Monday 8th November

I can't believe it's already a week into November. We always said we wanted to make it at least to this month before giving birth. Well, here we are - 6 weeks and 3 days in.

Got up at 6.30 today and logged into work from home. Doing a bit of work is like having a break from the 24/7 emotional torture of having two babies in intensive care, so I don't mind really. The ups and downs faced by a major global investment bank pale in comparison to the trials and tribulations of the lives of our mostly helpless children, but I need to keep working now more than ever, for them.

Called NICU for the start of day status report - and it was reasonably positive. Stanley was busy having a look around and trying to climb out of the bottom of his incubator. Willow had a relatively good night and was settled, and her oxygen requirement was down to 56% at the time when I called. This sounded remarkably better than the 80-85% from last night, but we won't get too excited just yet.

We arrived at the hospital today to find Stanley's incubator had disappeared. He was now in a cot! I couldn't believe it; had to double check it was definitely our son in there. He was fast asleep for most of the time we were there, looking super-cosy on his heated water mattress, but he was quite alert for half an hour or so. We both spent that whole time just looking at him, and he was looking back at us with his big curious eyes, trying to take it all in. It was probably quite confusing for him having these two big people smiling and pointing at him like weirdos.

Willow was mostly comfortable, but her oxygen requirements had risen again. The antibiotics seem to be clearing the infection, and she'll be given another blood transfusion to increase her red blood cell count; this should all help her breathing. It's so hard watching her though - there really is nothing we can do to help, and at the moment she just needs to be left alone.

We had our usual short break, which consists of running to move the car so we don't get a ticket, followed by a trip to the BP garage for a coffee. No matter how clearly we ask for 'one americano and one cappuccino', they will always respond with - 'so, that was two lattes, right?'. One day we'll try asking, 'Seventeen machiatos, four frappe au laits and a bucket of chicken livers, please'. I guarantee they will reply with 'so, that was two lattes, right?'. Maybe we'll try that one tomorrow.