First Big Adventure

Today was a big day for me, Hayden and Payson as we ventured out of the house and back to the hospital for their first Pediatrician appointment. They were a big hit and the doctor was very impressed with their health and weight gain.

On my way out I stopped by to see my friend, Amy, who is expecting triplets any day now and has been in ante-partum for several months like I was. The babies brought a smile to her face, something I am sure isn't revealed as much as usual since she is a miserable 34 weeks pregnant! Yes, that's right, 34 weeks pregnant with triplets! Good thing I went first and now have healthy babies at home or I would have felt like a failure having babies at week 30! She is my hero.

Just after getting home I received a text from her that she was going to deliver later in the afternoon! Her little ones are doing well - she also has 2 girls and a boy. God bless you and your little ones Amy. I can't wait for our first playdate!

Hayden & Payson's Homecoming!

Hayden and Payson came home Sunday morning, finally! It was a little nerve-racking driving two preemies who barely pass the 5-lb. carseat minimum but they did a great job. Keith was back to work on Monday while the babies and I cooled around at home.

The days have been great but the nights have been hard. The middle of the night feedings aren't even the hardest part, it's Payson's loud grunting that is causing us to lose the most sleep. Even though it's right in her ear, Hayden sleeps right through it. After all, she's used to it after sleeping with him for for almost a month now!

Photos from top left: Look how small they are in their crib!; Cute frog feet; Keith getting in some snuggle time; Am I still a good mom if I use this "Mute Button?"? Ha! Actually they are hooked on the shape of their hospital passies and won't take these yet.

Madison's "count down" started over for the third time tonight with yet another small Brady. Five more days from today puts us at bringing her home on Sunday.

Two Coming Home!!

Up until early this morning we had all three babies coming home tomorrow. Then last night Madison had a Bradycardia while sleeping. It wasn't a big one and she recovered on her own but it still counts against her. It's weird because she was the only one we knew for sure would be coming home and now she can't for 5 more days.

Payson had a Brady too but his was while he was feeding so it doesn't count at this point. He is set to come home tomorrow. Hayden is now 4 days past her last Brady and if she has none tonight then tomorrow will be her 5th day and she will be released. This is very exciting but nerve-racking too. I would feel very comfortable with Payson and Madison coming home but not as much about Hayden because of her Apnea and Bradycardia history. However, what NICU says goes and they say that she and Payson are ready. That being said, we are thrilled to finally be bringing what looks like will be two babies home tomorrow. It will be very tough trying to visit Madison with the other two home but we will take what we can get! I knew it was too good to be true to bring them all home at once Having 30 week babies go home at 36 weeks is already amazing and having all three go home at once would really be defying all odds.

Today I took some pictures of their final full day in NICU together. And tonight we spent our last night of freedom hanging out with family. Tomorrow will be a brand new day in this big adventure!

Change is a Comin'

Well, yesterday the nurses confirmed that we will likely have a baby or babies coming home soon. And by soon I mean this coming Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. We have scheduled their hospital pictures for this Friday and have also scheduled poor Payson's circumcision. They had their eye exams this week, today Payson and Madison had their carseat test (to be sure their vital signs look good for 90 minutes while in the seat) and they will all have their final head ultrasound by the end of the week. This is all just too exciting but I am cautiously excited as I don't want to be disappointed. In just a few days we might be totally exhausted and overwhelmed parents of newborns - and I can't wait!

This news of course throws me into overdrive thinking of everything that I need to do before they come home. Thankfully Keith has designated himself Diaper King. He is in charge of finding the diaper deals and buying the diapers. Though I will be the one keeping inventory. The role of Diaper King is a big deal when you think that we will be going through 24 diapers a day, 168 diapers a week, 744 diapers a month, and up to 7,000 diapers in the first year! We have already started our diaper collection. Guess how many days worth of diapers this is for us? Two to three months if we're lucky!

Today the babies took 6 out of 8 feeds by bottle and the doctor should order that they try 7 of 8 or 8 of 8 tomorrow. Also, before they come home they can't have an episode of Apnea or Bradycardia for 5 days. For Hayden it's been 1 day, Payson 12 days and Madison 6 days. Madison is our pro bottle feeder while Payson is our pro breast feeder. And Hayden is average at both - she just wants to sleep the second she hits our arms.

It's a Classic!

Written by Keith:

Today, we went up to see the kiddos at the hospital for their early feedings - 8 and 11 am. They were looking cute as ever, so we decided they had earned their food for the day. They all took their bottles pretty well. All of them are attempting to take five of their eight feedings by "nipple" (bottle or breast) each day.

Jessica's Obstetrician stopped by to see the kids, so we made her hold them all at the same time. She looked a little tentative, I think she thought it would be heavy, but she was surprised at how light they were. The three of them only weigh fifteen pounds, so they weigh about as much combined as does a 3-month-old. Jessica couldn't resist the opportunity to hold them as well. It was her first time to carry all three...well, first time since she carried them for seven straight months.

One more activity for the day was to carry out a little family tradition - one of my mom's ideas. We did this for my sister's first daughter shortly after she was born, but we had to wait a little longer with our little ones. They're about 50% bigger than they were at birth; Hayden's up from 53 ounces to 80 ounces so you get the picture. Regardless, this picture will give you a little perspective on their current size. They're pretty small, but if you dropped them you wouldn't lose them in the carpet or anything like that. They have big bellies now too, which we're pretty proud of!

My mom and sister came into town this afternoon and I went back up to the hospital with them. They both changed, fed, burped, and held a baby and are now certified to babysit - if Jessica is ever ready to leave them after she finally gets them home. Jessica stayed home and worked on the curtains in the nursery with our sister-in-law, Negeen. I went over to my sister's mother-in-law's house to eat dinner and see my nieces. All in all, a very good day. I'm back to work full-time tomorrow, so Jessica will be on her own for a while. It's not so easy without Mr. Mom around, is it?

One Month Birthday!

Today the babies turned one month old! To celebrate in our own unique way (being that they're in NICU and all) we had my family up to take turns going in to see the babies while the others hung out in the waiting room drinking coffee and fresh juice. The babies were all dressed up for the occasion.

The story on these onesies is that one of our family friends gave us three separate gift bags to open one by one at our shower. Each bag had a onsie and bib that were embroidered Baby 1, Baby 2 and Baby 3. Then she handed me a fourth bag and said, "And just in case..." and it had a onesie and bib that said Baby 4! Ha! I said, "No, no, no. I've had too many sonograms already and know that there are only 3!" So here the babies are in their numbered onesies with the never-needed number 4 next to them. I've said all along, I feel blessed that there are 3 but I am thankful that there aren't 4!

After celebrating with the babies we all headed to the deli across the street to eat lunch together. Other news today: the babies are all now attempting to take 5 out of 8 feeds by bottle! Also, Hayden is now 5 lbs and the other two will be in the next day or two! Pops and Nunie fed the babies for the first time. Here's what it looks like to feed triplets!

Will It Ever End?

Grandma visited today and got to hold Madison for the first time. She settled in nicely in Grandma's lap and drifted off into Never Neverland.

Payson was moved into an open crib yesterday and was dressed and swaddled after a week of chillin' in his diaper. Here you see his IV in his head. It looks terrible but it is the best place for an IV because he always pulls the IVs out when they are in his hand or foot. You can see in this same picture that he pulled out his gavage tube. He's letting us know that he's ready to work for food by taking it through bottles. As soon as he gets his IV out in the next day or two he will rejoin his sisters in the big cage, I mean crib.

As for me, I have had a rough few days up at NICU. After 4 weeks of visiting the NICU and 12 total weeks of being in the hospital I am more than ready to take our babies home. I am ready to put the stress of NICU behind me, ready for privacy, ready to get away from all of the NICU rules and beeping alarms and ready to be totally and completely overwhelmed at home caring for our three tiny babies. As difficult as it is, I am going to spend most of tomorrow at home resting and taking care of myself so I can be re-energized for what I hope will be our last few weeks in NICU. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but many days it still seems dim. It is so hard to be away from the babies when I just want to change every diaper and give them every bottle and every bath. Still I know that one day there will be a time when I feel like I am going to scream if I have to change one more diaper, pump milk one more time, fix one more bottle and give one more bath. But for now, that truly sounds like heaven...well, all except for the part about pumping!

First bottles!

Today the babies are 34 weeks gestational age so after 3 1/2 weeks of feeding through a gavage tube they got to try out their first bottles. All three of them took their whole bottle perfectly and will be moving up to taking 3 out of 8 feedings by bottle tomorrow! Below is Keith feeding Madison and Payson taking his first bottle. This was especially sweet for Payson because today was his first day to have food since his illness appeared one week ago.

Also today was Pops and Nunie's first time to hold one of the babies and boy did they all love it! My dad is holding Hayden and Jacque is holding Madison.

One Pound Over

Keith's and my sanity continue to improve as Payson's health improves. His x-rays have been coming back normal as are his blood counts. And after six days, no bacteria grew in his blood culture that they took. He has had some issues with his IV this week, but apparently that is common with these little babies. The antibiotics are hard on the veins so they often give out, allowing the fluid to leak into the tissue surrounding the vein, causing swelling and tendererness in the surrounding area. They try to stay ahead of this and rotate the IV often, but there are only five places it can go - hands, feet and head (yes, it looks as horrible as it sounds but it's a good place for an IV). Keith got to do Kangaroo Care with him yesterday and I got to hold him today. Payson seemed to love being held after almost a week without much contact. He will be on antibiotics through the end of today and should start feeds tomorrow and rejoin his sisters a few days after that.

Hayden and Madison are both a pound over their birth weights (now in the 4 lb, 7 oz. range) and Payson should join them shortly after he begins feeding again. We can definitely see the growth in their bellies, bottoms and faces. The girls have begun breastfeeding, though only a very small amount. They are still very young but are getting the hang of things and definitely know that mommy = food. I am still pumping milk for these little ones every 3 hours including during the night, which is wearing me out. It is very hard to wake up to a "snooze-able" alarm to "feed" when you have a silent machine waiting for you. A crying baby (or babies) will surely get me out of bed more easily. We hope to know this feeling that so many parents dread by the end of the month or early February. We are so anxious to get our little ones home!

LEFT: Hayden and Madison were facing the same way but Hayden turned her head to face her sister.
RIGHT: The nurses dolled up the girls with matching bows. Here they are sucking on their passies.

Payson cuddles with his little froggie for comfort at the end of a very tough week.

Update on Payson

Written by Keith:

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Payson. We are so grateful to have such a strong support group of friends and family.

Jessica called me about an hour ago with some good news. Payson's intestine walls appear to be much less bubbly than in previous x-rays. This means that the walls are stronger and at less of a risk for rupture than over the past few days, which decreases the risk of having to go in to surgery. Also, his blood work has come back much better over the last two days, showing that his body isn't quite as busy fighting the infection in his intestines. His digestive organs are still swollen, but he's in a much better state today! He's also looking more aware and healthy - getting back to being his normal squirmy self.

He'll still be off of food for another 4-5 days, but we're hoping for a full recovery soon after that. There's still a slight risk of scar tissue developing, which would require surgery, but not an emergency, high-risk surgery like the surgery to repair a ruptured bowel.

Jessica was talking to the doctor about the intricacies of a scar tissue surgery and said "Well, I'm sure it's still pretty risky any time you have to perform a surgery on a baby this small." The doctor told her, "Payson's not really a small baby for us." We are certainly blessed to have such a large baby. We have heard so many stories of heartbreak in the NICU and are so thankful for our three big, healthy blessings!

Please keep Payson and the girls in your prayers. Please also say a prayer for the other families in our NICU.

Jessica adds:

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

Payson's Newest Diagnosis

At my 1 a.m. pumping I called NICU to check in on Payson. His most recent blood work and x-rays showed that he most likely has the worse of the possible issues we were told about called NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis) which is an inflammation of the bowels which stops the digestion of food. Premature infants are at high risk for this disease which usually appears in the first few weeks (the babies are 2.5 weeks old). It is a very serious disease and can be fatal so we are very much relying on God at this time. The nurse said it was caught early and that Payson is responding favorably to treatment but it is still too early to tell. Although originally they didn't believe the issue to be NEC, thankfully they treated him like he could have it and already started him on antibiotics and other treatments to help lessen the effects if the infection.

Then at 7 a.m. Keith went to the hospital while I tried to get some more sleep, something that was difficult to get last night with waking up to pump every 3 hours and then having to go back to sleep while thinking about Payson. The nurses confirmed that he does indeed have NEC. He is definitely very sick and won't be getting fed milk for possibly up to 10-14 days. And we also can't hold him for a while or spend much time touching or talking to him. Break a mother's heart! He needs to use all of his energy to fight his infection.

We are praying that his little body will be healed and that he will not require surgical repair which is a real possibility though not at this time and not unless his intestine ruptures. Also, it is not known whether NEC can be passed from one baby to the next so everyone is being really careful about hand washing and keeping everything separate between the girls. This is a real bump in the road for Payson and will likely set him back a few weeks for when he can come home. But honestly, that is not my concern right now, I just want my little boy to fight this and get better.

Payson's Rough Day

We arrived at the hospital bright and early this morning and soon began changing diapers, etc. Keith was settling into Kangaroo Care with the girls and I was going to hold Payson. Unfortunately his diaper contained some blood which was an immediate red flag. The nurse spoke with the doctor who ordered an x-ray and blood work. I got to hold Payson for a few minutes before he was moved into a separate isolette.

We were given a number of scenarios, but thankfully after evaluation and test results the doctor believed that it was the less serious of the two and that Payson has a Milk Protein Allergy. While this is nothing to take lightly as Payson is very sick, the doctor hopes that by taking certain measures he will be better in a few days and will outgrow this issue in the next week or so as his digestive system matures. As of now he has stopped all feedings to clear out his stomach but he has an IV to receive fluids and nutrients. He is back on a nasal cannula to remind him to breathe because he is too tired to remember.

We are praying for his body to fight his illness and for a quick recovery. We will keep you posted.

First Family Photo!

After we held the babies today we got them all swaddled up for our first family photo!

Left to right: Jessica holding Payson, Keith holding Madison and Hayden.

Growing, Bathing and Cuddling

The babies are growing so well. They all passed their birth weights before the New Year and are now all in the 3 lb, 10 oz. range, give or take a few ounces. All babies are off their nasal cannulas (which gave them flow and pressure to help keep their lungs expanded but no oxygen) but are still having Apnea of Prematurity and Bradycardia. They should grow out of this in the next month or so. It's so great to see their handsome and beautiful faces free of almost all tubes (they will keep their feeding tube until they learn on bottles only in a month or so). I am still making enough milk to feed everyone plus more so that is a major blessing. Payson and Madison's umbilical cords fell off last week so we have given them swaddle baths as well - something Keith and I will be in charge of every three days while in NICU - and after their home for that matter!

Here are some photos from today:

Keith's hand completely covers Madison and Payson's heads during Kangaroo Care as they grasp his fingers; Hayden snuggled in with her bunny and hospital-grade hat and bow; Payson fresh after his swaddle bath and Madison chilled out after her bath.