1/5/12 Happy Birthday

Keller Isaiah Dolen - 2lb 3oz



Skyler Gabriel Dolen - 1lb 7oz



This update is coming to you from Auntie Kylah. The morning started out with an ultrasound at 7:45am. They took all the stats of both babies and Dr. Walker arrived to hear the stats and take a look himself. The news was that while some things have improved waiting could have been a bad thing for Baby A. The best scenario was to deliver them today….scheduled for 9:30am. We all took a deep breath and wrapped our heads around the thought of meeting these two little boys today…and I mean little. Shelly’s been doing great through the whole process and keeping calm. We came back to the room after the ultrasound and Shelly was immediately prepped for surgery. I had the honor of being in the OR during the procedure. At 9:33am we wheeled Shelly to the OR. Micah got dressed in his scrubs first and entered the OR behind Shelly. I was prepped with my scrubs and escorted into the OR. There were about 15 people (Dr’s and Nurses) in there…so plenty of people looking out for Shelly and the babies.  There were also two beds for the twins on the other side of the room. Each twin would have about 3 nurses and a Dr to watch out for them once they arrived. Micah had a seat right next to Shelly and I was next to Micah. Once they put the curtain up and were ready for surgery, I got to stand by Shelly’s head and watch from above! From the time they started the procedure, it was only about 6 minutes until the first baby came out and another 30 seconds for the second.

At 9:55am Skyler Gabriel Dolen (1lb 7oz) and Keller Isaiah Dolen (2lb 3oz) were born at Evergreen Hospital!

It was quite miraculous to see the whole process and watch how quickly all the Dr.’s and nurses took care of the babies. The babies are now in the NICU and in stable condition. Both have heart monitors, respirators, and umbilical lines (to give nutrients). Micah has been up to see them twice and hold the foot of Keller. Shelly is doing well and just resting up.

This has been an emotional day and we’re all excited with the way things have gone so far. We can’t thank all of you enough for all the prayers and support. These little guys are going to need to keep fighting for a while longer until they are in the clear…so keep it coming!

1/4/12 5:30pm

The morning started early and similar to yesterday.  Baby A can’t keep his heart rate up so that did more ultrasounds. We were able to get weights today.  Baby A is 1lb 4oz and Baby B is 2lb 1oz.  The doctor gave me the OK to leave the hospital for a few hours today to run home, get clean cloths, pet the cat, grab the mail and buy new ski and snowboard equipment for Grayson and Asher lessons that start on Friday.  It was nice to get away for a little while but my time away was interrupted by a phone call telling me to hurry back.  Baby A is again having problems and the doctor is ready to deliver at any minute.  Shelly is prepped for surgery.  If the babies are not delivered tonight we have a scheduled C-section for tomorrow at 11:00am and the doctor is feeling that the chances of delivering by that time are 85%.  It is feeling like we are getting very close to meeting our boys.  Time to crank up the prayers for healthy babies.

This has been the most difficult thing Shelly and I have gone through and I am amazed about how tough she is.  She truly is amazing and I love her so much.  I am also so proud of Grayson and Asher they are the best boys in the world and they are just as tough as their mom.  I get choked up multiple times a day thinking about how many people are out there supporting and praying for us.  Thank you all.

It may be a long night.  I will update as soon as I can.

Micah

1/3/12 3:20pm

Well it has been another rollercoaster day.  We were awoken by the doctor telling us they are worried about baby A’s heart rate again.  They rushed us off to an early ultrasound and told us that if the babies were a little further along they would have delivered them last night.  Shelly was not allowed to eat or drink in case they needed to do surgery.  They are 25 weeks old today. Side note (for all the guys reading this)- 40 weeks is full term for a baby.

After the ultrasound we got news that baby A gained weight to everyone’s surprise and as the day has progressed his heart rate is still going up and down but it has not gotten worse.  This is a bit of a relief.  At 2:00pm they let Shelly have some liquids and they are hoping that she will get to eat dinner tonight.

Shelly’s nurse was nice and got the OK to take the babies off the monitor and unhook her IV for 15 minutes while she took a shower.

Shelly is doing pretty well but it is frustrating that the magnesium IV is blurring her vision making it hard for her to read.  Daytime TV Sucks. Some of her girlfriends came in last night to watch trash TV and drink wine.  I think that was a highlight of her day. 

Well that’s it for now

Thanks again for all your kind words and prayers.

Micah

1/2/12 4:40pm

Happy New Year Everyone.  The Dolen household is getting the tough part of the year out of the way early this year.  Hopefully the rest of the year will be smooth sailing.

We are on standby here right now.  I spent the night last night because baby A is having dips in his heart rate.  Shelly is hooked up to 24 hour monitoring and is being pumped full of meds which is fogging her vision and making it hard for her to watch her “trash” TV programs.  She had an ultrasound this morning and blood flow is in the acceptable range for baby A right now.  We just need him to maintain his heart rate.

3:39pm-As I type this it is bit of a panic mode here right now as they are looking for a second heartbeat.  They are wheeling in an ultrasound machine to do more scanning.  We are on minute by minute status right now and Shelly is prepped to go into surgery at any time.

3:41pm- They found the second heart beat so we are OK for the moment.  The beats are usually at a different rate but for some reason they synced up so they thought they were only picking up one heartbeat.  We are able to breathe easy for the moment.

This has been the story of our lives for the last few days.  Shelly is Superwoman and has not complained once.  I am so proud of her.  Asher and Grayson are having a hard time but it is understandable.  My aunt is staying with them and holding down the fort.  She is a Saint.

Thank you to everyone for all your help and Prayers.

Micah

12/30/11 4:10pm

Well it is official, I (Micah) am writing this update from room 4173 at Evergreen Hospital.  Shelly has spent the day being poked, prodded, tested and poked some more.  We are now here until we get to meet our new little boys.  The doctors don't like the blood flow in baby A's brain so they are watching him like a hawk.  Shelly will be spending the coming days, weeks and months(hopefully) with microphones on her belly listening to the babies heartbeats.  Her room is nice and large and she would love visitors.  Her nurse said for her to invite her friends over for wine party for the Bachelor season opener this Monday.  I will be bouncing between the hospital, home and work.  I would like to thank everyone for offering help with childcare and food.  Being that this is day 1 I am not really sure what we need yet but Susan Gillespie is the self appointed "Help Planner" (Susan likes to be in charge) so she will be doing the coordinating.  Thanks Susan. 

Grayson and Asher are taking it well so far but it is going to take some getting used to.  I am sure they would love to be taken to see Mommy as much as possible so feel free to invite them along for the ride if you are visiting Shelly.

Thanks again for all the prayers and offers of help.  We have great friends and family.

We will keep you posted as things change.  Feel free to send Shelly a text, she has her phone.

Micah

12/28/11

So I had another appointment today here's the break down....

Baby B now weighs 1 lb 13 oz. He gained 8 oz. over the past two weeks! Everything on him looks fabulous! He just needs to keep up the good work.

Baby A now weighs 1 lb. 1 oz. He gained 4 oz. over the past two weeks! I was proud of my little guy's growth. He's working so hard! Unfortunately, he has to work so hard. Blood flow in his brain is starting to show that his little body is working really hard to compensate for the uneven blood flood from the umbilical cord...this isn't a good sign. Dr. Walker scheduled another appointment for me on Friday where unless there is a miracle (pray for one!) I will be admitted to the hospital. They will admit me to keep a close eye on my boys to make sure that A doesn't get too stressed out. As soon as he starts showing signs of distress I will be rushed in for a c-section. I will stay in the hospital until the boys are born. Pray for a long stay. I want these little ones to cook as long as possible! Pray for health for both of the boys. And pray for the boys I will be leaving at home (all 3 of them!).

So if you offered to help it looks like now is the time I'll need it. We're trying to figure out schedules for the boys so if you can help please let me know! It's greatly appreciated!!!!!

Lots of Love,

Shelly

12/1/11 11:47am

So here is the latest news about the twins…

Baby A is now 9 oz. and has had good growth over the past two weeks. Everything still looks good on him and he’s moving around like crazy. Baby B is 14 oz. and as healthy as can be. Thankfully, he’s no longer double his brother’s size. Every week both of the boys give the ultrasound tech a hard time by moving every time they try to measure something. Typical Dolen boys!

I still need to go weekly to see Dr. Walker to keep a close eye on Baby A’s growth. I was hoping to be able to cut back a little because it’s getting REALLY expensive. Pray that our insurance will cover more.

Dr. Walker said that after the holidays the babies will be considered viable. We don’t want them out that soon because it still would be really dangerous, but technically they could survive. So after the holidays I have to bring a packed bag to every appt. just in case Baby A’s growth slows. If his growth slows they would immediately hospitalize me to keep a closer watch on the babies and if the growth stops I would go in for an emergency C-section. Now, I don’t want any part of any of this so pray that none of this needs to happen!

Over all, they are doing the best they possibly can given the circumstances. I’m getting bigger by the day it feels like. My last day of work is on Dec. 16^th. Originally, I thought it was ridiculous that I would be out so soon, but this week I’ve been getting really tired and it’s getting harder and harder to complete simple tasks like putting my shoes on. It’s hard for me to see so many things that I “need” to do around the house, but not have the energy to do any of them. I just need to forget the to do list and focus on rest which isn’t so easy for this girl to do! Something else to pray about. J

Hope you all are doing well! Thanks for caring about me and the boys!

Shelly