Movin' on up!

So many things have happened in the last couple days and all of them good things. The Faiva family is doing well! I know it seems like the only thing I talk about on my blog is my kids, but they are what I think about, dream about, and who I'm with, so therefore what I talk about. Kaimen is doing really good, and he got to wear his very first big boy outfit today. HIs grandma and some other people bought him a bunch of preemie clothes and he already is too big for most of them so we have to take them back. But the ones we kept are adorable on him. He looks real good in blue. I called this morning to check on the twins and they told me that Danica has moved to intermediate care. This means she is doing better which is great, but sad for Kaimen that he got left behind. I loved being able to sit there with one of them and look and see that the other was okay. Kaimen will catch up soon though and be there before we know it. Danica has made some big steps the last 2 days. She is now in an open crib instead of an isolette. She tolerates the noises a lot better and is able to maintain her own body temp. The other huge step is that she drank from a bottle for the very first time. This is something totally normal for full term babies, but for preemies it's huge. They have to learn to suck, swallow, and breathe all at the same time. None of us were expecting her to do as well as she did, but she surprised us. She drank the whole thing and loved it. We'll start out slow and do 1 feeding with the bottle and the rest through the tube until she can show that she is ready for more. Being able to feed her was such a neat experience for me as a mom. When I get to do things like this it makes me so excited for them to come home. I may change my mind a little when those feedings are at 3 in the morning, but for now i can't wait. I have been busy getting organizing all the stuff in our 2nd bedroom, which will be there nursery. I'll be decorating it after my shower and I'm so excited to see how it turns out.

By the way my shower is this Thursday September 4th at 6:30 p.m. (dinner will be served) We've been trying to get invitations out, but if there is anyone I missed, I would love to see you there. Email me and I'll send you directions.

Thanks again to everyone for all you do, we couldn't do all of this without you!!!!

This has been a huge week for Kaimen. I'm so proud of him. On Thursday of last week they started him on steroids for his lungs. He had been on the ventilator for 6 weeks, which is a longer than the doctors usually like to see. He has been sick quite a few times which has slowed down his progress. On Sunday they finally were able to remove the ventilator tube and put him on a different machine, which is a big step up. He is doing really well, and I hope he continues that way. The doctor did tell us that sometimes after they go off the steroids which he did yesterday that they can back track a little, but we will think positive and hope things only get better from now on. Yesterday I got to see his face for the very first time. Since the minute he was born, he has always had something covering his face. He is so handsome, he looks just like his dad! And I was actually surprised by how much he looks like Danica. The nurses say he has an additude and doesn't like to be bothered. He is a huge fan of his binkie, and if it falls out of his mouth, he throws a fit. Believe me, I will make sure the house is stocked with them before he comes home. One of my favorite things about Kaimen is his eyes. When I was holding him and talking to him today he just stared right at me, like he really was listening to what I was saying. He really talks with his eyes. They tell me if he is feeling good or if he's mad, etc. This little guy is a stud! The doctor's and nurses always fight over whose boyfriend he is.

These are all pictures of my little Dani. She gets more beautiful everyday, and it gets harder and harder to leave her and her brother at the hospital. Lots of exciting thing have happened lately. Danica got her first bath in a tub(that little pink hospital tub). She wore a lot of her new outfits and the nurses in the NICU voted her best dressed in there(quite an honor). She is free from all her IV's and everything and only has her oxygen. She is starting to be fun and alert and awake everytime we change her and she gets fed. One thing I've started to notice about her is she is very patient and calm, let's hope she stays that way! When I'm there I love to just stare at her face, I could do it for hours and hours. When I was holding her yesterday I got watery eyed when I sat there and thought about all these babies have been through and how lucky I am to have them with me. What did I do to deserve this? They are so perfect! It was a testimony to me that Danica and Kaimen have a lot here on this earth to accomplish, and Heavenly Father is going to make sure that they have every opportunity to do that. No word yet on when the kids can come home, but I can't even imagine how wonderful it will be.

The Faiva 4

This is our very first family picture. It was an exciting day for us. Rich got to hold Kaimen and I got to hold Danica. It's hardly your typical family picture, but a fun day for us. The next day they let the grandmas hold Danica for the first time. These are Rich's moms first grandkids and my moms 4th and 5th. They are the best grandmas ever!

My pretty little princess

The nurses told

us Danica was ready to wear clothes now. This is her very first outfit, doesn't she look so cute?This is a preemie outfit for up to 5 pounds, but it is still too big for her. Being able to go and get her dressed up made me feel a little bit more like her mommy. Danica is doing really good, she is only on oxygen now, and is starting to be more alert and likes the attention she gets. She loves being held by her parents and grandmas and she also loves her binkie. The doctors think she will be in an open crib in the next few days, which I'm sure she will really like.

My strong little boy!

Yesterday my son Kaimen had a little heart surgery. Being a very premature baby there was a valve in his heart that was not closed all the way. They tried medicine the first week he was born, but when he got really sick a few weeks ago, it opened up again. They decided surgery would correct it best. I was very emotional yesterday. A lot of my family and Rich's family came to the hospital to be there for us during the surgery, so that helped. He is just so tiny and fragile, I hated the thought of him having this done. The doctors say it will help him to improve. The surgery went really well. Kaimen did awesome, and seems to be recovering well. He does have another lung infection, but is fighting that really well also. He is so strong, and as a mom I couldn't be more proud. Danica is on fire, she is improving quickly and is off of her medicines and growing really fast. We get to go tonight and put her in her very first preemie outfit!!! I'll put up pics next post.

This is just a rough draft of what my blog will look like, but I needed to just get this whole blog thing started. I at first thought blogging was a little silly and kind of a waste of time, but I've changed my mind! A lot has happened in the last few months, and this way I feel like I'm keeping everyone informed.
So this is kind of a long story, but it's been my life for the last 3 months. At the end of May I went in for a pregnancy ultrasound, at 21 weeks. I knew I was pregnant with twins, which made it higher risk. Everything had been going really well and the babies were healthy. That day they told me that my cervix was really short and I would be in the hospital and on strict bed rest the remainder of my pregnancy. That was really hard to hear, but I had no idea what I was in for. I ended up being in th hospital for a total of 7 weeks. 3 of those weeks I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. My family and especially my husband were wonderful. He got a second job to support our family because I obviously couldn't work. When he wasn't working he was with me. My mom was also amazing, she came down to the hospital and kept me company every day while my husband was at work. We had hours and hours to talk and we got to be really close. My mother in law was great too. She gave me lots of back massages and kept me entertained. They both saved me from the nasty hospital food.
In the middle of the 7 weeks I got really sick with a blood infection and pneumonia, and the doctors thought the babies would have to be delivered then, at 24 weeks. I'm so grateful that wasn't the case. Thanks to the doctors and all the prayers and fasting, I was able to recover and they didn't have to deliver the babies.
These were some of the hardest 2 months of my life. Besides the extreme boredom, I was worried about my babies, and I didn't know how much longer all of that would last. I did more praying and crying in those 2 months that I have in my whole life combined. I made it to 27 1/2 weeks and the kids decided they couldn't wait any longer. I was in labor for about 3 days and I dialated to a 10 before they decided to do a C-section. The babies were out in about 3 minutes. It was a relief, but at the same time I was a little nervous about how they would be. Danica Aveolela was born first at 2 pounds 9 ounces and Kaimen Tamatoa was born at 2 pounds 13 ounces. Rich was there watching the whole time. He was by me jumping up and down and basically freaking out. It was so cute to see him so excited. He is going to be a great dad!
They let me kiss each of my babies and then rushed them up to the NICU. That was 4 weeks ago this Sunday. I can't believe they are already a month old. They are both doing well. They have had their struggles, and some infections, and other things, but my babies are fighters. I have never seen 2 little people so strong. They both weigh almost 4 pounds each now. They haven't given us a time when we will get to bring them home, but probably the beginning of October. The hardest thing to do is leave them at the hospital, but I just have to remember how lucky I am that they are even here, and they will get to come home soon. I feel so lucky to be there mom, and that they chose me and their dad. I love them more that I thought could even be possible.
Thanks to everyone who has called and come to visit, and who has been praying for our family. We couldn't do it without you!!