Quick update

I don't remember where we got this little outfit, but she is super cute in it!

We thought the boys looked totally cute in their hats so we had to take a picture. Plus, this might be the first and last time they will be able to wear these outfits :(

I know, I know! What the heck? 2 posts in 2 days! Well, the one from yesterday, I started Monday so it has Monday's date, but again, I was having problems uploading my photos so it took me 2 days to finish it. And how about a little interactive fun??? Can you all guess who is who on the boys? At the doctor's today, you have to strip them down to their diapers, and I almost couldn't tell who was who. I told Marcus it would be messed up ,we bring them to the doctor, and mix them up. Then one would be known as the other the rest of their lives.

Dr. appointment today. Everything is awesome with the triplets. I wanted to give an update on their growth. Preemies....yeah right! You would never have known. We are just so blessed. I am thankful everyday for the blessing we received. The boys are for sure for sure developmentally where they should be for a 3 month old, not adjusted or anything. Usually, what happens when you have a baby that is born early, they are behind a full term baby by the number of weeks they were early. In my case, the triplets were born at 34 weeks (6 weeks early). They would be about 6 weeks behind a full term baby of 3months old. Mia is just a tad behind the boys. The boys have been smiling at us for a few weeks now. Mia just started smiling back at us about a week ago. My take on that is she has just been way to busy trying to keep up here bad attitude (can't let anyone think she is a sweet little baby girl). She is probably smarter then we think. The boys will be changed to regular baby formula in about 2 weeks. Right now they are all on a special formula that is higher in calories. Mia will remain on the Neosure and Enfacare until our next doctor's appointment in February.

Jevin 12lb. 6.5oz = 38%tile and 22 inches long

Deuce 11lb. 5oz = 17%tile and 21 inches long

Mia 9lb. .05oz = 3%tile and 20.5 inches long

They all got shots today. You would have thought I got shots. It just hurts my heart to see their little sad faces and hear their cries. So not a funny joke on them. Don't you feel like they are so betrayed? They don't even know they are going to be stuck in the leg like that! I am not sure I will ever get used to this shot thing. Then to think when they finally figure out what is causing them so much pain, you have to hold them down for their shots. I think I will send Daddy by himself to those when it comes time. And yeah, Mia likes baby Tylenol. She was too funny today. She was trying to boss the nurse around. The nurse was giving her her Tylenol. She gave her a little bit and pulled away to give her time to swallow it. Within 2 seconds Mia makes this little noise, looking the nurse in her eyes, like "Okay! Done! You're taking too long! Give me the rest!" I can't really explain it in writing but if I could it would sound something like "MMmmt!" Then, when Marcus and I were on our way home we were talking about her bossing the nurse, and she makes the sound again. Too funny! Like she was trying to show us how she was the boss of the nurse "I told the nurse MMmmt." Ohhh the joy they bring you, the laughs they give you...

What I've learned so far...

Deuce...Mia...Jevin

Jevin

Deuce

Well, it has been a while. I have some pics for everyone, and I thought I would mention a few things I have learned as a mommy of triplets. I apologize for the length between posts, but like I mentioned before, your day gets away from you. Before you know it, it is time to lay yourself down for a brief moment so you can get up for that 2am feeding. Then, I am still doing school and the class I am taking has turned out to be rather demanding of my time. Ughhh.

So lets see...what I have learned...

1. Cherish your quite time. It is few and far between. Just when you think they are asleep, they are not.

2. Don't get your babies hooked on a pacifier until they can put it back in their mouth by themselves.

3. There will be many many many days where you will never even change out of your pajamas.

4. You will most likely need a babysitter just to take a shower.

5. Most babies are bipolar. One second they are smiling and 30 seconds later they are crying for reasons you will never figure out.

6. What used to take you a day, now takes 2 weeks. I started my Christmas lights the weekend after Thanksgiving and just finished them Sunday.

7. One baby is always going to wake up and need you to make them stop crying when you only need 30 more seconds to get the one you are trying to get to sleep, asleep.

8. You will spend many days sitting in the exact same spot for hours. Many of times, I come to realize at 6pm that I have barely moved from my couch trying to keep the babies pacified and happy.

9. All the babies must stay on the same schedule. If one wakes at 2am for a feeding, never think the other two will sleep long enough for you to lay down again. You must wake the other two or you will be up all night long. (Tried that once in my hopes they will sleep through the night or at least until 5am). They seem to know you just fell asleep.

10. They will try to be the boss of you.

So, I am sure there is much more I have learned, but only the stuff that makes you think, "Seriously?!?", is easy to remember.

Well, as I said, they do change right before your eyes. I have to sit and look at pictures from when they were two weeks old just to remember how tiny they were. It is a little scary because it brings reality into perspective. They just won't be the same from one day to the next. What scares me is I am afraid I won't remember these times. I won't remember what they looked like when they were sleeping, or when they smiled, or when they look you right in the eye with their innocent little faces. Ceara and I went to Carter's to exchange a gift and I saw a preemie outfit. Oh my gosh!!!! It was so tiny. I just can't believe they wore those for the first month of their lives. Goodness!

They have started to know how to fuss to get their way I think. It seems they always want to be held. I worry that I may have spoiled them, but then again, there are three of them. They are never held for too long. For the most part they get held when they eat, and you have to put them down to feed the next one. If two are sleeping, one of them will get some one on one time, but other than that they are in a swing, laying in a boppy or bouncy, sleeping, but never held excessively. They fuss, and the minute it looks like they will get picked up they nearly stop. And they fake cry...don't ask me how they figured that one out.

Well all, its time to eat again. Till next time.

We are 2 Months Old!!

It just wouldn't be right if Deuce wasn't crying.

I don't know what happened, but he is smiling in this one???

Poor chubby buddy, he just couldn't make it through picture taking time.

The Boys. Can you tell who is who? Pay no attention to the pacifiers!

Only way I could keep them Quiet

I'm 2 months old ya'll!


Ahhh, isn't this sweet. Reminds me when they shared a crib in the NICU.

One minute they were all awake, the very next they were all asleep.

Hello! Hello! Hello! Nearly 2 weeks since my last post but between diapers, feedings, fussing, bathing, burping, mommy dying to sleep by 8pm, and whatever else happens in a 24 hour period, I just haven't made time to post. I planned to post last night and got tied up, plus if I would have posted yesterday it might have been cause to admit me. My friend down the street had crazy babies last week and I think she sent the crazy baby fairy to my house! :) Goodness! For the previous two days, the triplets have been like a chain reaction. One cries, the next stops, one sleeps, one wakes up, on and on and on and onnnnnnnnn. Whew! It is frustrating to not be able to figure out how to pacify them. We tried tummy time with cool little toys, mobiles on their bouncy seats with plastic silly toys (Marcus said if they would put a ceiling fan and mini blinds on the mobiles, they would be real baby pleasers! The plastic toys hanging from mine don't interest them a bit.) We tried rocking, eating, pacifiers, swinging, diaper changing, and who knows what else. Finally, I swaddled them all, and it was the quietest three hours I had all day! Crazy though, because they haven't been swaddled since about 2 weeks after they came home from the NICU. Funny it still brings them comfort.

See! This is what happens to crazy babies! The baby straight jacket!

Lets see...we still aren't sleeping through the night. Like I told somebody, I wish I could just have a date. Like, "Ok Kimberly, beginning December 27th they will start sleeping through the night." This way I would at least feel as though this insanity will end at some point. Right now, I feel as though it will never end, and it is almost as if I have no idea when a day ends and begins with the repetitive 3-4 hour cycle. It would give me something to look forward to. Really I am like "Coo, giggle, smile, roll over, ....yeah, whatever...just please sleep through the night!!!" (not that they are doing all these things, I just really really look forward to sleeping through the night. All this other stuff can come after that!)

Mia showing everyone how strong she is.

So Mia really can roll over (belly to back). She definitely can't be left alone on the couch. I have had close calls even sitting right next to her. She is just so active! She likes to stand up when you hold her, she has awesome head control and can hold her upper body up really well with tummy time. She is soooo strong! And little miss ATTITUDE!...man! Don't let the pictures fool you. She looks sweet, but she can mess her face up real quick. She is still accidentally cooing, but I have notice in the last 4ish days that they are are much more attentive to you when you are talking to them. They all look as though they really want to tell you something but just don't know how to get it out. Deuce and Jevin both smile at you when you talk to them with a smile. Today it was so cute, Deuce tried to giggle. When he smiled to me I took his arms and brought them into his belly and shook him just a bit (telling him how dang cute it is when he smiles) and he made a sound as if he wanted to giggle a bit but didn't know how. It was more like a dirty little pedophile grunt. I don't know how to explain it, but it gave me so much joy. I wanted to keep doing it so he would make the sound, and eventually he got board with it or couldn't figure it out anymore after 2 or 3 times. Then I was kinda disapointed because I wasn't sure if I heard it enough to be able to remember it if he doesn't do it again for a while. Jevin made the same sound yesterday when I was "tickling his chubby neck", but just once and I could never duplicate the sound again so I gave up. Ugh!

Well all, with all that said, things are still well here in our crazy new life. No matter the frustration they create at times, they always manage to do something to make you completely in love with them at the exact same time.

Enjoy the pics. Till later...

Are you sure these are my babies???

Ahhh...Sweet little Jevin
A close up of Jev's man boobs.


I am telling ya, obsessed with the blinds


My not so little Deuce man

I finally finally got Lil Deuce with a big smile. We were playing "I'm gonna get your chubby lil cheeks. Yes I am. Those chubby lil cheeks. I'm gonna get 'em..." If you scroll down and check out the pic of Jevin smiling in his sleep, their smiles are just alike. It is crazy!!

"Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh!!! Mommy is gonna pick me up!!!"

"...she didn't pick me uuuuuup."

I notice the kids do this pose quite often when they are asleep. I'm not really sure why. I call them the spirit fingers or Hallelujah hands.

Well, I have been trying to post pics to this darn blog for almost a week. For some reason it just wasn't working from the lap top. Then I was able to get a few posted of the football jumpers, and my desktop computer wanted to act up when I tried to post some more pics for this blog entry. So ya'll better enjoy! Between homework, dirty diapers, feedings every 3 hours, bottle washing, the one child here and there that would like to stay awake between feedings, etc., this blog entry has been a pain in the you know what!

Everyday it just seems like I wake up to new babies. They are getting so big! Tuesday Jevin weighed 8lb 8oz, Deuce weighed 7lb 10oz, and Mia weighed 7lb. In four days they gained almost a half a pound each. It is so crazy. As of now, developmentally, their adjusted age is that of a newborn baby. The adjusted age goes by when they were technically supposed to be born (October 31st). Although they are just a little over a week away from being 2 months old, they are not doing things a 2 month old baby would do yet. However, Mia I think is very close. She can lift her whole upper body up and hold her head up for a long long time. She is starting to make little noises that are cute little baby cooing sounds, but you can tell it is purely by accident. It is not a social cooing. She rolled belly to back 2x's yesterday. I thought it might be an accident so I rolled her back to her tummy and she wasn't too happy so she rolled herself over again. I guess Mia decided since she was going to be the smallest now, she had to be the best at something. I am convinced she will be walking by 4 months. Mia, however, is further below the normal growth curve then the boys. The boys are very close to reaching the growth curve in their weight. Their heads are already on the growth curve though. This is surely the reason why they aren't able to lift their heads all that well with tummy time. The doctor did say that girls will lag a little behind, growth wise, longer then boys will. Motor skill wise though, girls develop faster. He said he thinks by about 4 months, give or take, all of them should be right on track for where they should be gestationally, but they will most likely always be in about the 25th percentile or lower. I just don't know if I will every be able to express how truly thankful I am that they are doing so well. I can't thank God enough. I know this was all his work, his plan. To think if they would have been born just a week or two earlier things might have been very very different for them.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Jevin on the left
Deuce on the right

Upest the Detroit Lions lost again...

Touch Down!!!!!!!

We had our RSV Shots

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Written Friday November 6th~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday we took the kids for their Synigas shots. So so sad. They were all being good and were happy. Then the big bad nurse stuck them in the leg and they stopped breathing for 3 seconds and cried their little faces off. :( Mia was pretty tough. She didn't cry as long as the boys. Tough girl!! So, we learned a little more about RSV. Did anyone know that a cough travels 12 feet, and germs live on hard surfaces for up to 4-5 days? The nurse also told us to keep smaller kids from kissing the babies on their face and hands. They can kiss the tops of their heads or their feet. How cute! We also got some bad news. The insurance company only approved us for one shot. The shots we got yesterday. The shots only protect the babies from RSV for 28 days and we haven't even gotten that far into RSV season. RSV season ends in Marchish, Aprilish. RSV hasn't even peaked yet. The nurse said that earlier this year insurance companies decided that one shot should protect babies enough if they were born after 32 weeks. We won't really be taking the babies out of the house at all, but it would still be nice to have a little more peace of mind. We are gonna try to get the insurance to approve our 3rd injection. That would at least protect them through December. And the injections doesn't guarantee they won't get RSV but it boosts their immune system to HELP prevent it. We have hand sanitizer everywhere

And I have some crazy news! The triplets were all weighed yesterday. Jevin is weighing in at a whopping 8lb 1oz. He is a chunk! It is funny because you can really tell the difference in his weight from the other 2 when you pick him up. Deuce passed Mia. He weighs 7lb 1oz. Mia weighs 6lb 7oz. Miss thing is our tiniest baby now. We have some theories on why, like she doesn't sleep enough. She is awake and alert quite a bit more then the boys. They say babies grow when they are sleeping. However, she will sleep for 4-5 hours straight sometimes too. Not sure what her deal is. Really it might be more because of reflux. She spits up every now and then, and she squirms when she is eating. The nurse also said that she might not spit up out of her mouth but if we have noticed she makes funny faces when eating sometimes, it is still coming up, just not out of her mouth. Then, previously, we changed her to a slow flow nipple because she was taking a lot of air when she would eat. We thought the squirming was because she needed to burp from all the air she would swallow. With the slower flow nipple she seems to be full before she finishes her entire bottle, so she isn't eating as much as the boys. The boys will drink 2-4 ounces each feeding.



Stay tuned. I will try to post some recent pictures today or tomorrow.

Hello & Halloween

Hello all! Well things are going well over here in Triplet land. The babies are growing and changing nearly everyday. Cloths that fit them last week don't fit them this week. The boys look more and more alike by the second. They all are so incredibly precious I can't even explain it!

Since their one month birthday not too much has happened. As many moms of preemies know, it is RSV season. I am sure this is a concern for even mom's who don't have preemies too, but it is one of the many things you have to be careful of this time of year. For preemies, RSV can be a deadly illness, mainly because preemie's immune systems are not as developed as a full term baby's immune system. So the triplets will get a series of three shots to help prevent RSV. They had their first shots before leaving the hospital. They are due for their second shot this coming week. The shot it's self is rather expensive. Somewhere around $1200 each (x 3). Well, last week the doctor's office called and informed me they were getting ready to submit it to the insurance and there was a possibility the injections might not be approved. The triplets needed to have 2 risk factors. Being multiples was not enough. They needed to attend a child care facility for at least 4 hours a week, have another sibling in the home, be around a smoker, and there were a few others, but never the less, we didn't really meet the 2 risk factors criteria. Even though they were born 6 weeks early, they were born at 34 weeks gestation, and to be automatically qualified for the Synagis shots, they would have needed to be born at 32 weeks or before. So shame on me for not going into labor early enough...(according to an insurance company) I thought I was going to have to post a widget to the blog for Synagis donations!!! I look at it this way...the insurance should approve the shots...this would cost thousands of dollars less then paying hospital bills for one or possibly all of my babies if they were to get RSV. But, like I have said before, I'm just the mom. Long story short, we were approved for the injections, thank the Lord. I don't know what the nice lady at the doctors office told our insurance company , but she worked it out!


Marcus went back to work last Monday, so this was my very first week alone with the trio. It wasn't too bad. I turns out to be a day of one-sided conversations, lots of diapers, and lots of bottles. Each of the trio tend to have a block of time during the day where they will stay awake between feedings. I actually enjoy this time. It gives me an opportunity to have special time with each of them one on one and sometimes one on two. They stare at the oddest things. For some reason they are fascinated with the mini blinds. Deuce likes the ceiling fan that is never on, not sure why.

I am also happy to announce, they have all been sleeping in their own beds for a whole week now. We are still not sleeping through the night of course, but Mia is a marathon sleeper. She rarely wakes up on her own to eat, well not every three hours on the dot anyway. Deuce and Jevin, both, will never miss a meal. They miraculously tell time at the ripe age of 5 weeks old. We are trying to develop the habit of bedtime for them. For the most part they do pretty well with soothing themselves to sleep. Jevin has a hard time every now and then. Mia on occasion decides she would just like to stay up from 2am until 30 minutes before her next feeding. Last night she was awake from 2am to 4am, fighting sleep. I can almost understand how someone would want to shake a baby. Don't get me wrong, I would never shake any of my babies, and I certainly don't condone shaking a baby by all means, but you know what I am saying. The waking every 3 hours in the middle of the night has most definitely gotten easier, I just haven't gotten used to sleepless grave yard shifts yet.

The trio had their first Halloween. We did dress them up. Originally we were not going to. At first I didn't think they would be able to fit a Halloween costume, and they still were a tad small for theirs, but we did it for pictures sake. I will admit, it was probably an overly expensive 10 minutes, but the memories it created are worth it. They were so cute!! We certainly enjoyed it way more then they did. Mia is a tiger, Deuce is a mouse (although he looks like a fat, drunk rat in the first pic) and Jevin is the chuby pumpkin.

We are 1 month old today!

Our 1 month Birthday Photo

"I can't figure out why Mommy is always pointing that thing at me!"

Brother love

Holly Cow! Time flies! The kids have been home for 2 weeks already, and can you believe they are a month old TODAY? I can't! I have already had the "Oh my gosh! They aren't going to be babies forever!" feeling. It is crazy how much they have changed already. I was talking to a friend a few weeks ago and she mentioned she hasn't come to the point to not want any more kids yet. I understand how she feels...once you loose the new sweet baby part, I am sure you miss it (and she has quads!!) Now, I definitely don't want to have any more kids, but I see how them growing up so fast can make you sad. Already I get a little sad to think about how very, very soon they won't be my little babies anymore. I am scared I am going to miss something it is going by so fast already. Before you know it we will have 3 college tuition's to pay.

Jevin feels like a full term baby to me already. Well, actually he is almost full term technically...my original due date was October 31st. I can't get over how heavy his head is compared to my little Deuce man and Miss Mia. But, don't mistake it, the others are getting big too. They are all getting chunky little thighs and an extra chin. You can thank the 22 calorie formula for that one.

I also told Marcus the other day that I need to stop calling Mia, Miss Mia. I envisioned, one day with her little attitude that she will start telling people her name is Miss Mia. "It's Miss Mia to you Mommy." Can you see it? Then she does this little thing where she really has to work her cry up. She grunts for a few seconds and then lets this loud scream out. If you watch her, it is like the little scream startles her as if she didn't know where that sound came from. She is quiet for a few seconds after the scream and then she will work another one up.

The boys seem to have a sixth sense. They both fuss when the other fusses. Deuce will start fussin' then Jevin's face will get all sad and he fusses. They fuss back and forth over and over. Mia sleeps through their fussing, but let one of them get started and you can almost guarantee the other is going to be sad too. Kinda crazy to watch.

Till later...

Still Alive

Quiet time!

Miss Mia

Closest thing I could get to a smile from Deuce. I was always 2/100 of a second late. This is actually a prelude to a squeaky "cry" noise that he thinks has the grown-ups jumping to attention. It works sometimes, I won't lie.

This picture is why we love our new jobs. He is accidently happy in his sleep. Don't you wish you knew what he was dreaming? My precious boy Jevin..... it's so beautiful, I nearly cried.

Well, Me and Marcus are still alive. While the nights have been semi sleepless, it is getting better. Nana has been here for a week helping. It is kind of a double edged sword though. Nana Julie has been a big help and a relief for us, but she also has to leave at some point...well Sunday to be exact. So far, Marcus and I have only conquered 3 nights alone with the trio. It does look like their sleeping patterns are starting to change a bit. We decided not to wake them in the middle of the night for feeding, that is until one of them has woke up (is that a word?) Last night they slept for 4 hours!! I might be jumping the gun a little, but we will see what tonight holds.

I also just have to mention, all the things you swear you will never do as a parent, all go out the window at 3 am when you have a baby (or two, sometimes 3) that refuse to go back to sleep when you desperately want them to. So we have 2 rooms full of beautiful furniture...yeah...not sleeping in it, on it, near it... We have resorted to pack and plays that sit approximately 3 feet from the end of our bed, and sometimes they don't sleep in them either! I don't know who this person is at 3 am that makes the decision to let the bossy little baby sleep in our bed, but it's obviously exactly what the baby had in mind. They sleep.....they sleeeeep...what a relief. So, my theory is, it takes 21 days to create a habit...is it possible if we can get them to sleep in their own beds on day 20, they won't feel the need to sleep with us until they are in 7th grade? There seriously isn't room for 5 of us. Yeah, mental note to self...find way to get baby to sleep in their own bed!

My day was quite interesting. Marcus had to go into work for a meeting today so I spent the better part of the morning and afternoon with the triplets. It was a peaceful day, I didn't have a nervous break-down, I wasn't found in a fetal position in my walk-in closet, but some might say that I could have been diagnosed with temporary insanity. I am convinced that adults do the strangest things once they become parents. I caught a picture of Jevin smiling in his sleep. I then spent 2 hours with my camera aimed at the other 2 babies trying to catch them smiling too. Needless to say, I was a tad too late each time or I would get the edge of the boppy pillow instead of the little smiling face. I entertained myself for nearly 2 hours doing just this...makes me laugh. By the way...boppy pillows...must have!!!

We are enjoying every bit of it. I think we would get up every 3-4 hours for the next 18 years as long as we could experience this joy. I couldn't have even imagined how happy they make me. It is true, you never know the love you can have until you experience the love you have for YOUR kids. Words could never explain it.

One Week Down, 6545 more days to go

Deuce...mad at the Doctor

Mia

Jevin...Just ate...could care less

Our First Doctor's appointment

Brothers sleeping...Mia not...our social butterfly...

Ok...So sorry for the delay in posting an up date. SOOOO much has changed since my last blog post. The title of the last blog post, "What a day a difference makes", explains it all! So Monday October 5th we were informed Mia would be coming home Wednesday and the boys would be discharged maybe 2-3 days after Mia. Well, Wednesday arrived and we went to the hospital to move our little girl out of their little NICU room and into our home, and we were informed that Dr. Anderson felt the boys were ready to go home as well and Dr. August was going to be discharging them the same day as Mia. Yes, Wednesday! Of course I was in total shock. My mind couldn't think straight. I kept looking at the nurse, looking at the Dr., looking at the nurse (who is smiling), looking at the Dr., nurse, Dr., nurse, Dr. etc. With the nurse smiling, I thought they were playing some kind of joke on us and I actually asked, "Are ya'll joking?" NOPE! NOT JOKING!!! Of course Marcus was all for it. As was I, but I just couldn't get myself together. I was completely stuck on stupid for 10 minutes or so. After I got myself together, we made our 40ish minute drive home to pick up the boys' car seats, our other vehicle, and a helper to ride in the back seats with the kids. The kids had to have a "baby watcher" ride in the back seat with them to make sure that they did ok on our long drive home from the hospital. They were still just so small, they didn't really "fit" their car seats yet, and their necks were not all that strong to not get all contorted in their seats after sitting for a while. It was Deuce mostly...he passed his car seat, test but his head rested at a 90 degree angle on his shoulder. Slightly scary to look at him like that!

So, Wednesday night, we get them home just in time for their 8pm feeding. All goes well. 11pm, good, 2 am, alright, 5 am, not too bad...the first night home alone with 3 two week old babies was not too too bad. Then came the second night...oh no, and the third night, you've got to be kidding me! Needless to say, the nights progressively got more difficult the more sleep deprived we became. For some reason the three of them decided they didn't want to all sleep at the same exact time after the first night home. Last night was slightly better. It is weird though, they sleep soundly during the day, after 11pm, the fight is on. I know it will get better. We are still learning though. We do wake all three up at the same time to eat. When one wakes up, this dictates when the other two get up. We start our assembly line of diaper changing and then bottle feeding and (please Jesus) back to sleep. They seem to trade off on which one is going to be the restless for the night. Pray for us tonight...no restless babies!

We had our first doctors appointment last Friday. Things went very well. Jevin weighed 5lb 1oz. Mia weighed 4lb 14 oz., and Deuce weighed 4lb 7oz. The outing definitely taught us that we need to prepare the night before we will be leaving the house with 3 kids that need to be strapped into a car seat, taken out to the car. Should we take the snap-n-goes, is everything in the diaper bag that we need? Yeah, definitely need to think about all that stuff the day before...

But, over all, this last week has been exuastingly blissful! We are slightly sleep deprived, but over-joyed. I almost can't even remember life before the trio arrived. It's awesome, no wires, no beeping monitors, no feeding tubes...it was starting to feel like all that stuff went with babies. It was odd holding babies not hooked to something for the first time. Here are a few pics. Hopefully I can find time to post again before the week is up.

What a Difference a Day Makes!!!!!!

Big Man Jevin...sleeps like Daddy ...
Deuce, trying to get some rest

Miss Mia...Wide awake talking to daddy.

So...As you can see I wrote a blog yesterday that I never posted. Well less than 24 hours later, things have changed! I went to the hospital this morning and Miss Mia was missing her feeding tube! Of course I didn't want to assume anything, so I told the nurse in more a question enunciation then a statement, "Mia doesn't have her feeding tube innnnnn..." She informed me that Mia had received doctor's orders to remove the feeding tube in 24 hours. However, miss thing decided to remove her own feeding tube yesterday evening and since she had taken it out herself, and they were going to remove it today anyways, they just left it out. She is on 8 bottles a day!! And let me tell you, she has this eating thing down! Today I fed her at 11am and she finished her full feeding in 6 minutes. Marcus came for the 2:00 feeding and she finished 30 cc's in 4 minutes (even with yucky poly-visol added to the milk...a vitamin that definitely tastes just as bad as it smells) and she did finish about 15 more cc's in about 6 more minutes. I usually refrain from abbreviations, but OMG! Then, Dr. Anderson shows up. She says that Mia will be going home tomorrow. Yes Tuesday, the 6th of October! That I needed to go home and bring the car seat so they could do the car seat testing. Wow! Well, then on my way home to get the car seat, Dr. Anderson calls me and says that Mia won't be going home Tuesday, that it will be Wednesday because Sunday she didn't finish one of her feedings and they had to gavage (tube feed) 18 cc's. No worries though, this was still the best news I was likely to hear all day. What is one more day. Then, I also wonder who the nurse was because I do feel that there are nurses that are not as persistent in making sure the bottle is finished. One day last week we had a situation where the kids had done extremely well and finished all their feedings the day before, but the next day at their 8 am feeding, none of them finished...we had to wonder if it was possibly the nurse, but I suppose it could be possible that they just didn't finish...Over all though, we can't complain about the care the trio has been given.

I want to explain the car seat testing. Originally, I pictured it to be a safety type testing, maybe a harness fitting or something to that effect. It turns out it isn't a crash test dummy type of experiment. Actually what the car seat test is is they place the baby in the car seat for 2 hours I think is what the nurse said. During this time they monitor to see if the baby is breathing ok, if their blood gas and saturation levels are good, etc. If the baby doesn't do well then we know that they wouldn't do well in a swing, bouncer seat, and so on for a little while.

The boys should probably be home 2 or so days after Mia. If they do well today and tomorrow, their tubes will be removed also. Awesome Awesome Awesome. I have sat around and imagined what it will be like with our little precious babies home with us...Before they arrived I was so impatient for them to be born, then on the 22nd I was worried about them being born. Now I have been dying for them to come home, and today I had a small twinge of anxiety. It is somewhat of a relief to have trained professionals around to watch out for any scary happenings that could arise, but I am so so ready to have our little family home.

Getting closer!

****I wrote this yesterday and saved it with the intention of posting it with some pics once I got time to transfer them from my camera*** Then things changed a bit...

Well, like nearly every post since I have started this blog, everything is going well. The trio is doing awesome. They are all gaining weight. As of today, everyone is 4 pounds or better. Mia is at 4lb. 6oz. Deuce weighs 4lb on the dot (Yay for little man!!) Jevin is weighing 4lb. 10oz. He is gaining a little slower then the rest, but he did drop to under 4 pounds after he was born, so he had some making up to do. They were born weighing 3lb 14oz. for Mia, Deuce @ 3lb 7oz, and Jevin was 4lb 4oz.

They are doing well with their bottle feedings. Mia was increased to 6 a few days ago, but when we went Thursday, I think it was, they were only giving her 5. Now she has really been given doctors orders to bottle feed 5-6 times daily, but for some reason yesterday they only gave her 5 in the 24 hours. 2 of which Marcus and I fed her. I was kind of upset. If she has the opportunity to feed 6 times, I would want her to be bottle fed 6 times instead of tube fed, but I am just the mom...I also know that if she doesn't do 6 a day, then she can't move to 7 a day. Until they can take all eight feedings for 2-3 days without trouble, they can't come home. Ugh!! Am I being impatient again? (First, I just wanted them to be born...I got my wish. Now, I just want them to come home...)

We fed them today and they all did extremely well. All of them finished their bottles in under 15 minutes. If they continue at this pace, they should be able to be increased. If they are taking a full 30 minutes to finish a bottle then they are struggling a bit, and the bottles will not be increased. They want the babies to not view the bottle feeding time as a negative.

Then Jevin pulled his feeding tube out. Poor thing, to hear his cry when the nurse had to put it back in was HORRIBLE! I almost lost it. Mia and Jevin, both, pulled their tubes out yesterday. I am glad we left before the nurse fixed them. Man...

We also gave baths yesterday. Talk about fussy babies! They weren't really into bathing, but they will love it in a few months I am sure. We should have taken pics. It is too funny. They bathe in these little storage tub thingies. It is hard telling the temp of the water. You want it to be between 99 degrees and 101 on the little temperature strip. Too hot, then too cold...back and forth, back and forth... Finally! When they bathe, they are swaddled to keep them from loosing too much body heat, and you have to go quickly. You want to anyways because you feel so bad for their little crying shaky selves.

Soul Searching...

I don't have any pics of the babies today, but I just wanted to post a few interesting thoughts or things that have been going through my mind. All good of course...Becoming a parent has been one of the most amazing experiences. Nothing I have done or lived until now has been this fulfilling. Originally when we found out we were having a baby, it was the highest feeling of joy. Then we found out there were three, and I was worried. Worried for many reasons, but I remember being worried about "What if I don't like being a parent?" I wanted to have "A" baby so badly, but I had only thought of it in terms of one baby. How were we going to handle three newborn babies? I wanted to enjoy motherhood. I wanted to be overwhelmingly happy and bask in the light of a precious little boy or girl that I could hold, cuddle, and kiss. I can truly say that I am overwhelmingly happy! I would not change or wish for anything different then having the triplets. They bring me unmeasurable joy. Again, as you have probably read, I worry about the wrong things.

Second, Marcus and I just reached our 10 year anniversary yesterday. The arrival of the trio was the best gift we could ever ask for. The best gift we could give each other. It is awesome to know that we celebrate two very special times in our lives. I love seeing Marcus as a Daddy. I have always known that he deserved and needed to be a Dad. Years of watching him interact with children and coach his boys in football and basket ball touched my heart and I am thankful he can finally experience his own children. This is our year to remember for sure!

So, just a week ago, or a little over a week ago, I was still carrying those precious little people in my belly. Before they were born, I did not realize how tough it was. You wake up day to day, your belly is growing, the babies are moving, you are gaining weight, mobility becomes increasingly difficult, but you adjust to the changes. It's like dealing with a bad knee that gradually deteriorates over time and you become accustom to the pain or discomfort of it. I never realized the true work it took to complete tasks that many of us take for granted. It was just something I was supposed to do. My job was to carry and nurish those pretty babies, and why complain about it? Then again, I thought I felt pretty good, even up until last Tuesday. I have finally come to know my own strength. Now that I have, in one day, lost 25 pounds from one day to the very next, I can walk again. I can tackle the stairs, I can do the dishes, I can sweep a floor, I can clean the toilet, I can bend over, I can stand in the shower, and so on, with very very minimal difficulty. Now, I still do have the pain of the c-section, but that is quickly fading as the days pass as well. Give it up to pregnant mothers of multiples!!

Lastly, just a quick update...the babies are all doing incredibly well!!!! Mia was increased from 4 to 6 bottle feedings yesterday. She has been playing us this whole time. At first we were told that she was having difficulty bottle feeding and turns out in a matter of 2 days she has become the best eater. She might be coming home next week if she continues to do well. Also, we did request that if one was going to come home before the others, that we at least have the other 2 come home on the same day. We don't want to leave one by themselves, so I believe what the doctor is doing is keeping Jevin at 4 bottle feedings until Deuce can increase to 6 too. It also makes sense to keep the twins together since this is what they were used to in utero. She said that once the babies can take all 8 feedings, the insurance will want to kick them loose as to not pay for the NICU expense. So, even though Jevin could probably take 6 bottles, Deuce might not be ready to do so and in order to keep them together, it is best to pace them or keep them at the same pace I guess is what I am trying to say.

Stay tuned. I want to post a pic of me post partem that ya'll can compare to my 34 week belly. I will have more pics of the kidos soon. You just can't help but take pics because you think every little movement is so dang cute.

P.S. Thanks Heather for reaching out to us. Thanks for the ride yesterday. You and Brett are truly special people.

We're Making Progress Every Day!

The Thompson Trio .........................................................Mia and Deuce. She loves him...

The boys. Swaddled together..Precious...............................Mia and Deuce. Shhhhhhh!

The babies Sleeping with the Dandle Dolls.........................Mia and Deuce. Ahhhhhhh

I am glad to say the kidos are making progress every day. Jevin gained 3 ounces yesterday. Seems like a lot when they were only gaining tenths of an ounce here and there. All of them are back to their birth weight or better which is unusual for one week of age. Most babies, from what the pediatrician says don't reach birth weight until around 2 weeks old. Mia has been holding her body temp. really good. They have all increased from 3 to 4 bottle feedings a day. If they do well at 4 a day for the next day or two then they will be increased to 6 a day. Once they can take all 8 feedings by bottle for 2-4 days then they will be able to come home. The doctor sounded as if one of them could be home in about a week. Simply amazing! It does change day to day though. Just 2 days ago the doctor felt it would be at least 2 weeks before anyone would be able to leave the hospital. If I had to pick, based upon what I have seen, I think Jevin might be the first one home, but that is just my educated guess. Deuce is the smallest so I don't expect him first. It's hard to say...I just can't wait until they are home with us.


They nurses are all surprised at how well they are doing. I am thankful of their health and development this far. I do have some remorse for those babies that are in the NICU who have been there months or who are so sick or tiny and on CPAPs or Nasal Cannula's, etc. When the nurses complement the progress of the trio I sometimes wish they would whisper. Here we are 34 weeks gestation, no oxygen, breathing on their own, gaining weight, doing well at nippling, and there are babies fighting for their lives...so sad at times...Hard to take the praise on occasion.

I have some pics from yesterday the 28th. When I arrived, a nurse had made name tags for the babies. In my emotional state, it almost made me cry. Then the cutest thing of all, they has swaddled the boys together. They were just so lovey! They tube fed for the 11am feeding so then Mia and Deuce were swaddled together so that I could hold all three of them comfortably while they were eating. Mia wasn't too happy at first. Deuce loved it. Once they both fell asleep it was beautiful. The Dandle dolls are little dolls the mom sleeps with so they have the mom's scent on them. The picture of the boys really shows how much they look alike. I know they are identical, but to me they didn't resemble each other as I would expect. The weight difference, to me, changes their features a bit.