DaveKohler.com

(Site Last Updated: June 29th, 2008)

Welcome to The Twins' Blog!

Our Angels Are Fabulous!

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- Picture Of The Week -

Hannah Clare Kohler: 5 lbs 4 oz / 18 Inches

Lauren Michelle Kohler: 5 lbs 1 oz / 17.5 Inches

Born on Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Lauren (left) and Hannah (right) eight minutes old ... this has been a week full of miracles!

With the Little Ladies safe in the ICU, Lauren Michelle (left) and Hannah Clare (right) are sleeping most of the time. Weighing in at more than 5 pounds each, they are doing well! The ICU staff is loving and caring. They will most likely stay for at least one week.

June 1st - Our Little Angels decided that this was 'the' perfect birthday for them! Lisa woke me up at 3:30 AM early Sunday morning saying, 'I think we have to go soon!' We went to the hospital and, by Noon, she was in the OR ... and at 12:29 PM, Miss Hannah was born, followed up at 12:30 PM by the arrival of Miss Lauren. Our girls made it to 34 Weeks and 5 Days! Lisa worked very hard to 'take it easy' with her bed-rest and medication. And it made all of the difference. Our girls weigh more than 5 pounds each and, while they had some normal difficulty breathing for several hours, they are doing extremely well after 24 hours.

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June 3rd - Our Little Angels are breathing smoothly and taking formula from a bottle! The doctor's comment was 'I am very surprised at how well the Twins are doing!' What a blessing this is for our family ... Lisa is up and walking about and is seeing the girls every three hours!

Hannah (left) opens up her little eyes to see her Mom while Lauren (right) takes a rest. Having these two beautiful girls is such a blessing and a miracle!

They have cleared their first major hurdle, which is to breath smoothly and without effort. Next, the Twins needed to eat on their own and are now getting a bottle every 3 hours with lots of rest in between. Their main job is to rest and grow right now. They need to put on some weight (body fat) that will allow them to maintain their body temperature.

And they are getting lots of love from us, our kids and the entire ICU staff. I always thought that the girls being in the ICU would be very challenging but it's really working out wonderfully for them. They are in fabulous hands in the ICU! Every nurse that I have talked to absolutely loves the responsibility that comes with taking care of our little Angel Babies. Another happy ending .................

We first met NICU nurse Jenny (right) when Lisa was admitted to the hospital at Week 24 with PreTerm Labor. She told us what to expect and what are options were. Luckily, she is still there caring for our Twins today. Zorha (left) also is caring for our Little Treasures and they both are full of love and caring and joy. Doctor O'Donnell and Lisa after the good news that the Twins are doing well! God bless the entire NICU staff!

Dave changing little Lauren's diapers for the first time! How tiny but strong these little ladies are, gripping Dad's thumb. Lisa and Hannah get some 'girl time' together.

Okay ... can you guess which Twin is which? Is Hannah of the left ... or is it Lauren on the right? Yep! That's it. The girls are probably not identical twins. If fact, they look much different when we're holding them. Dad's holding baby Hannah on the right.

June 4th - Lisa came home tonight! She is healing very fast, so the doctors released her this morning. Our Little Angels are still being cared for in the N-ICU by the wonderful & highly trained staff. We'll go to see and hold them everyday until they come back home.

So when exactly will they come home? We're not exactly sure yet ... it depends upon how well they tolerate their bottle feeding, how well they maintain their body temperature and how quickly they gain weight. They still have a mild jaundice challenge but their doing very well so far. The girls have surprised the doctors as to how fast they have blasted through some serious hurdles since their birth at Noon just last Sunday. This has been an amazing few days!

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June 5th - Things are moving along very well. Lisa is feel pretty good and the Twins are drinking a lot of baby-juice from a bottle. They may even be off of their I.V. feedings tonight! Yahoo! Also, still jaundiced, but a fairly low levels (no beli lights needed yet). They are each in their own incubators right now but should be in cribs by Friday evening!

Today Lisa and I both got a chance to 'Kangaroo' with them for about an hour each! Really a wonderfully close time where they both lie on my chest. Really an amazing experience for me! These little ladies can sure changed our life in just four short (long!) days! :-)

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June 6th - The Twins continue to make great progress! They are both putting on weight, taking milk from their bottles, the I.V.'s have been disconnected and may even be out of their Iso-Lets (baby-incubators) and in open cribs by tommorrow.

We think that the Twins are fraternal (non-identical) ... however, sometimes it difficult to tell them apart. Both NICU nurses had trouble telling 'em apart! Little Hannah's face is slightly fuller and Lauren weighs slightly less. Now when they put on more weight, it will be very (very) interesting to see if they simply look alike or are, in fact, identical.

As for their coming home, Doctor B says that they are making great progress! While he can't commit to a timeframe, our guess is that we'll have our little treasures home by this Tuesday! It's kinda like taking your new car home from the dealer! (Only A WHOLE LOT BETTER!)

We feel very lucky and very blessed!

Lisa checks Lauren's temperature in the Iso-Let, which controls temperature and cuts down on the noise. This is Week 35 for our girls and so, as twins, wouldn't have been born for another 1 to 2 weeks yet. Pre-mature babies need calm and quiet so that they continue to develop. What little Miracles these young ladies are!

Lisa and Lauren spend a little 'girl time' together. Aren't they both so gorgeous??

Just six days old! Lauren (L) and Hannah (R) after a warm bottle. Interestingly, even the NICU nurses couldn't say for certain that these little Beauties are NOT identical twins. Mmmmm ... Hope we can keep 'em straight when they come home! Can YOU tell them apart?

June 7th - The Twins are out of their Iso-Lets and are now in open-air Infant Cribs because they are better regulating their own body temperatures! Another 'premie' hurdle cleared. In fact, they MAY be home in a day or two! Yahoo! (again) The doctors and nurses (and the parents) are amazed at how quickly these two little Angels are making progress. And they continue to pack on the grams! Hannah gained 40 grams and Lauren gained 20 grams just since yesterday!

Hannah (L) fell into a deep sleep right after taking a bottle from Lisa. After Lauren (R) took her bottle, she looked all around for about 15 mintues before falling asleep. How beautiful are these two little-little girls!

June 8th - Just got the news that the Twins are coming home on Monday! YAHOO!

June 9th - The GIRLS ARE HOME! We picked them up from the NICU and brought them home in the later afternoon!

Hannah & Lauren in their first travel clothes! Zohra and Annette say 'Good bye!' to our Little Angels. God Bless the NICU staff for their love and caring for Hannah & Lauren!

June 11th - Their first doctor visit today ... and they are doing great! Their are above their birth weight and otherwise checkout perfectly!

Hannah & Lauren in their first doctor's visit (left) and then home for a quick rest!

The girls are just hangin' out together ...

June 14 - Well, how can you be so happy and a little bit sad at the same time? When your 'preemie' twins are healthy but its time for Lulu to head back home with her husband to resume her own life! With Lisa healthy she & 'Mom' decided that she would be released from her 'indentured servitude'.

'Thank You, Dick & Lulu!' for all of your help, sacrifices and love over these past (sometimes difficult for the pregnancy) three months! We love them and will be forever thankful for their support!

'Grammie' has actually spent more time here than she has at her new home in El Paso!

Auntie Catherine came for her first (of many!) visits to see her neices! After getting used to their smaller sizes, she was chatting with and feeding the Little Women like a champ! The rest of the afternoon was spent in girl time with so many things to talk about ...