August 20th 2008

Hi Everyone, I must apologize for the delay in posting. The past several days have been full of some good and not so good events. The girls are keeping us on our toes, doing the whole two steps forward one step back deal. Machines come and go as they act up and and disappear as they get better. We definitely understand why they say that it is an emotional rollercoaster having babies in the NICU. As of right now they are doing great, Melia is having some stomach issues but we are thankful that's all it is. Melia now weighs 2lbs 14oz and Elle is officially a member of the Kilo Club. Oh they grow up so fast...LOL!! They are one month old today which marks me living in London now for 6 weeks! It's insane how long I've been here. I will try to not delay in posting again, hope everyone reading this is having a good day.

Aug 15th 2008

Elle wide awake at night again..our night owl!

Well Tige is back and all is well again. The girls kangarooed on daddy's chest yesterday for 3 hours and they were on their best behaviour. They usually misbehave while on mommy but they loved their snuggle time with Tige. We are giving them their baths daily now and are as involved as much as the nurses allow us to be. Melia pee'd and pooed on me a couple of days ago and I loved it. It's the little things that make us feel like normal parents. Elle as of a couple of days ago now weighs a whopping 2lbs and Melia as of yesterday weighs 2lbs 11oz. Melia gained 4oz in 2 days and we have another weigh in for Elle today so hopefully she will make the kilo club. When they make it to the kilo mark the NICU unit gives them a Kilo Club ribbon that hangs at the side of the isolette. I am sure it will be the first of many if they have any of our competative nature or shall I say my nature. All in all we have been doing well and keep praying for more good days ahead.

Melia after bath time with daddy

August 12th 2008

I apologize for the lack of updating, time definitely seems to fly by. As of tomorrow the girls will be 3 weeks old and are 31 weeks gestational age. Tige returned home Sunday night courtesy of Peter's Shuttle Service(aka my brother) so that he could start work on Monday. I'm not going to lie and say that's it's okay he is not here, it's pretty hard for me to take it all in on my own and I'm sure it's worse for him to not be here. I tell the girls that daddy loves them every time I talk to them as per Tige's request. Well enough about Tige and I, let's get to the good stuff...our angels. Melia is doing really well, it's funny she been full of piss and vinegar these past couple of days. She cries if the nurse is late feeding her and she let's you know when she's upset. She may not look like me but she is definitely getting my attitude and hunger temperament. Elle is Elle, winning everyone's hearts by just being adorable. They are being closely monitored everyday and not doing anything unusual or unexpected for their gestational age, which is good. Elle now weighs 1lb 14oz and Melia is 2lbs 6oz. I was told today that if they keep progressing this way they will be transferred to Met Hospital in Windsor. We have some serious mixed emotions with them being transferred, we are comfortable with the quality of care here in London but on the other hand it would be good to be home. We just hope that they don't rush us out too soon, we will stay as long as it takes and have told them this from the very beginning. Unfortunately, what we want and what really will happen are two different things. Above picture: Elle left, Melia right kangarooing on mommy's chest

This is Elle, look at how adorable she is!

My angel Melia.

August 9th 2008

Our little girls are 2 weeks 3 days old as of today and quite honestly it feels like we've been here for months. The days tend to blend into one another and fly by. The girls are doing great, progressing along as expected for their size and gestational age. We are holding them alot more now, the nurses say that it is beneficial for them, but let's face it, we love it and are doing it for purely selfish reasons. Elle weighs 1lb 12oz and Melia now weighs 2lbs 6oz. You can tell they are gaining weight just by looking at them. Melia's cheeks seem to be filling out and Elle's fingers are getting chubbier.

Elle getting some shut eye.

We got to bathe Melia today which was amazing. She didn't cry once, she just looked around wide eyed. It absolutely melts our hearts when they just stare at us. Elle had a pretty lazy day today. We assume when they sleep all day that they need it and are growing so we tend not to bother them too much. All in all we are doing great with some expected set backs and progress. We know that we just have to put in our time.

Melia before bath time

Melia during her bath

August 6th 2008

So it's been a couple of days and our little girls are doing very well - practically eating the hospital out of house and home. This could only mean one thing and we are grateful for it, they are gaining weight! Being that these darlings are Canadian, we have held them to the sky and nick names have surfaced. Now that Elle "Night Owl" Melton has been born she does not want to miss a moment of living - reminiscent of children who struggle to stay up late to watch the apple drop at New Year's. Melia "Diva" Melton, on the other hand, spends most of her day lounging with legs over-stretching the bed taking her time in making her presence known. At the end of the day we have all the time in world for both and consider this the most wonderful "preview" until we are able to take them home.

August 4th 2008

So it's been a couple of days since I've posted and I'm happy to say that I have nothing new to report. The girls are doing well, surprising us everyday with their strength. They are gaining weight and resting. The nurses are letting us hold them more often but we find ourselves torn between holding them and letting them rest. The nurses reassure us that holding them actually helps them, as well as helping us. We still have a very long road ahead of us and we are thankful for the good days.



Melia loving her break from her breathing mask. So anglelic!












Our beautiful little Elle holding daddy's finger during snuggle time.

August 2nd 2008

So today's visit held another surprise for us. Our little munchkin Elle is off of her breathing mask again, she seems to be doing really well off of it so they are going to leave it off unless she tells them otherwise. She has been under the weather for the past couple of days so everyone is amazed at her strength. Melia is doing great as well, they are both growing and resting like they're supposed to. We have our moments when we wish could take all of their ouchies away and go through this for them. It's hard to see your children this way but we know the end result is worth the wait and journey.