Tycen & Parker Update

I apologize that it has been awhile since I have done an update!! Thank you all for the continued thoughts and prayers!! The love and support from all of you helps us get thru everyday!!

Tycen is doing great and making huge strides everyday!! He is now up to eating 25cc every 3 hours. He struggles sometimes with taking it from a bottle, so sometimes we have to feed him by a tube, but today he took a bottle from me every time and did awesome!! His weight tonight was 4# 11 ounces, so he is going in the right direction!! He is still under his bili light, but will hopefully will be off of it in the next day or so. He has recovered from surgery beautifully and has shown no problems!!! Every time I see him he changes so much!! I can't wait for him to be home, but I know he is where he needs to be!!

Parker is our little chunky monkey!! He is up to eating 60cc every 4 hours!! The hardest part is to keep him awake while he is drinking, he gets way too warm and comfy and just wants to sleep!! He weighed 4# 14 ounces tonight, he is back and forth a little, but that is to be expected at this point!! He is also still under the bili light, but just like Tycen, will hopefully be off again soon!! Both boys have been in and our of the bill light, but with being premies it is expected!! Parker will hopefully be home soon, but we are unsure exactly when that will be!!

Normally in order for siblings to go into the NICU at St. Vincents, they have to be at least 4 years of age, but we have gotten permission for Parker to be able to come with us when he gets released, so it will be a huge help and Brodie and I will at least be able to be in the same place!!!

Please continue to pray for our boys that they continue to gain strength and grow!! Please also pray for Brodie and I as we continue to travel between the boys!! Even though we have been apart everyday since the boys were born, it is bringing us closer together!! Our 2 boys for sure have us wrapped around their little fingers!!!

So Thankful!!

Thank you Lord for the greatest gifts I could ever ask for!!! This has been repeated by me about a million times the last 5 days!!! Being a mom is truly the greatest feeling I have ever had!!

I've spent since Thursday afternoon with Tycen at St. Vincents and watching the strides he is making everyday makes me the proudest mommy!!! When I went in this morning, he was tube free except his pic line!! He looked so much happier without all the tubes on his face!! He was able to start feedings today, so I got to give him a bottle with 5cc of breastmilk and he sucked it down like a pro!!! His second feeding he didn't want to drink, so we had to have a tube put back in his nose so we could feed him thru that, he didn't like it being placed, but he was a big boy and handled it really well. Brodie tried to give him his third feeding, which at first he didn't want to drink, but he ended up drinking it great!! We are hopeful that he will keep with the swallowing so we can do all bottle feedings and not have to use the tube!! He's still under a bill light, but his numbers are steadily going down, so hopefully he will be off that soon. He's doing awesome from his surgery and his incision looks great.

I came back to Lafayette tonight and will be spending the next couple days with Parker while Brodie is with Tycen. The nurses were able to get me a sleep room at the hospital, and were even gracious enough to give me my "old room" back!! Parker looks great!! He's also still under his bill lights, but hopefully can get those turned off soon!! He's eating about 40-50cc every 4 hours, which sometimes he takes better than others, but he's a strong eater. He's been sleeping since I got here, but as long as I'm here next to him I know he knows I'm here....even though I really just want to pick him up and hold him!!!

Thank you for all your continued prayers!!! We know we are surrounded by so much love and prayers and it feels amazing!!! We are so blessed with the greatest family and friends we could ever ask for!! Please continue to pray for Parker and Tycen as they continue to grow and also for Brodie and I as we continue to go back and forth between the boys.

These boys are what we have prayed for so long and to look into their eyes and see them stare back at us makes every moment of this journey a million times worth it!! We have been so blessed!!

Our Little Miracles!!!

I just wanted to do a quick update on the boys before I head over to spend the day with Tycen!!

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday morning, so Mom brought be to St. Vincents after saying my see you soon to Parker!! Brodie has been with Tycen since he was transferred so we felt it was the best thing for us to switch so we could bond with both boys if we switch. It was horribly hard to leave Parker, but he's doing great, so that made it a little easier!!

Tycen had been on a vent so I was a little nervous about what exactly I was going to see when i got there and to say I was an emotional mess all morning before leaving would be an understatement!! While mom was on her way to get me, I got the greatest picture I could have gotten...a picture of Tycen off the vent with a message saying Happy Belated Birthday Mommy, I'm off the vent!!! He's not only off the vent, but he's off all oxygen completely!! My little overachiever!! I was so excited to see him as he was transferred out so quick after delivery, I barely saw him!! He's doing great!! He's under bili lights and on a bili blanket and still has a pic line along with an EG tube for suction!! I surprisingly got to hold him and it was the greatest feeling!!!

Parker is doing great!!! He is also under bili lights as well!! He's feeding great...to the point where they have to take it away or he takes too much!!! He's our little porker!!  Brodie is going to spend the day with him today!!!!

Thank you all for the prayers, we have truly been blessed with 2 amazing little boys that our life!!! Please keep the boys in your prayers as we still have a long road ahead of us!!!

Unexpected Day!!!

Well, Monday, May 20th proved to be the day our boys decided they wanted to enter the world!!! It was all in all a normal day until about 4:30pm when I started feeling contractions. I didn't really think much of it since I had been feeling contractions off and on for awhile, but I asked my nurse to hook me to the monitor just to be sure they were going to stop after my meds.

Dr. S came over about 5:30pm just to check on me, and I was still contracting. We decided the best thing tyo do would be for me to be checked just to make sure everything was okay, well my check proved me to be 2cm dilated. She wanted me to stay on the monitor another hour and we would see how things were at that time. Well, the contractions didn't stop, and they were getting closer, and stronger, so she decided it was time for us to meet our boys!! I called Brodie to have him hurry in, and my parents just happened to be coming to see us that night, so they were there shortly after I found out I would be delivering shortly...totally proves God works in mysterious ways!!

About 7:20pm I walked back to the OR with a crew of some of the greatest medical professionals in the world!! At 8:13 pm, Parker Nellyn made his appearance, weighing 5# 7 ounces and 19 inches long, at 8:14 pm, Tycen Robert joined his brother on the outside, weighing 5# and 19 inches long.

While I was in recovery, Brodie was meeting our sons in the NICU and was informed that Tycen had a minor problem, and would be transferred to St. Vincents in Indy. Of course, when he told me what was going on, I was completely shocked and all I knew was I didn't want my family seperated, so if he was going, I wanted all of us to go, but that wasn't an option. We quickly decided that Brodie would go with Tycen to Indy. The transport team was there quickly, and that quick, I had to watch my brand new baby leave. To say it was the hardest thing I've ever done would be the biggest understatement!!

Tycen underwent surgery on Tuesday around 2:00pm, and things went great. He is still breathing with the help of a vent, but we are praying he will be off soon!!! Parker is doing great and has less tubes attached to him this evening than he did this morning!! Brodie has been staying in Indy with Tycen and when I get released tomorrow, I will be going there to be with Tycen, and Brodie will come to St E to be with Parker!! We think its important that we each bond equally with both of them until we can have our family together!!! I have attached a picture of Parker, and will get one of Tycen tomorrow and put it on here!!

A huge thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers for us during this journey, and I ask that you keep praying for our boys that they overcome the obstacles they are each faced with and that our family will be together soon!!!

34.3

What a gorgeous (warm) Sunday!!! I didn't make it outside today, but I enjoyed the sunshine filling my room all day!!!

Dr. D came in this morning and is thrilled that we have made it to 34 weeks!!! I'm so lucky to work with such a great group of physicians!!!!

My morning and afternoon monitoring looked great today!! The boys looked great on their monitors as well!!! I love hearing our boys heart beats and love how they get faster when they hear us talking or playing music!! My monitor early this evening wasn't as good, I ended up starting to have contractions about half way thru and they were from 4 to 6 minutes apart!! Dr. D ordered that I get an injection of the medication to help stop the contractions!! After getting the injection, my contractions stopped. The medication works really well for me, but it does make me feel really jittery and shaky!!

We are just praying that we make it to 36 weeks, or as close as possible!! We know that we are not in control of the situation and we are doing everything we can!!! No matter when our boys come, we know they are at a much better stage than they were the month, week, and even day before!! Please continue to pray for us and our boys!!!!

Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

34.2

What a lazy Saturday I have had!!! I guess I might as well enjoy the last few I can have, because I'm sure they will be few and far between when our boys come - which is just fine with me!!

Dr. S stopped by this morning and we talked about the frequent contractions I had last night. I had been outside in the wheelchair for awhile yesterday, and then came in and got put on the monitor, so she thinks the pressure from me sitting may have caused an increase in the contractions!! I told her I was just going to lay flat and give up my wheel chair rides, but she said I can still do them, I just need to do 15 minutes instead!! I'm so lucky to have her as my Dr., there is no one else I would trust as much as I do her to take care of my boys and I.

Today's monitoring were much better!! Only minimal contractions were picked up!!! The boys looked awesome as well!!

Brodie spent most of the afternoon/evening with me!!! We rented a movie and had popcorn!! It was nice to have our own little movie night...even though it wasn't at our house!!! I'm so lucky to have such a caring husband!!! I know no matter what his top priority is myself and our boys!!! Brodie read the boys stories before he left for work, and I'm pretty sure he put them to sleep!!!

Please continue to pray for all the ladies here having pregnancy complications!! We currently have 4 in my hall, and we are all going to be here until our babies decide to make their appearance!! Even though we each have our own story and situation, we are all mommies that pray for healthy babies!!!

I stole this quote from our cousin, Micah's, Facebook page. It really made me think a lot about how many people have constantly told me that they don't know how I can stay so positive thru all of this, but if I can't stay positive and believe in my boys, who will??? Micah is currently going thru chemo treatments, and I know his positive attitude is what has helped him get thru the treatments with minimal side effects!!! Please continue to pray for him, along with his amazing wife, Danae, and their two beautiful kids, Gracie and Dylan, as they near the end of Micah's treatments!!!

Worrying won't stop the bad things from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good!!

34.1

I'm officially over 34 weeks!! Its amazing the difference each day can make!!! While things did get a little crazy this afternoon/evening, all in all, it was a quiet day.

I had no contractions this morning while on the monitor!! The boys were extra sleepy, so it took me drinking some juice and playing music to get them to wake up and look good on the monitor!!! My monitor this afternoon made up for my 0 contractions this morning!! At one point I think they said it was every 2-3 minutes and then after my medication, it spaced out to every 5-8 minutes. After consulting with the on call Dr I was given an extra dose of my medication and an injection to help space everything out!! Between the combination of medications, the contractions finally stopped!!! As scary as it is to think my boys could come anytime, I know we are in a way better spot than we were last month, or even last week!

Thank you to Kayla and Les for coming by today!!! I hope these two ladies know how much they mean to us and how much they have helped me through this journey!!! My sanity would be completely gone without them!!!

Please pray that we can make it another 13 days to 36 weeks and if we don't make it that far that the boys are as strong as possible!!!

Psalm 91:2 - I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”