The twins are home!

We're all home! After spending the weekend in the NICU, both of the boys were able to maintain their temperatures. That means they are also doing great at eating, and so on Monday we were able to bring them home. Big sister Danika was already missing them, so on Sunday we brought her in to visit the boys. She was very good, and was glad to be able to hold her brothers. Below are a few more pictures of the boys. The first two are both Eli, and the last two are both Tavan. As you can see, they are starting to keep their eyes open long enough to look around for a while. Hooray!

Eli sleeping in the NICU

Now I'm back home with my family!

Surprise! Tavan is all warm and awake!

Tavan may have his eyes open here, but he still likes being horizontal.

More Twins news

On Thursday, Miranda and the twins were allowed to come home. We were excited to have everyone back at the house! However, as Thursday turned into Friday, feeding was a struggle, and both the boys had difficulty maintaining their body temperatures. After a long night, we called the hospital and made an appointment for the twins to see the nurses.

The continued to have a tough time all day, and when they got to the hospital it was decided that they should be admitted to the NICU. Both of the boys are now in warming beds so that they can stay warm, and are getting fed regularly. As soon as they show that they can maintain their body temps for 24 hours, they will be allowed to return home. Although we would love to have them home now, we know that this will be the best way to make sure they are getting what they need! They were born at 36 weeks, which is still a little early so this is not that uncommon.

Tavan John (above) ------------- Eli Robert (below)

Happy 2nd Birthday Danika!

Today Danika turns 2! Our special little girl is certainly getting big. As she would say, "Holy cow!" Or maybe she got that from her dad?
Danika's had an eventful year. She's found a wide vocabulary and is very good with please and thank you's. She loves to listen to music, and always knows what song she wants (and will let you know when you need to change the track).
When she's not near the radio to dance to her favorite songs, she just sings them herself. Her favorites include the ABC's, Wheels on the Bus, and Jingle Bells.

She also has become very good at counting, and has been known to count up to 12! A couple of weeks ago, she also decided (after memorizing her potty books) that she likes to go potty on the toilet better than in diapers. Although we still have a ways to go with that, she's well on her way to being a real big girl!

Danika hasn't really had a birthday party yet unfortunately. Our day was extremely busy! Her twin brothers came home from the hospital the day before, so it was their first morning at home. Unfortunately, they were not eating well and their body temp would not stay constant so they had to go back into the hospital today (see more next post). We also had to go get the van from the autobody shop after getting hail damage repaired, and between all that the day was super busy!

Thankfully, Danika's firend Rylan (below) stopped over to give her a preasent and some cupcakes, and she got phone calls from lots of family members with happy birthday wishes.

We are now a family of seven.... holy cow!!!

Well the day has finally come, and sooner than we even expected. On Monday, October 22nd we welcomed our two newest additions to the family! Tavan John Schlichitng was born at 5:57 PM, and weighed 5 lbs, 10 oz. He was 19 inches tall. Not to be outdone, his brother Eli Robert Schlichting was born at 5:58 PM, weighing 5 lbs, 15 oz. He was 20 inches tall. The picture above was taken just a few hours later, when big brothers Jake (10) and Ryan (7), along with big sister Danika (2), came to visit.

On Monday, Miranda went to see Dr. Mary Holm for her scheduled visit at 2:00 PM . Things had been going very well up to this point, but she was starting to get pretty uncomfortable. We had been joking around the last couple of days that maybe she could just stay at the hospital and they could just take the twins! The babies were not cooperating inside, and both were in breach position. So the plan, as we had been told previously, was that they would be born on November 1st, if they had not come before then. However at this visit, Dr. Holm found that her blood pressure was elevated, and her legs were starting to swell up pretty badly, so she said that there was no reason to wait any longer! She went ahead and scheduled the c-section for 5:30 PM. I was at the hospital but had to leave and go get the boys off the school bus, scramble to pack a suitcase with a few necessities, and get someone to watch the kids. Our friend Jamie was on standby, and she quickly came over to take care of them for us. Then I left and went back to the hospital to find Miranda all ready to go! A few words of encouragement, and discussion with the nurses about how the operation would proceed, and then we were off. A short time later, the twins were born!!

Proud Grandparents hold the new twins a few hours after they are born. Grandma Becky has Eli, and Grandpa Kenny holds Tavan. Tavan's name was decided on after both of us liked the name 'Tava' for a girl. Since we didn't have any girls, Kurt changed it to 'Tavan' (the first A is pronounced with the long A sound, the second is short). His middle name, John, comes from his Uncle Tim's middle name.

Eli's name came from Miranda, who heard the name and thought it was a cute one. Both of us struggled to find names we liked so once we found one that both of us thought was at least "not bad" we figured we were on to something... by the time they were born we knew the name was perfect! His middle name, Robert, is shared by his father.

Eli Robert Schlichting - - - - Tavan John Schlichting

10/22/07