Aunt Suzy & Uncle Stu

The day Casen got so sick & had to be flown to Dallas Michelle's sister, Suzy, & her husband, Stuart, drove through East Texas for a visit. We unfortunately missed the majority of their stay, but a few weeks later they were on their way back to Florida & went out of their way to come see Casen & Collins! We absolutely LOVED seeing them... what a treat!
Suzy & Stu just completed their own IVF & are anxiously waiting to find out the results of her pregnancy test this weekend. We are praying big time for them, and Case & Collins can't wait for some cousins to play with!!

Mommy with Casen & Collins in their super cute hoodie sweats!

Aunt Suzy with sleepy Casen & Collins

Aunt Suzy feeding Collins

Aunt Suzy holding Casen... sweet boy!

Uncle Stu feeding Collins Collins thinks Uncle Stu is really comfy!

Suzy's & Stu's sweet dogs, Sammie & Buster - they did really well around the babies!

Welcome!

Casen & Collins got a brand new set of 2nd cousins today...

Emma & Ella McCaskill

Congratulations Sam & Charlotte!

We're going to have so much fun with our twins! :)

February 20th

We are happy to report that things have been quite peaceful at the McCaskill house over the past 2 weeks! Yay!! We welcome the change and certainly do not miss the sick babies nor the hectic hospital stays! Casen & Collins are growing well. They now fit better in their newborn clothes than they do in their preemie outfits - especially Case with his long arms and legs. I have to admit that I already miss their tiny little preemie clothes, but really I just can't believe they're growing so fast! However, they have a lot of really adorable newborn clothes, too. Here's Case sporting his CUTE newborn dinosaur outfit for the first time...

Casen is Dino-mite!! :)

We knew that time would be hard to come by once we had the twins. On their 3-hour feeding schedule, my day pretty much consisted of feeding & pumping with little time for much else. Now that they have grown, they're able to stretch a little longer between feedings & we LOVE the new 4-hour schedule!
We are very blessed to have such wonderfully supportive parents! Bryan's mom & dad basically took off 10 days of work to stay with us & help out while we were in Dallas, and my parents have spent almost every night at our house to help with nightime feedings since we came home. I don't know what we would do without them! Of course, as kids you don't realize how much your parents actually do. As a mom myself, I honestly don't know how mine did it. She had my 3 and 4 year old sisters at home when Mike & I were born. Wow! My mom's a rock star!!

We often find that Casen & Collins wiggle closer to one another after we put them down to sleep. Here's how I found them after their nap yesterday... too cute! The only problem is that Lainey has reflux, so poor Casen has been spit up on more than once!

February 14th

Bryan's co-workers planned to throw a baby shower for us the day Casen got sick and we had to cancel. They were very sweet & rescheduled the shower for us on Valentine's Day. Cheryl even made another fabulous cake - YUM! It was so nice to meet everyone that my hubby works with.

Thanks everyone - you're the best!!
Cake #1... Sorry we missed it!
Cake #2... It really is as good as it looks!

Charla had onesies embroidered for the twins with "Maverick" and "Mavette" so they can show their Marshall pride! Aren't they cute?!?!



Lainey loves her Marshall gear... especially the hair bow!

February 11th

We took Casen & Collins in for their 6 week well-checks this week. (I can't believe they're 6 weeks old already!!) They are both growing really well. In spite of being so sick recently, Casen surprised us all by gaining a full pound since his last weight check 2 weeks ago. Our little fighter now weighs 5 pounds 13 oz. Collins also gained a full pound in the past 2 weeks & weighs 5 pounds 10 oz. They each also gained an inch in length! I love the fact that they're healthy, but I wish they weren't growing so fast!! Collins was a trooper for her 4 shots, and Casen took his 2 shots without much complaint. (They're on slightly different shot schedules because Casen initially weighed less).
Out of the past 6 weeks, we've only been home for 2 weeks. We're hoping to have some nice quiet time at home now & will hopefully be able to take more baby pics. We added some super cute bath time pics to our collection this week! :)

February 7th

Lucky number seven... February 7th is our 7th wedding anniversary & we get to go HOME today!! Yay!!! Casen completed his full course of antibiotics & got his IV taken out, then they released him from his stay at Children's. We packed up our car & drove our family back home - what a great feeling! Casen has fully recovered from his blood infection & even has a little chub back on his cheeks; and Collins stayed healthy during our time in Dallas. Thanks again for all of the prayers & support!
Back together again... where we belong!

February 5th

Casen was able to stop his oxygen today. That's one less tube... one step closer to home! He has really pinked up in the past day & is beginning to fill out again since starting feeds. Love seeing that!

February 4th

We were hit last night with another winter blast. With 4+ inches of snow on the ground, I stayed off the roads again today. It's awful to not be able to see Bryan & Casen, but Collins & I had a fun snow day. Her bath wore her out!

Tomorrow the temp is supposed to rise above freezing, so hopefully the roads will be safe enough to drive to the hospital. We should only have a couple more days until Casen is done with his IV antibiotics, then we can go HOME!!!

February 3rd

Casen is doing well & continues to progress. They stopped his caffeine today & allowed me to start breast feeding. He is glad to be eating again!


They graduated Case out of the PICU today. We are now in a regular pediatric room & will remain there for the next few days until he completes his 10-day course of antibiotics.

February 2nd

If you've been keeping up with Casen's changing diagnosis, get ready for another switch! I mentioned before that they identified a bacteria in his blood that they assumed to be Group B Strep. The preliminary blood culture actually showed "non-typeable Beta-hemolytic Strep". As you would guess, this means there are several different types of Strep infections. Group B Strep is one of the more common Strep infections in newborns; however, his final blood culture identified Group A Strep (GAS). GAS is the same bacteria that causes strep throat. It can also be found as normal flora in certain places on the body, but has the potential to cause more serious infections. The antibiotic Casen is on will treat GAS as well, so there is no need to adjust his medication. Some people can actually be unaffected carriers of GAS, so they've recommended that Bryan, Collins, & myself take a 5-day course of antibiotics just in case. The infectious disease doctors want Casen to complete a full 10 days of IV antibiotics, so it looks like we will be here for another 4-5 days at least.

Casen's doctors decided this morning that he was stable enough for his breathing tube to come out. They removed the tube successfully & Case is breathing well on his own - praise God! While the tube was in place, Case was unable to make any sounds. As they've weaned him off of his sedative in the past couple of days, he's been more restless & uncomfortable with the tube. Several times Case would "scream" without making a sound - how sad! :( Now Case has his voice back & we love hearing all of his little noises... even the screams! Once the tube came out, we were able to hold him for the first time in 5 days. WOW - what a great feeling!

Yay! No more breathing tube!!

They had to watch Casen for 6 hours after extubation before allowing him to eat. He made it through like a champ & was rewarded with 2 oz of breast milk for his hungry tummy! If he keeps up the good work, we may be able to breast feed some time tomorrow. We also may be able to trade our room in the PICU for a regular pediatric room as early as tomorrow.

Collins continues to do well & can't wait for her brother to come home!

February 1st

Dallas was hit by a winter storm last night & we woke up to ice & sleet covering the roadways. Even though we are staying only a few blocks from the hospital, the roads weren't safe for travel and I decided to stay home with Collins & Bryan's mom. I missed seeing my little man!
The doctor attempted to wean Casen off the vent again early this morning without success - he just doesn't want to give it up! They decided to give him caffeine to help stimulate the respiratory center in his brain. Hopefully that will help him breath on his own when they attempt to extubate again tomorrow morning. Bryan says the caffeine makes Case go cross-eyed... we'll have to watch the soda with this one! :)

Collins is a trooper & loves hanging out with her Nana. So far she is doing well without any concerning sick symptoms. Thanks for praying for her health!