Update

It's been a few days now for us to get used to the idea that we are actually a family of 5, although that number still seems huge to me and I don't think it will fully kick in until after we are home for a while. It has been nice to sort of ease into the super-parent lifestyle with all the help of the fantastic hospital staff. I don't know what we are going to do when we are on our own!

So, here is an update of what has happened:

• Soon after Jackson was delivered, he was brought to the NICU for respiratory problems. There, he was hooked up to all sorts of IVs and monitoring equipment. Luckily, his stay there lasted only about 16 hours and he came back to us the next morning. They told us that all was well.

• Our babies are really little and they look like monkey skeletons- CUTE monkey skeletons.

• Rachel and the babies have finally figured out the breastfeeding thing.

• They have both lost a lot of weight. It is normal for newborns to lose some, but these guys are going overboard. Jackson has lost 9% of his birth weight, and Adalie has lost just over 10%. Adalie is also a little bit jaundiced.

• Both Jackson and Adalie have been getting pretty cold. This is normal for early-term babies because they can't regulate their own body temperature yet. It will be fine in about a week-and-a-half, but for now we keep them triple wrapped with little beanie hats on.

• We were supposed to leave the hospital this morning, but because of these last few things (jaundice, low weight, and temperature regulation) they want to keep the babies here for at least 2 more days. Rachel will be officially discharged from the hospital tomorrow, although we can keep our cozy little room for as long as the babies are here.

Reading back on these updates, it sounds like we have had a sort of negative experience. That is definitely not the case. It has been a wonderful couple of days getting to know these two precious babies. They are in our room during most of the day and is is amazing to just watch them sleep, or eat, and think about how lucky I am to be their father. It is also amazing to watch Rachel care for them and think about how lucky I am to be her husband.

Here are some more pictures:

We got Evelyn a new doll so she could have a new baby too. She has been a great little girl through this whole thing. We really have to thank all of our friends who have been watching her, as well as Wendy (Rachel's Mom) for taking her home for naps and at nights. For the time being she loves the new babies and likes to point out their body parts. I think she'll be a fantastic big sister.

Here's Jackson- We know it is him because of the "B" on his hat. When we get home we might have to use a Sharpie on their foreheads to tell them apart!

Actually, there are enough subtleties that we can see who is who, but we have to really look. We have already mixed them up a few times here in the hospital. Sadly, one such mix-up made Jackson miss his breakfast- not a good thing when you want them to gain weight. In this picture Jackson is on the left and Addie is on the right (with the pointy ear).