We're Due!

Today is the boy's due date so they are now 40 weeks gestational age. It was a little rough but I am thankful for the bonus time we have had! The boys are definitely acting more like term babies lately, crying when hungry or if they have a dirty diaper or if they just want to be held. It is great to see them growing more healthy and strong every day.

The Johnson Clan is Home!!!!

Yeah!!!! We are finally home. We got home Sat. March 14th which is the day Kai was released from the hospital. Magnus was released February 23rd and we were living at the hospital during the interval. Magnus was in the ICN for 39 days and Kai for 57. It has been so nice to de-institutionalize, sleep in our own bed, and be independent parents. We feel so blessed that our boys are home and healthy. We are eternally grateful for the care that they (and we) received at UCSF. For two months the staff there were not only medical professionals to us but also counselors, support, and friends. It was truly amazing to have had the opportunity to learn so much about parenting from nurses who have been caring for babies for 20-30 yrs. and new nurses who have so obviously found their calling. Magnus and Kai were two of many babies who have and will be under their care yet they were treated with genuine love and we will never forget it. I have thought a lot about how you can possibly thank someone for the lives of your children and realize there is no thank-you big enough. You never know in life where your most meaningful relationships will form and I can say that we truly love their nurses as if they are family, and they will always be in our thoughts and hearts. I know we will continue to draw inspiration from them as we evolve as parents. Our family is lucky to have met our guardian angels!
The boys had a Drs. appointment Thursday. Magnus weighted 6lbs. 3oz. and Kai 6lbs. 6oz. The Dr. said they are doing great.
My computer is still (or again) broken so I am trying to use Joel's but am Mac illiterate. I will keep trying to figure out how to put pics on the blog but in the mean time a link to an album I recently made on facebook is to the right of this page under "links to pictures". You don't have to have a facebook account to view the album. Thanks again to everyone who loved and supported us on our journey to completing our family.

Magnus in big boy outfit and tubby time

Gator Outfit


Tubby Time

Kai looking around and tubby time

Kai Eyes

Tubby for Kai

Kai

Magnus

The boys are doing really well. They came out of their isolettes yesterday and today they moved to a new lower observation nursery. They are meeting a lot of the requirements for going home, but still need to develop coordination to breathe, suck, swallow so they can eat on their own. Right now they still have tubes for feeding (the tubes in their noses on the pictures) though we are working on nursing. They are gaining weight and are getting so big so fast (about four pounds a piece now). They are most definitely the cutest babies in the nursery!

You've Come a Long Way Babies!

The boys are doing great. They are both in a less intensive care unit and they are finally next to eachother! Both boys are breathing on their own without any supplimental oxygen and they are digesting their food as they should and will get to start trying to eat the natural way soon. Magnus' I.V. came out today as he no longer needs I.V. nutrients. We are so proud of how quickly they are advancing. Magnus got to come off his monitor for a family picture yesterday which was the first time the boys have seen eachother since the womb, it was soooo wonderful! Magnus is the ultimate zen baby and the top two pics. The bottom two pics are of Kai, I love his kissy face. Hope everyone is doing well, thank you so much for all your love and support. The boys are very lucky to have so many people rooting for them and so much love in their lives.

Magnus and Kai are Here!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Magnus and Kai! The Johnson Twins are here. Magnus was born at 7:40p.m. Jan. 16th by vaginal delivery and Kai was born at 2:12am Jan. 17th by c-section. On Monday Jan. 5th we had an ultrasound at home and it was discovered that baby Kai had some extra fluid in his body and his heart was beating irregularly. We were referred to UCSF Hospital in San Francisco and were admitted the following Monday the 12th. Because Kai's heart was not functioning properly which in turn caused his little body to retain fluid, we had to start medication on me to try and regulate his heartbeat. The medicine had slowly started working when I started to show signs of labor. On the 14th I lost my mucous plug, then on the 15th Magnus' water broke, and although they gave me medication to try and stop the contractions the by the 16th I was in labor. I had to deliver in surgery due to there being twins and known complications with Kai. They took me down about 6:00 and by 7:40 Magnus was here. My cervix then closed back up a bit and we waited a short while for it to re-open then they broke they water on Kai and we pushed for several hours but Kai had to eventually be born by c-section. Fortunately during labor his little heart rate slowed down more consistently than it had previously and he did not need resuscitation as the doctor's anticipated. He was given a poor prognosis, but so far has proved all the docs wrong and is hanging in there despite the heart condition and being premature. He is beautiful and incredibly strong and we are so proud of him. Magnus is doing wonderful, he is also very strong and we don't think anyone told him he is a preemie! I will try to keep everyone updated, but we have got a lot on our plates right now as I have not yet been discharged from the hospital and the boys will be here at least several weeks. The staff here has been amazing and we could not ask for better care for both the boys and I. We appreciate all the love and support and good thoughts being sent to our family and we are very optimistic for little boy Kai. In the pictures Magnus has the little white patch of hair (from G-pa Johnson) and Kai has the more full face (still a little swollen, but getting better).

Christmas and the 27 Week Bump

We hope that everyone had a very nice Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! We enjoyed a quiet holiday season with local friends, but we missed our family and friends we were unable to be with. Looking forward to seeing you all very soon! Our recent Drs. appointments have gone well, always fun to hear the boy's little heartbeats. I had my gestational diabetes test and they re-tested my thyroid function, I guess I passed because I haven't heard otherwise. We celebrated Joel's 32nd birthday at a very nice Italian restaurant we had not been to before which was really fun, it almost felt like we were on vacation! We are getting really excited to meet the boys. I have been doing some online shopping for nursery gear and I am planning for when I'm off bedrest and can do my nesting (hopefully we can get it all put together before I go back to work).

25 Week Belly and the Buddha

My computer has been in the shop (again), so I have gotten a little behind on the blog. The boys are doing great, moving a lot and making lots of room for themselves in the belly.