 28 weeks at that time. So my plan was to make it to 30 weeks, I guess I just forgot to tell the boys the plan.

On Sunday May 21st, Pat, Natalie and Sean had been up to visit for the afternoon along with a few friends and they had all left for the night. I had decided to just watch a movie when two of our other friends stopped by for a visit. It was about 6:55 pm when I thought I had a contraction but I wasn't sure so I didn't say anything. At 7:00pm I had another one so I buzzed my nurse and asked her to hook me up to the machine that tracks their heart rates and my contractions. She told me I didn't need that but I continued to have another contraction. I told her I really wanted the machine and she left the room. She brought back a piece of paper and told me to just count the contractions over the next hour. I couldn't believe she was telling me this. I asked her, "are you serious, I am 28 weeks pregnant with twins, 2 cm dilated, 100% effaced, my water had broken and you want me to do tick marks for an hour"? She said yes, so we asked her if that was my doctor's orders or hers and of course she said the doctors. I also told her in an hour I could be in full labor or have delivered....to that she answered, "honey is doesn't work like that".

So I asked to see the charge nurse. I guess the two nurses were out discussing this situation when a doctor who was not mine came in and said she wanted to do an exam. She did the exam and immediately said "we have a cord, call the OR stat". Needless to say I was very upset especially because Pat wasn't there. They got me ready for transport in a couple of minutes and the time was 7:35pm. The doctor rode on my bed with me holding Colby's head off the cord. It was just like on TV they were running down the hallway to get me to the OR. Once in the OR, it was crazy. They were trying to move me to the operating table while she still held the head, they were running around shouting things and all I could do was cry. They put the sheets up, mask on my face, strapped my arms and legs down and poured the dye over my belly. I heard the Dr. say she was ready to cut but I was wide awake and the anesthesiologist said, wait we have the line in but not the meds. The last thing I thought was "God help me" and I was out.

Our little angels, Colby Gregson O'Leary 2.5 lbs and 14.5 inches long and Austin Thomas O'Leary 2.13 lbs and 15 3/4 inches long were born at 7:52 at 28.6 weeks gestation. They got both of them out within a minute. Our little Colby would not be here if it weren't for that doctor who decided to just do an exam. Pat was 10 minutes out from the hospital when he got the call from our friend that he was a daddy. Recovery was very hard for me because they had not given me anything for pain. They gave me enough medicine to put to sleep so I wouldn't remember what happened. Needless to say they could not get the morphine started quick enough. Pat, Natalie and Sean got to see the boys about an hour after they were born. I was taken by bed into the NICU but I don't remember that trip.

The next morning I was ready to see my boys but was a bit scared to see them as well. They were so tiny and seemed so fragile. They were stable and were not having many issues at that time. On May 26th I was discharged from the hospital and what a sad feeling to leave and leave both Colby and Austin there. It was heartbreaking but I knew they were where they needed to be.

They have been on a roller coaster ride but are still stable. We spend every minute possible up there with them. We can't wait for the day we get to bring them home. Our prediction is the end of July or beginning of Aug. Though our boys are fighters so it could be even earlier. Well I hope to be able to keep this updated as we continue our journey.

We thank all of you for your support, prayers and best wishes.
Pat and Alexa and family

28 weeks and still pregnant....Praise God

What a blessing for us to still be pregnant at 28 weeks. We have now reached that goal and our next one is 30 weeks. The boys are doing great and moving constantly. It's so funny because they are both on my right side so my tummy is so whopsided. We had two doctor appointments last week and both doctors were very pleased to see me still pregnant. My original doctor called me the miracle woman and reminded me someone above loves me very much. I couldn't agree more. As you can see Sean thinks it's so funny to see my tummy get so big and to feel his brothers kicking.

Today is Mother's day and the boys gave me a special photo of them at the point when we thought I was going to deliver. The note on the back told me they won't try to surprise me anymore but will wait until the time is right to meet me.

Grandpa John came to visit for 5 days and it sure was good to see him. I think he really believes I am pregnant now that he has seen my belly for himself.

We have two more doctor appointments this week so I'll be sure to update as we go along. Please continue to pray for our family and once again we thank you for your support, love and prayers. Yep, I did get to sit outside with everyone for a few minutes and it was wonderful. I look forward to having my lil boys outside one day.

Alexa and Pat

From the hospital

Well what a scare we had about two weeks ago. For those who don't know our lil boys tried to enter the world way too early. I was taken to my hospital for a check up and thought nothing about it. In fact I even told Pat he didn't have to meet me there but thank goodness he did. I was in labor and had contractions for two hours but never felt them. Once I started feeling them I was dilating and my doctor decided to send me by ambulance to the University of Utah because the babies were so premature and that is the best NICU. They were able to stop the contractions and I remained at the hospital until yesterday. I am home now on strict bedrest until the babies get much older and bigger.



I am 27 weeks and 1 day today and each day counts. Our next goal is 28 weeks which will be Monday. I will continue to be monitored by the University of Utah as well as my doctor as St. Marks. I gained 3 lbs last week for a total of 26 pounds so far. Hopefully the boys are putting on some weight as well. I am more than willing to share this weight with them.



Pat is doing good and trying his best to be in all places at all times. He is a good nurse but I have to say Carla and Jen have been true life savors for us. In fact I think the hospital wants to hire Carla. I got to see Natalie and Sean at the hospital and they were so loving and concerned. I think it did them a lot of good to come for a visit. Sean was so funny he would snuggle up next to me in bed and just rub my belly and talk to the boys. They are both very excited for the babies to come but they definitely want to wait a while. The nursery is pretty much ready in case things change, I just don't Pat and I would be emotionally ready.


We truly appreciate all the support from our family, friends, church and co-workers. It has definitely helped these past two weeks.

All our love
Alexa and Pat

O'Leary Family

O'Leary Family

Hey everyone!

All is well here in Utah. The kids are on spring break this week in Idaho and Wyoming. From what they say they aren't doing much but I hope they are at least resting and getting ready for the rest of the school year.

Speaking of school year, mine is coming to a close. I give finals next week and graduation and commissioning ceremonies are the 28th. Next week will be busy for me with sitting on three senior thesis defense committees and grading finals and posting grades. My students have all done well and are ready to move on to the future. Some will go active duty Army and some will stay National Guard. I am very proud of all of them.

I just have to tell you about Natalie's play. She was wonderful. There is no way at 12 I would have gotten up on stage and performed like that. Pat and I had tears in our eyes during the whole play out of pure proudness. Ok not sure that is really a word but sounds good to me. Of course Annie is a musical so she had lots of singing to do and has such a beautiful voice. She loves drama and is already talking about trying out for Jr. High drama next year. I can't believe she is moving into Jr. High next year. She'll be in the 7th and is she is just growing up too fast. If I can ever figure out how to attach photos to my updates I'll attach a photo of Natalie as Annie. She has had one soccer game but Pat and I didn't know about it so hopefully we'll be able to see her at her next one.

Sean is still Sean. Sweet as can be and loves the spring weather we are finally starting to get. He played outside last weekend until 8:30pm and couldn't understand why he had to come in then. He even got a little sunburned. He loves playing outside whether it's sports, riding his bike, jumping on the trampoline. Heck, we even had him helping work in the yard a little. Once we get ready to plant flowers he is my hole digger. I just put a X where I want him to dig and he goes to town. He is growing up quick too and his math and reading would totally impress you.

Lyndsey is still thrilled about cheerleading and is going off to cheerleading camp this summer. It's only about 2 hrs north of here but that will be big time for her. She did come last weekend and had a nice time. Not saying everything went smoothly but for the most part it did.

Pat is busy, busy, busy. He should close on this first house next week. I am so proud of him. He would want me to type that if you know anyone getting ready to move anywhere that wants to buy or rent send him their name and number. He is part of a referral program and can help anyone, anywhere find a good agent to help them get settled. There, that's my sale pitch for today.

The boys are doing great and really learning to kick these days. Pat says they are practicing their football moves, which is fine I just wish they didn't have to do it at 2:30 AM. I go for another doctor appointment the 20th and the next week we'll have another ultrasound done. I feel pretty good these days but I can tell I can't go and do like I use too. I get tired way too easy and out of breath on one flight of stairs. I've gained about 22 lbs but it seems to be all baby. (isn't that what all women say).

Pat and I have been super busy in our nursery. We have both beds up, the glider and dresser are in place and we are just waiting on the chest to come in. I am going to do some painting on the walls but I want all the furniture in place first. I thought I had everything set up the way I wanted it until last night and we rearranged the whole room again and now I like it even better. The room just fills up quick with double the stuff.

We have my military ball tonight at BYU, and I wish I could get excited about it but I can't. It's just one of those nights we have to endure for the job. We'll be lucky if they serve us something other than water. You can bet there won't be ANY caffeine and all the girls have to wear modest formals, which means they must have some sort of sleeve. It's just too funny.

Well, we hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend and stay away from the brown eggs in the yard as Sean would say, they are not the ones you want in your basket.

Blessings~

Alexa, Pat and family