Parker is Coming Home!!!!!!

Parker is coming home Thurs. afternoon. Yahoo! That means no more daily hospital visits after Thursday. We are so glad. He's up to 4 lbs. 2 oz., doing 8 of 8 bottle feeds, and maintaining his body temperature in an open-air crib! We are so proud of him. He will have only stayed in the NICU for 17 days after being so little in the womb! God has truly blessed us with 3 little, healthy miracles! We are so grateful and thankful for His blessings. Please pray that the transition will go smoothly. It will be even more crazy around here as we all adjust to taking care of 3 infants. I did promise Parker that I wouldn't put him in the middle all the time since he was squashed there as Baby B for almost 8 months!!!!!!! I promise to get pictures of our little Parker posted as soon as I can later in the week!

Baby Update!

Cameron and Katelyn went to Dr. Cook for their 2 weeks check-ups today. Katelyn is doing well and is at 4 lbs. 7 oz. surpassing her birth weight by 2 ounces. Cameron is our best eater but isn't gaining weight. He's almost back up to his birth weight of 4 lbs. 14 oz. The doctor wants us to feed at-will not just every 3 hours and increase the volume. He also has a blocked tear duct in his left eye which we will just put warm compresses on and massage the corner. Savannah had the same thing in the same eye! Cameron has to go back next week for another weight check. The doctor wants him to gain some by the time we go back. Parker is doing well in the NICU. He was taken out of the isolette/incubator and put in a regular open-air crib and is taking all 8 feeds with the bottle. The tube was taken out early this morning, and so far he is maintaining his body temperature and tolerating his feeds. It is possible that he could poop out and tire in a day or so, but so far he's doing marvelous! He may get to come home this week and maybe as early as Thurs. or so. Savannah is doing okay and hanging in there; although mommy is noticing some not-so-great behavior changes and her sleeping at night and for naps continues to be a challenge with her getting up all the time and coming into our room.

First Baths!

Nana and I gave Cameron and Katelyn their first baths this afternoon. We did the swaddle bath method that the NICU taught us, and both of them actually seemed to enjoy it. Katelyn did squeal when I first put her in, but as soon as I drizzled warm water on her, she loved it. I can imagine it will feel like a total assembly line as soon as Parker comes home. Their hair smelled so good and they were so cute! I gave them little baby massages on their chests when I got them out, and they enjoyed it as well. Man, life is good as a baby!!! Enjoy a few pics! Katelyn is the first picture and then Cameron.

Mommy is Totally Exhausted but Happy!

Mommy and daddy are so exhausted, but are enjoying our new, growing family! Mommy is happy because she is 1 lb. less than her pre-pregnancy weight in just 12 days from giving birth to triplets! Yahoo! Now the hard work begins in trying to keep it off. Maybe it won't be that hard since I can hardly find time to go to the restroom, shower, or eat.

2 Peas in a Pod or 2 Bees in a Hive!!

Enjoy some adorable pictures of Cameron and Katelyn swaddled in the crib together. They are absolutely precious! They seem to be totally content next to one another. Can't wait to add Parker soon!

Katelyn is Home!

Shawn and I picked up Katelyn this afternoon from the NICU. She weighs 4 lbs. and 2 oz. and her goal is to eat 38 cc per feeding. She looks good and is doing well. She and Cameron will go to Dr. Cook on Monday for weight checks. It was so fun to put a bow on her. Yes, I saved all of Savannah's bows, and Katelyn will officially be a member of the "Big Bow Club". We are so glad to have her home. It is going to get even crazier around here. Parker continues to do well and is up to 5 of 8 bottle feeds per day. He may be home in 2 weeks or so if he continues to make progress. Enjoy a few pictures of our special homecoming with Katelyn.

Babies Are Here!

Well, I guess everyone knows by now that the precious triplets were born last Monday, March 16th at 5:14 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. The C-section surgery was quite an experience but totally memorable. I literally had about 3 hours to prepare for the surgery once the decision was made to go ahead and take the babies due to Parker only growing 1 oz. in 2 weeks. He was just squashed with no where to grow! Shawn barely made it from work with only 15 minutes to spare. It was a wonderful experience with little pain until afterwards. Cameron came out first weighing 4 lbs. and 14 oz. and 17 3/4 inches long. Parker was next weighing 3 lbs. 10 oz. and 16 3/4 inches long, and Katelyn was 4 lbs. 5 oz. and 16 1/2 inches long. Cameron came home with us on Friday, March 20. Katelyn was scheduled to come home, but the night before her release, she had bloody stools, so they rushed her down to the NICU for tests and evaluation. They took multiple x-rays, blood work and cultures and started IV antibiotics with the vein in her head. That was hard to see. After many days, they finally found a small tear in her bottom which they believed to be causing her bloody stools. Whew! It could have been a very serious infection of the bowels called "NEC". So glad she is doing well. She may come home tomorrow, March 25. We will know for sure in the morning. Parker is doing well. Now up to 4/8 bottle feeds. The rest is by gavage or tube feedings through his nose. He is up to 33 cc per feeding, maintaining his body temperature, and only 1 brady or dip in his heartrate since he's been in the NICU. They are thinking 2-4 weeks before he can come home. We're all adjusting with grandparents help, but it's been hard and tiring. I know this is only beginning! We still appreciate your prayers as we still cannot have visitors for a while. Cameron went to our regular pediatrician, Dr. Cook, on Monday and got a clean bill of health visit. We are so thankful. He goes back next week for another weight check.

Today is the Day--Babies are Coming!!!!!

I just got back from Dr. Albert's office, and he recommended a delivery of the babies asap. Parker is not growing, and they need to get him out and get him some milk. Cameron is 5 lbs. 1 oz., Parker is 4 lbs., and Katelyn is 5 lbs. 4 oz. Parker only grew 1 ounce in 2 weeks. It is 2:15 p.m., and I just found out minutes ago that we're scheduled for a 5:00 C-section today. Shawn is on his way. I can't believe the babies will be here so soon with a birthdate of 3/16/09. That means I will be home this weekend--hopefully with babies! We'll see. I've made it to 35 weeks, 0 days which is totally awesome! Please pray for a safe delivery of the babies, safe surgery for me, quick recovery, and that the babies will be healthy and whole. We'll try to post pictures and an announcement as soon as we can tomorrow.

Are These Babies Ready to Come Out??????

Lots of drama in the past 24 hours.....last night, I could not sleep because the babies were moving like crazy and my stomach was cramping. Finally, at 4:30 a.m., I called the nurse in, and she put me on the monitor. Sure enough, I was having contractions every 2 minutes. Dr. Herzog was called, and he had the nurse give me a shot in the arm of turbutaline to stop the contractions. Within 3 minutes, it worked; however, my body didn't respond well to the side effect of the medication which was a rapid heartbeat. It took about 4-5 hours for it to go back down and at one time, my pulse was 135. I was miserable! I have had lots of monitoring today, and have had a few contractions but nothing regular. Trying to drink lots of water and rest. My other news is that they weighed me today, and I've lost 15 lbs. since last Monday. What???? The dietician came up to talk with me and is going to talk to the doctor. She's starting me on 2 Nestle Carnation shakes per day with 375 calories each. She wants me to eat lots of fiber and high calorie foods. I have battled my weight and being fat all my life, and now I can't eat enough for me and the babies.....so weird!!!!! Now I've only gained 25 lbs. this pregnancy. Another explanation is that I've lost fluid since most of my swelling has gone down since I've been on bedrest in the hospital. Still hoping to make it to next week. Please keep me and the babies in your prayers.

34 Weeks and Counting.....

I just got back from Dr. Albert's office, and he said everything is "perfect". Music to my ears! He said the babies, cords, placenta's, fluid, and heartbeats all look great. He said I was a trooper and definitely not the norm. We all knew that any way didn't we???? He still hasn't talked with my regular OB, but he said if everything continues going well that he would like to take the babies toward the end of next week which would be my 35th week. Wow! That sort of gives me a "finish line", get out of jail free card. There's also a chance that if I deliver next week, the babies could possibly come home with me if everything is okay. So, please pray that God continues to protect these precious babies and keeps them inside me until next week, and that they continue to grow and are healthy and whole when they make their debut. Enjoy some new pictures of me and the ever-growing belly and of Savannah and her new hat that I made her with some funky, cool yarn I got on Sat. from two ladies at Hart Elementary where I used to teach.

N.I.C.U. Tour

Shawn and I were lucky enough to receive a private NICU tour last night with one other bedrest mom and her husband. It was great! I am a visual person, so it relieved a lot of my anxiety to actually see where the babies will go and what their high-tech beds look like and some of the other rules and regs. Poor Savannah won't even be able to see them while they are here because she's not 3 yet! They also gave us a folder of information to read. It was nice to get out of my room for 45 minutes and meet another mom and see where the babies will go soon. Also, enjoy some pictures of Savannah sporting her new red hat that I made her. Yes, that's right....I actually learned how to knit baby/toddler hats! Amazing! I am going to try to make one for Shawn in the next few days!

Baby Update--33 Weeks!

I can't believe we've made it to 33 weeks--wow! Just got back from Dr. Albert's office, and the report is fantastic! Cords, amniotic fluid, placenta's, and babies look great. All the babies have grown almost 1 lb. in just 2 weeks. Katelyn is now the biggest at 4 lbs. 9 oz., followed by Cameron at 4 lbs. 7 oz., and Parker is still our peanut at 3 lbs. 15 oz. He said that the measurements are usually accurate within 1/2 lb. Can't believe I have 13 lbs. of baby in my belly! I am doing fine and enjoying visits from everyone, phone calls, emails, meals, etc. My ankles and legs are swelling, belly is continuing to get bigger, and breathing is difficult at times depending on where the babies are lodging themselves, but I still can't complain. I'm just thrilled that these babies are still in my belly. Each day is a bonus....we're hoping for 2 more weeks and maybe 3 at the most! It would be great if they could each grow another pound before making their debut! My iron continues to be low along with my potassium and magnesium. I'm taking so many pills!!!!!! Please keep praying for the babies to continue growing and staying put for a little while longer.