Tuesday 21st December

Today brought with it some good bathing, lots of feeding, and a few transport problems. As for the babies; well, they had another good day.

We were very concerned about how Willow was going to cope overnight. She'd been on nasal prongs since about 6pm, since the new machine that was being trialled had malfunctioned slightly. Because she was doing so well, the docs decided to leave her on the prongs and not put her back on CPAP. So it was with great relief again this morning that we heard that there were still no further bagging episodes.

My transport issues began early this morning with an attempted run to catch the company bus to work. As I turned the corner onto the main road, I saw the gleaming white vehicle in the distance, showing me its red lights as it pulled away. So another Yellow Bus carried me to work, and of course I had to sit behind the most annoying woman in the world, coughing the whole time without putting her hand over her mouth.

After work, I discovered that the trains to Poole had been reduced to one per hour - probably due to the snow which had cleared yesterday - so I sprinted to catch the 17:30. After 20 minutes, the announcer mentioned that the train I was on would be arriving in London Waterloo a couple of hours later - but the last I heard, Poole wasn't on the way to London. So, off I scarpered and realised that my train was actually on the mystical Platform 4, and had left 20 minutes ago. So, another bus for me then. This time, I was sat behind a woman wearing a hat with badges pinned all over it, which annoyed me more than it probably should have.

Anyway, I eventually arrived in Poole and found my wife and children where they usually are - in and around cots 1 and 2. Willow and Stanley had both been very well behaved again today. Willow was still on her prongs, having managed over 24 hours off CPAP, and had expertly gulped down another full bottle. Stanley was also nice and stable, and he too had managed another bottle. They'd also had some quality bathtime with their mother.

They were both having some lovely episodes of being wide awake and alert, and having a look around. It's so heartwarming to experience these moments of joy among the rest of the storminess of life in the special care unit. While we are still very aware that our babies are by no means out of the woods just yet, our feelings of hopefulness are starting to increase with each day that passes.