Two Weeks Old...and almost Three Weeks Old!

It's been an exciting week since our last update! Here are the highlights:

• Jake is over 4.5 pounds now and his preemie sized clothes are getting a little snug! Good thing I bought out Carter's this past week. Jake and Abby now own every single thing Carter's has ever made in Newborn and 0-3. (Important note: this does not mean I am done shopping.) This also means that Jake has put on over a pound since he was born - his face is definitely getting rounder, and his little blue hat is getting tighter!
• Jake tried his first bottle this week! He is now "trying out" bottle feeding twice a day - once in the morning with a nurse, and once at night with one of his two nervous parents. He is still a little young to know how to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time, but we're working on it.
• Abby has started on her feedings again and is doing great! They are slowly ramping them back up, right now she is just under 50% fed and the rest is still through IV.
• Abby also tried her first bottle this week! Even though she doesn't have as much volume to take down as Jake does, it looks like she is picking up the skill of eating a little faster. We hear that preemie girls tend to pick up skills more quickly than boys do, so we shouldn't be surprised if Abby is ready to go home before Jake does.
• Abby is gaining weight too, and is officially bigger than Jake was when he was born at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. Grow Abby grow! She is SO alert for her bottles every night. I think both babies will love eating like I do.
• Jeff and I changed both babies for the first time tonight, and wow is it scary thinking that you are going to break them by pulling something over their heads. Uncle John and Aunt Molly visited tonight and I think we put on a good show for them. Jake also peed all over his bed while Jeff was changing him, and then Abby peed all over her bed while I was changing her. Not our best display of parenting skills!
• We had a fun nurse tonight that let us do a mini photo shoot, so as soon as my laptop is virus-free again I'll post more pictures of the four of us together, me holding both babies, and Jeff's first time holding both babies!
• We had some great visitors the past week. Uncle Chris came by himself last Friday because Aunt Angela was on a camping trip, and Grandma Lucrecia and Grandpa George came on Saturday. This was Grandma's first time seeing Jake and Abby since the day after they were born, and what a difference two weeks makes! She also got to hold Abby, who was very well behaved. Uncle John and Aunt Molly visited tonight, and Aunt Molly held Jake when he was asleep after the hard work he did on his 8:00 bottle. Now that Abby is feeling better, we are loving the visitors! If anyone wants to come and see the babies, just let us know and we'll work out a day and time.

In the words of one of Jake and Abby's doctors, they are "coasting along" and doing really well, continuing to progress towards coming home. It's exciting that our visits with them have gone from pretty passive - mostly just holding them while they slept - to more active with changing clothes and diapers and doing feedings. Definitely giving us a glimpse of what we are in for! It seems like it will be exhausting and probably a little scary, and I'm sure we will absolutely love it.