My New Favorite Micah Moment

Last night I got to go down and hold my son for over an hour while Rachel rested up in the room. She had just gotten to feed Malorie, and so I was feeling a little left out, and went down for some male bonding time. Micah’s nurse was the same woman as the night before, so she allowed me to change him and take his temperature, since she had already taught me how. Then I got to hold him.

When I held him, I was striving to keep talking and touching him, reassuring him that I was there and loved him. As the hour wore on, I was searching for more things to say, so I started talking about one of the things I know well, Cubs baseball.

I decided to take him around the horn, and teach him about the Cubs starting infield. I started at first base, with the Cubs captain and my favorite player, Derek Lee. I told him how Lee is a great hitter, both for power and average, and how he is a Gold Glove winning defender. I also told him what a stand-up guy he is, and I hope he learned that even people who seem to have everything can still manage to keep humble. I then proceeded to tell him about Aramis Ramirez, the clutch hitting All Star third baseman who is suffering through a miserable, injury plagued season. My hope is that he gleaned that even the best have a rough time occasionally. Then I told him about the catchers, Geovany Soto and Koyie Hill. I told him how Hill accidentally sawed off three fingers on his throwing hand in an accident a few years ago, and yet still manages to throw out forty percent of runners trying to steal on him, in hopes that Micah would learn that no one will ever feel sorry for him and so he must be strong despite his handicaps and mistakes. We also chatted about Soto, the National League Rookie of the Year last year who now finds himself just fighting for playing time, to teach him that nothing is guaranteed in this world. Next I moved onto shortstop, and Ryan Theriot. I told him how Theriot does nothing exceptionally but plays hard everyday and thus has become a fan favorite. My hope is that he recognizes the need to give his all, and then good things will come.

Finally, I started describing second base for the Cubs. I was searching for a positive thing to say about the Jeff Baker/Mike Fontenot/Aaron Miles platoon. I was dying to find a lesson in describing Baker, a middling prospect who is barely hitting his weight. And I was working hard to give a positive spin to Fontenot, a player who is better used off the bench than as a starter. And I was just trying not to curse when thinking about Aaron Miles, who I would like to see the Cubs trade for a bag of sunflower seeds and a pair of sneakers. It was then that Micah summed up my thoughts exactly by letting loose a monstrous, gassy poop. It was in Micah’s thunder-dump that I realized he had just taught me the best way to describe the Cubs pitiful second base play. How a child who has not eaten anything in his life found something to poop is beyond me, but all I can say is good talk, Micah, good talk. I’m glad you like baseball too.

Klugs - Party of Four

I'm back home from the Internet free zone known as Baptist Hospital to get some clothes for Malorie. As we speak, her first ten years allowance worth of clothes are being dried to take to her in the NICU. She is still having problems maintaining her body temperature because of her size, so the nurse said that some nice nighties and long sleeved body suits would be a must once she goes off the incubator. So, daddy ran to the nearest Babies R' Us and bought out the store of "premie" sized long sleeved stuff, and will be bringing her the loot in a few. Rachel got to breast feed Mal at 11 and will give another shot at 5. There was not much feeding going on, but there was plenty of bonding, and the seeds of the encounter will last in both mother and daughter for a long time.

As for Micah, he had a chest X-ray to see if there was anything that may be keeping him from breathing correctly, such as mucus, fluid or an obstruction of the lungs. Luckily the X-ray was negative, and so the doctors still believe all his troubles are just developmental. He is maintaining his core temp just fine, and is actually getting some tummy time in his bed in the NICU. Since the nurses are there non-stop and he is getting straight oxygen pumped straight into his lungs, there is really no risk to placing him on his stomach. Still no food for Mighty Micah, but he sure does show the signs of hunger. As soon as he can stabilize his breathing on his own he will be given the bottle or the breast.

Finally, I want to thank the great many well wishers and visitors we have had over the past 36 hours. Major thanks to Natalie, Kelleigh, Kat, Sheryl, Pastor Bob and Jodi for stopping by, many of them with more gifts than just their love. To Chris, Keith, Nicola and Kirsten, thanks for the gifts from afar. The bouquets is lovely, the mobile is perfect and the cookies will be my all-nighter power food. Finally, to all the family, friends and readers of Nicole's awesome blog - your prayers and support astound Rachel and me. My fingers can not text fast enough to reply to all of you, but please know your kind words, positive thoughts and supportive prayers have meant more than you'll ever know. It is people like you who give us the power to be strong in difficult times. OK, time to go see my wife and babies.

Good Times, Bad Times

Led Zeppelin sure had it right when it sang that song. You know, the part about, "Good Times, Bad Times, You know I've had my share," not so much the part about a woman leaving town with another man. Rachel can't really go anywhere right now, due to the major abdominal surgery she had yesterday. Anyway, busy night for the new Klugs, with some good and some other stuff to report. Micah had to be placed back on oxygen because he was not able to stabilize his breathing. However, I was trolling the NICU for chicks at 3:30 in the morning and was able to give him a diaper change, which was awesome. He tried to pee on me when the diaper was off, but only ended up getting himself. Tricks on you, little man. I am confident he will continue to make great strides.

As for Malorie, she had a great overnight, and was on pace to join us upstairs, out of the NICU. Rachel woke up at around 5 to pump, and went down to visit and got to hold Mal for around 45 minutes. Mother and Daughter both loved it. However, when we went back to the room upstairs, Malorie's body temp dropped and she had to be put back on the incubator. She will not likely be able to come upstairs today anymore, but we are optimistic for tomorrow.

As for Rachel, she finally got a good night of sleep with the aid of some pills. She simply could not relax, but once she finally woke up, she was a new woman. She got to hold both babies last night, as can be seen below. Also, she is back to eating solid foods. I have never seen her devour a Turkey sandwich quite the way she did last night. Her wounds are sore, but she is strong. She may get to breast feed Malorie this morning at 11. More updates soon.

NICU SCHMICK-U

Micah and Malorie have both spent less than 24 hrs in the NICU and both seem to want to get out of there as quickly as possible! Malorie has taken 3 good feedings since her last low blood glucose level episode and so she if she holds steady through the night she will be joining us first thing in the morning in the hospital room. Micah is now off oxygen! He managed to pull his own tube out at 6pm and so the nurses decided to let him try to breath on his own. Aside from a few episodes of sporadic high breathing rates, he has been holding his own and breathing on his own for 5 hrs now! The nurses will keep a close eye on him throughout the night and if he can get his breathing rate below 80 per minute consistantly he will be allowed to try and eat. Once he eats, the IV will come out and then once he holds down a couple of meals he will be right behind his sister. Meanwhile Rachel is exausted to the point that it is getting ridiculous . She finally got to hold both babies at 9 pm tonight and is trying to settle in for a night of sleep. We will update with pictures, videos and more stories tomorrow!

Two-DA

This morning at 2:58 a.m, Malorie Rose Klug was born. She arrived weighing 4 lbs 12 ounces, measuring 18 inches long. One minute later, Micah James Klug was born. Malorie’s Big-little brother weighed in at 6 pounds even, and measured 19 inches.

The delivery was a bit of a surprise for Rachel and me. Rachel fell asleep at about 10 p.m. after a boring night at home. For some reason I could not sleep, so when Rachel went to bed, I went to the office to work on homework problems for school. About an hour later, Rachel called me into the room and told me her water broke while she was asleep. After a few frantic moments, we collected our things, called the doctor and headed to the hospital. Lucky for us there was not much traffic on the road, because if there had been I may have run them off the road.

By the time we were seen at Baptist, Rachel was already 4 centimeters dilated, with contractions coming about every 5-10 minutes. After a few tests and some consults, Rachel was in the Operating Room by 2:30. Big thanks to our Nurse, Mindy and Dr. Fox, who performed the procedure flawlessly.

Both babies got to spend a brief moment with Rachel and me before being whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. I got to cut both cords, and take a few pictures, and I even got to hold my baby girl, and give her a small kiss. Rachel got to meet Micah immediately over the cloth when he came out, and she got to nuzzle with Malorie while I was holding her.

Malorie, previously known as Lellow, is already our tough little princess. She has a small amount of brown hair and is skinny but strong, just like we predicted. She has already taken two feedings from her nurse, and may get to join us in our hospital suite later today. Red, now called Micah, is the hoss of the pair. He has a bit more hair than his sister, and is as blonde as Rachel.

As well as Malorie is doing well in the NICU, Micah has a bit more of an uphill battle. He is stable, but has under-developed lungs. When he was born, he was struggling, or pulling, to get oxygen. For that reason, he needs some additional care a treatment, which is exactly why we came to Baptist in the first place. He is currently on an incubator table, with an IV for food and is also hooked up to a respirator to push oxygen into his lungs.

I have been able to go see my babies twice this morning, and gotten to see their bright eyes and hold their tiny hands. If Rachel continues to recover well, she will be able to meet the babies down in the NICU this afternoon, and may even get to hold them both.

We will post as often as able, so keep an eye on the blog for updates. We appreciate all the love and prayers you have all sent our way. Thanks for riding along on this amazing journey with us all, and God Bless you for being there for us.

The Bags Are Packed

Every time Rachel or I get out a suitcase, Tyson freaks out. We're talking the stuff of doggy nervous breakdowns here. He starts thumping his tail against the side of anything near him, puts his ears down, pants like he just ran a mile and begins to look forlorn. Now, he has never stayed at a kennel, nor has he been left here alone (except for one time, but we will never do that again) so bad memories should not be causing his behavior. We're not entirely sure why he hates suitcases so much. Rachel theorizes that Tyson gets sad because he knows he is going to have to leave the house and ride in a car. I think that Tyson just gets bummed because he knows we'll be leaving and he won't get to hang out with us.

Well, recently Rachel and I packed for the hospital in secrecy so that Tyson wouldn't freak out for what could still be days or weeks. We put the contents recommended by our parenting class in small bags while Tyson was busy doing other things, like licking the carpet in the office, napping or barking at skateboarders. Then, we hid the two bags in our closet, where Tyson won't recognize them as anything but clutter.

Lately, when people ask when Rachel is due, we tell them, "Any day now." It seems she can't possibly hold out for much longer, as she is exceptionally tired all day but can't sleep at night. She's swollen in every area a person can imagine, can only fit into my shoes and complains that all her maternity shirts won't fit anymore. She walks around holding her stomach up to keep the pressure off the lower extremities, and eats only bland foods because of heartburn. Despite all that, she keeps on plodding through the days heroically, carrying Red and Lellow around and letting them grow. Here is Rach at 35 and a half weeks, undeniably barefoot and pregnant. I guess my shoes are not en vogue.

Rachel heads back to the doctor on Monday to make sure the twins are still doing well in there. Last week, the doctor told her that they "are just looking for a reason to deliver" now. Towards the end, babies pack on about a pound every two weeks, and physically they will not be able to grow in the womb for much longer. So, we'll keep the bags packed but hope they stay in the closet, and Tyson stays unaware, and the twins stay cramped but growing for at least a little while longer.

The Disparate Duo

Several months ago doctors alerted us to their concern that Lellow was not growing at the same rate as Red. At the time, each baby was just over two pounds, yet Red was a full five ounces heavier than Lellow. However, over the past few months, the 4-5 ounce gap between the two babies remained fairly constant, and so the cause for concern had diminished. However, during today’s visit, the measurements for the two babies were again vastly different, bringing back the earlier concerns.
Today Red portrayed the picture of perfect fetal growth, at 5 lbs 6 ounces, measuring in the fifty-sixth percentile. Red is already above the weight of many singleton babies, and growing like a weed. Our crimson kiddo is still head down, has a perfect heart rate, and all vital organs looked good. The baby even put on a show for a while, showing us that in-utero babies are able to suck their thumbs.
However, Lellow was the baby that gave the doctors a bit of concern. Lellow only measured at 4lbs 4 ounces, in just the 21st percentile. However, the sono-tech let us know that the concern may turn out to be a false alarm. All the other indications were that the golden child was in perfect health. Lellow had a strong heart beat, normal heart rate, and good organ development. And not to be outdone by Red, Lellow did some tricks as well, developing a case of the hiccups once the camera came near.
However, the sonogram nurse had a very difficult time measuring Lellow’s abdomen, on account of the breech positioning and Red’s head smushing Lellow’s tummy. Lellow’s abdominal size measured in the bottom fifth percentile of all babies. This size was inconsistent with all the other measurements taken of the baby; including head size and bone length, which were both above the thirtieth percentile. The stark contrast between the measurements led the doctor to believe that the abdominal measurement was faulty, therefore causing the weight calculation to be low. Also, in what I construed as an effort to alleviate the concerns in the room, Lellow stuck out an arm and gave a nice bicep flex, professional wrestler style, as if to say, “Don’t worry about me, I am doing just fine.” That baby may have inherited a bit of its father’s Napoleon Complex – I may be small but, man, I’m strong! Despite all the indicators that the weight measurement was off, to be safe, Rach will undergo additional testing.
The difference in the weight measurements is enough that the twins are now considered disparate growth twins – a medical term meaning that one twin is growing faster than the other. It’s kind of like that Danny Devito/Arnold Swartzenegger movie Twins, only not as funny. Rachel is now to be monitored twice per week in a fetal test that monitors heart rate, movement and fluid amounts for each child. Today’s test showed that Red and Lellow are comparable in those three categories, further leading the medical professionals to believe that the weight measurement was wrong. We will head back in on Thursday for more tests on our disparate duo, to again ensure that they are doing well. The bottom line is that despite all the medical equipment and fancy detection gear, the science of medicine still sometimes comes down to gut feeling. The doctor’s gut feeling, as well as mine, is that the growth disparity is nothing to worry about, and that both babies are doing just fine.