The evil plot.

Ruby: (whispering) Hey you guys, what do you say we all plan to poop right when mom is putting us in our carseats.

Alex: Hmm, I think that can be arranged.

Bennett: I'm totally in.

First days home.

This post has been in the works for quite sometime, so I'm hoping it actually gets posted this time. Bennett is on my lap as I type. The three of us have had a great time with the babies these past couple days. It's just amazing to have them here. I can't get over it. Of course there are times when they are all crying because they hungry, or for many other unknown reasons, and we all feel a little spent, but before long they are all sleeping and I forget I was ever overwhelmed because they are so angelic, peaceful, and adorable. My mom is a HUGE help with the feedings, and nights, and meals, among other things. We are just having so much fun cozying up and watching old movies while we are constantly feeding, and changing the babies. I also get to keep pumping to provide the milk for the third that doesn't get to nurse at every feeding. Hooray. They take turns, you see. But even amidst all that craziness, I have actually been able to get quite a few things done, and treated myself to a nice bubble bath. KC has taken the last few days off of work, and we're all getting this 3 hour feeding routine down. There are still come kinks to work out, but they all get fed. That's the important thing.

I have to say one frustration is waking up the babies to eat when they are sound asleep. Especially in the middle of the night when we want to sleep ourselves, but until they are big and strong, they have to eat all the time. It will be wonderful to let them sleep to their heart's desire. Of course, by then, they'll probably rebel, and wake up every 3 hours or less just to be funny.

Our biggest adventure was taking them to their first appointment to the pediatrician. They love riding in the car, we found out, and actually behaved extremely well for the doctor. They hardly made a peep as they all laid on the table wearing only their little diapers. It was so cute as were near each other skin to skin again. They haven't been like that since they were born. It was pretty funny when Ruby turned toward Alex and started licking his forehead. I guess she was a little hungry. He didn't seem to mind. And man, the boys sure are looking more identical everyday, especially when they are naked and right next to each other. The doc had only great things to say about my little loves, and we are happy to see that they are gaining weight well. Ruby at 5 lbs. 12 oz, Alex 5 lbs. 11 oz, and Bennett at 5 lbs. 4 oz. My, how my babies have grown.


We were fortunate to have a nurse from the hospital come do a follow up assessment at the house to make sure they are gaining weight well, and doing what they should. They passed her test, and she'll come do that again in a week to make sure all is ship shape. And a week after that we have appointments with the Ophthalmologist to see how they eyesight is developing, and another doctor to see about taking the monitors off. It's always an adventure to leave the house with everyone.



Here are some more pics of our first couple days at home.
Here's to more strength and naps as they days go on. These babies are worth every hour of sleep I don't get.

Whoa babies!

We have three of them. In our house. What?! As of about 2 pm this afternoon we now house a family of five plus one guest. Things are going okay so far. We'll see how I am after a night with them here. But oh boy, are they cute. I love just walking around with any one (or two) of them in my arms. You should've seen the parade we made as we were leaving the hospital. Yeah, we're gonna be busy, but what's a better kind of busy to be? I don't foresee much blogging in my near future. I'll do my best.

Maggie Simpson impersonator

This video was taken a while ago. It makes me laugh. And, I don't really know who made that silly name tag in Ruby's crib. I guess I could've been more creative with crib decor, but I didn't want them to get too comfortable there.

Only mere hours before my babies are home. This is better than Christmas. I've been going nuts all day with nervous excitement. I hope I'm able to sleep tonight.

The calm before the storm.

Up until today we weren't exactly sure when these babies were going to take up residence in their more permanent home with us. But we got the news from the doctor that we are only a couple days away! We were given the choice to either take Ruby first, and then add the boys a couple days later, or just take her at the same time. Looking at the challenges facing either of those options, I chose to have them all home at the same time. I couldn't bare to split them up for any amount of time, not to mention having to go back and forth to the hospital. So, all at once it is. And we are pretty positive that this will all take place on Wednesday night!

Ruby doesn't need one but the boys will still be on monitors just to play it safe, but that is fine with me. Better to be safe than sorry. It may be only for a couple weeks, and it's worth it for them to come home sooner. I just can't believe that this extended amount of time we've had at this hospital is almost over. We've been there everyday for the past 2 1/2 months. It's going to be a pretty hectic couple of days getting all their discharge stuff taken care of, and mom and I are in a kind of survival mode, trying to gear up for a life quarantined indoors with the babies. As nervous as this makes me, and as much as I know I'm going to miss my sleep, I seriously couldn't be more excited to have my babies in my arms whenever I want.

When they were first born, I was a little scared of their fragile and frail little bodies. I knew I couldn't take care of all of their needs in that state, so I was so happy to have the wonderful nurses and doctors doing that for me. But ever since they've been getting plump and eating well, I've been aching for my little ones to be in my own house, knowing that I am ready to take on the challenge. I am so in love with these babies. It gives me butterflies thinking of them so nearby. I feel as prepared as I could possibly be in this situation. I've spent so much time with them that I feel like I know their needs and wants already. I have my mom here to help with whatever I may need from her, and KC is the best dad a child could ask for. I think we're a great team for these babies to come home to. I'm not saying I don't freak out at times, but those feeling usually subside when they are replaced by excitement and joy when I think of having the family I have prayed for for so long. Oh man, this is gonna be fun.

I can't wait to welcome you home,

Alex,

Bennett,

and Ruby!
By the way, as much as we'd love for friends to come meet the littles, the doctors have been very adamant about making sure we don't let anyone with as much as a little sniffle come near them if we can help it. We're not even supposed to take them anywhere but the doctor all winter. If you want to come play, we'd love to see you, but would really appreciate it if you have a clean bill of health when you do. Thanks!

Little naked faces

I went into the nicu on Tuesday to find that both Ruby and Bennett were gavage-free at last! It took me a second to realize what was different since I didn't even really notice the gavage any more. I just LOVE those beautiful faces free from all tape and tubes.

The doctor has now put them on Ad Lib feeds, meaning, they are no longer required to eat a certain amount, but they can decide when they are done. There is a maximum amount that we don't want them to exceed, but if they don't finish it all, or fall asleep before it's gone, it's fine. And they can nurse as long as they want and count it as their entire feed since they are getting so good at it. We usually let them go for about 15-20 minutes, and then give them a bottle, to make sure they are eating enough. But looks like these little chunks are gaining just fine to start a normal eating regimen.

And something else crazy, they are starting to grow out of some of their preemie clothes and are starting to wear newborn sizes. At least A and R. It makes me want to celebrate and cry all at once. But the newborn sizes are still loose, and the preemie sizes are still fitting fine, so I'm going to squeeze them into those cute little clothes as long as possible. It will be fun to save my favorite outfits for each of them to keep and be amazed at later. I'm going to miss those tiny little clothes, but I love that my babies are growing well. It's just happening so fast.

The latest goings on.

So, I have some catching up to do. I have a feeling these blog posts will be a lot more concise as I get busier/more tired, so aren't you glad you don't have to read through my rants and ramblings much longer? Well, I might sneak a long post in now and then. Anyway, Here's what's been going on over in these parts.

Visitors:
The babies have had a lot of visitors lately. KC's mom and dad came to meet the crew last weekend. Now the babies have met all their grandparents. These little ones will never have a lack of attention. We had a few fun days while they all got to know each other.

Janice with Alex
KC and Clyde with Bennett and Alex. (Sorry Ruby, I don't have any picture of you with G and G Robinson.)
My Grandmother, and Aunt Eileen swung by during their East Coast travels. I was so glad they could make it, since I have no idea when Grandmother would've seen seen them, living in Utah. It may be a long time before we travel with this little family of ours.

Grandmother with Bennett
Eileen with Ruby and Alex

My sister Cami also came to join the fun a few days later. Remember how she used to live here? Yeah, it was fun to pretend she did again. She took some beautiful pictures of my loves while she was here, (I used a couple in the previous post.) I'll give you a slide show to ooh, and aah over later on. I can't wait for the rest of my siblings to meet their new niece and nephews.

Alex

Bennett

Ruby
Baby shower:
I have some pretty amazing friends. They have been with me on this fertility journey from the very beginning. The support has been never-ending whether it was during IVF, adoption, pregnancy, or mothering. Saying all that makes me seem like the neediest, most high-maintenance friend you could ask for (which is probably true), but they have always been there to listen to me, pray for me, or lend a hand if I needed one. A few of them threw me a most wonderful shower. It has had to be postponed a couple times for obvious reasons, but it finally happened, and was a blast. I still couldn't believe it was me and my babies that the shower was for. Everyone was so generous, and I have some serious thank you note writing to do. Though, thank you will never be enough to some special people that have done so much for me. I don't think I deserve such loyal and loving girls in my life. Anyway, it was very memorable, and we are well stocked for these babies!

Jeans:
I bought jeans. And they fit. This deserves it's own category, as I thought it would never happen. Yes, they are bigger than I was before, and they are pretty dang tight in areas, but at least I can look a tiny bit put together if I must. Of course the yoga pant get put right on the second I come home.

Turing 25:
My birthday was Monday, and I must say, I actually forgot about it for the few days leading up to it. I guess I can see how these sort of things can really take a back seat when you throw kids into the mix. And it was a little sad that Melody wasn't here (but she's coming in a few weeks, so not too sad), though we did talk a couple times, and I was serenaded by the Rejholec family, including Juju, singing Happy Birthday. Definitely a highlight of the day. And thanks to a wonderfully kind friend for giving me a gift certificate to a spa, and Facebook for altering everyone of birthdays, and of course kind friends who remembered (something I am not good at, so I was very impressed), it was a great day of pampering, friendly emails and phone calls. The hour-long facial I got at the salon was heavenly, especially since that's where I've been holding most of my stress and concern for the past few years. Of course I couldn't let the day for by without seeing the babies, since this is my first birthday as a mommy. But I did let myself have a break from the early morning and late night with them (my usual routine, so I can squeeze and nap, and chores in the middle). KC and I took the night off and went to dinner. The two of us haven't done that for a while, and I think it will be a while before we do it again. It was hard to think about anything else but the babies, but we tried. We like to make their facial expression, and actually KC does it pretty well. And a couple of my friends and I went to get a pedicure last night, mostly to get one last one in before I'm stuck at home for a long time, but we can count it as birthday fun as well.

Well, that's that. Not as concise as I thought. I'm sure that will change when there are babies screaming to be fed and whatnot. Speaking of the littles, Alex was really gearing up to come home, but he reminded us that he is still a little tyke, and like to get a little too relaxed sometimes and sets off some alarms, extending his discharge a little. This is normal, and since he is now taking all his food by mouth instead of by tube, it's probably wearing him out a bit. He just needs to build up the strength and coordination. In time, of course. No need to rush him. Especially since my mom isn't coming until Saturday. Ruby is the least dainty eater of the three. She can really chug that bottle down. Those cheeks get bigger by the day. She loves to stay awake after she eats and see what's going on, while the boys like their sleep. (Sounds a little like their parents.) Little Bennett still gets pretty tired during feeds, but he is a great nurser. It took him a while but when he figured it out, he really knew what he was doing. They only get to nurse 1-2 times a day since it requires more strength and it wears them out. But they really love it, and so do I. They are all gaining weight like they should, and it feels weird to say that 5 lbs. is just around the corner. And we are now in our own private room. They moved us there to make room for other new-comers in the big room. It's nice to be all to ourselves. Oh, how I love my little cuddlers. They really loved having bubble baths the other night. They are getting so chunky, yet they're still so little. As much as I want them to get stronger and bigger, I do love this size.

AlexBennett

Ruby
So, back to my mom. I can't wait for her to come. The babies have changed so much since she left. We are going to be pretty busy around here, and she is so kind to dedicate so much of her time to my family. I'm going to love learning from her. Bring on the babies!

Gavage-less

Now you see it. . .


now you don't.
We are trusting little Alex to be able to eat without the aid of his gavage tube. I was a little nervous, I have to admit. That tube really makes things easier when they are too tired to eat. But his face is even more angelic without it. It will be so great when they are all strong enough to go without it. I think Ruby is next. My babies are really growing up!

Attatched to monitors

You may think I am talking about the babies when you read the title, but really I am talking about me. At first the monitors, probes, and alarms seemed pitiful and annoying. But now, after learning about the sounds and becoming used to what they numbers mean, I have come to rely on them to make sure the babies are doing what they are supposed to. For instance, when I am feeding them, If I ever wonder if they need a break or not, I just look at their heart rate, and breathing rate to make sure they are breathing normally. They are still learning the coordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing, and sometimes they forget to do all of those, and want to stop the breathing part. So we just pat them on the back, stimulate them, and give them a breather from the sucking and swallowing parts while they collect themselves. They will learn all this in no time, but while they are still iffy, it's nice to have the monitors to make sure they are breathing okay. I hate to see them choking on their milk, which is pretty common for these little learners. But I am learning the cues, and becoming more aware of the warning signs, sans monitors. The babies are also getting better at eating everyday, and what used to take them 30 minutes to try and eat, now sometime takes them only 10 minutes. They still get a gavage feeding 1-2 times a day, or 2-3 for little Bennett who's smaller, and needs more breaks than the others. He'll catch up though. Anyway, I'm trying to keep my eyes off the monitors, and on the babies to wean myself for when we're home, and there's no alarms to tell me what's going on. Sometimes they do send babies home on portable monitors if they still have a couple alarms, but they are doing everything else they are supposed to do, but we're thinking at least two, if not all of them will catch on and stop those alarms from sounding.

So speaking of going home, they are seriously so close. I was a little shocked when speaking with the doctor last Friday and hearing her say that she would be very surprised if at least one of them was not going home in 10 days. I mean, I knew it was coming up, but 10 Days?! That's in like three days! I guess when things get moving, they really get moving. They are gaining weight properly (all over 4 lbs. as of Wednesday!), they are keep their body temperature normal, they are having fewer alarms, and are learning to take all of their food by mouth. These all are things they have to do to get out of their temporary home at the nicu. This is why I have been so busy the past few days. Not only because I was getting a few last minute things for them (we have most everything we need to welcome them home, but I just wanted to fine tune things a bit), and have been in a mad rush to get a few things done for me too. I kind of feel like when they are home I might never leave the house again, except to go to the doctor. So I wanted to get a haircut, stock up on groceries, make a target run or two, and anything else I can try to squeeze in before I get too hungry, too tired, have to pump, or it's time to feed the babies. There's not enough time in the day! As crazy as it might get when they are all home, at least we'll all be together, and I won't have to rush around all over Maryland. Thinking about all my babies just across the hall from me sound so wonderful. I can't wait to have them near me again.

So we've had a few visitors which I'll write about later when/if I have a few minutes to spare. Right now, I'm tired and must rest. Why am I taking up this precious time blogging?

Oh, and of course, here are some pics for you. They all had their eyes examined this week, so they had to have their eyes covered for several hours. I thought it was cute.

Alex


Bennett
Ruby (She gets three, just because.)

Happy one month my sweet babies.

My, how times flies when you are a mommy. Yes, I want my babies to get big and strong, but if this month went by this quickly, I'm afraid how rapidly the rest of their lives will go by.

Oh and the answer to the previous post was Bennett on top, and chubby Alex on the bottom. And yes, I can tell them apart.

More to post, but too busy to post it. So it begins.

All clean.

I dressed them up after they had their baths the other night, and thought it was cute that they were matching. Of course, I would've liked to have them in a picture together, but they are hooked up to things, restricting how far they can travel. Anyway, this will have to do. Can you tell who's who?

And Ruby gets a picture too, even though she isn't matching.
This is cute and funny so I'll include it. I was trying to feed Bennett a bottle the other day, and he was acting like a little kid who didn't want to eat his veggies. His lips were shut tight. But he knows what's good for him, so he finally gave in.
Also, I LOVE finding tiny baby clothes in my laundry. It's like a treasure hunt. Seriously, some of the shirts are onlyas big at my hand.

And by the way, they are growing like weeds. Alex is just about 4 lbs, Ruby is one ounce behind him, and Bennet is about 4 ounces behind her, as usual. My preemies are becoming regular babies! Their homecoming may now be less than two weeks away! Is it wrong to be a bit frightened in the midst of my excitement about this? Blogging will be a lot less frequent, I'm sure.

Look who graduated!

Little Bennett is out to join his brother and sister in an open crib. I love having such easy access to all my babies. It's so much easier to kiss them when they are out like this.

Just like ridin' a bike.

It's the end of an era folks. Or maybe it's the beginning. I guess it's both. Anyway, after about three months of not driving, I am back in the driver's seat, and it's as if I never left. But not just any driver's seat. The driver's seat of a minivan. I am a mom who drives a minivan. Weird. I remember when we found out we were having triplets, we started thinking about all the changes we were going to have to make, and the car situation was a big one. I couldn't believe I was going to have a car full of kids, and here we are.

We bought it last night, and since then, I have felt a free as a bird. Of course, I wasn't advised to drive or even feeling up to it until about a week ago. But this past week, I have felt like we really needed to get me a car soon if we wanted to get anything done before the babies get home. It seems when KC comes home we had to either have to decide to do something like go to Costco, or go see the babies. Guess what we always choose. Yep, the babies always win. And we go without milk and eggs another day because of their irresistible faces. Or I just have KC go on his way home from work, but that delays dinner, and delays our trip to the hospital, making have a very late bedtime. Either way, it's just a little inconvenient. But now, I can just go to the store on the way home from my daytime visit to the babes. Hooray! I already have a list a mile long of places to go, and things to do while I still can. I better get crackin'.

KC has been car selling/shopping for months, and with it being a difficult market, it was quite a task. And even though I didn't want to be too picky about certain makes/models, or features that fancy vans have these days, KC certainly pulled through finding me something that doesn't make me too sad to not have my beloved Accord anymore. Those power sliding doors will certainly come in handy, I can already tell.

Now, we better install those car seat bases.

Notice anything different?

Yesterday, I walked into the nicu to find this.

Alex and Ruby in open cribs!

And this.No cannula on Ruby!

I almost shed a tear at how big they look in their beds. They are seriously growing before my eyes. The doctor says they are on the "launch pad". Yep, we are getting them ready to live a life without monitors, isolettes, and feeding tubes. I'm a little nervous to take them away from this sheltered life, but it's time to get ready!

And while I'm at it, I might as well post the videos of Alex, and Ruby that I promised.

And even though Bennett is still in his little house, he still deserves a picture. He'll put on those extra ounces to qualify for an open crib in no time.

How did this happen?

I find that I ask myself this question over and over again. In the best possible way, of course. I guess it's just finally sinking in. After these years of wondering when, and how our family would come about, I now stare into my babies' faces every day and can't believe it's actually happening. I mean, I have three children! What's a better way to end a battle of infertility than to have more babies than you can even hold at once? I just feel so incredibly blessed.

I have had a couple eye opening experiences this past week. There are so many reasons for babies to end up in the nicu. We always knew our babies would be there, even if I made it to my scheduled c-section at 34 weeks. So, we feel like we were prepared, and consider ourselves a best case scenario to be there. All our babies have to do is grow and develop. They aren't sick, and as small as they are, they could've been a lot smaller. So while it's been hard to have them far away, it's our normal, so we haven't had a lot of the sad feelings a lot of other parents in the nicu might experience since they might not have expected their babies to end up there.

One experience I was talking about before was about a tiny 24 week baby that has taken up residence in our room. It seems the smaller the baby, the more equipment and professionals they require. That tiny (she can't be more than 1 lb, and a few oz.) sweet little girl is covered in tubes and wires, and hooked up to several computers. I saw her mom's face when she was wheeled in to see her daughter on her bed the same way I was when I had just delivered. I was overjoyed and excited to see my little ones. Her face was filled with shock, sadness, love, and who knows what else she was thinking. We heard she was conceived with the help of fertility treatments, which broke my heart even more. Every day I look at that little child, and then looked at my three, what now seemed huge, babies, and feel almost guilty to be so blessed. I couldn't stop thinking about that family. My heart aches for them, while it fills more and more with gratitude for my healthy family.

As if that wasn't enough for my heart and head to handle, I ran into a couple ladies in the bathroom talking about their little ones in the nicu. One said hers was a 28 week baby, while the other's was on antibiotics. The lady with the 28-weeker began to tear up as she said she had actually given birth to twins, but one didn't make it. She was trying so hard to be brave and happy to have her one special baby, but was so sad that she should be taking care of two babies right now, instead of one.

Again, it really made me think about all my babies getting bigger by the day, and how much of a miracle it is. So many times I told myself that I should've been able to carry them longer so they could've been bigger. I couldn't understand why the nurses kept telling me that they were good sized babies while they looked way too small to me. And then, I find out about people like those ladies, and realize how many things could've gone wrong. It just makes me so grateful that my heart aches. Of course I knew I was in a high risk circumstance, and was struggling my whole pregnancy to not let my fear get the better of me. So why is it that we always look at what we could've done, rather than what we have accomplished?

I'll pray that those families, and others similar will be comforted in their time of sadness. And I'll keep my continuous prayer of gratitude in my heart for the miraculous little family I have been so graciously given. I don't know how I get to be so blessed, and others have to go through such hard things, but I will never take it for granted, ever.

I didn't mean to make this post so down, but these are just some thoughts I've had lately. I promise the next post will be more upbeat. And more exciting changes to tell you about!

Changing every day.

Man, these babies can change so fast. Sometimes I see a difference from one day to the next. They are doing so well, and their cheeks continue to get chubbier. We still can't believe they are ours, and that the nurses call me the mom. But it always makes me feel like the luckiest, richest, and happiest person in the world.

Right now we are really paying attention to their weight gain and getting them to eat by mouth, whether it's by the bottle, or nursing. We have to start them now, even if they aren't very productive, because it will take a while for them to learn to suck, swallow, and breath at the same time. It's pretty advanced stuff for little babies that shouldn't even be born yet. They are gaining weight like champs, all over or around 3 1/2 pounds! Oh how I LOVE seeing them get some fat on those little bodies. And they are going to start weaning Ruby to an open crib. The boys will follow soon after, I'm sure. I'm just surprised at how fast things can get moving. Soon enough they'll be home, and life will be even crazier, and I can't wait!

And it wouldn't be a proper update without some pictures.

Alex

A rare occasion where he wasn't swaddled after he was bathed and weighed. I love the tiny clothes.

Who doesn't love getting their hair washed?

He gave us quite a selection of cute expressions. This is a favorite.

A very tired, but very happy mommy.

Bennett
He is always pulling on his gavage tube, so they have to reinforce it with some more tape, thus his white mustache.

Let's hope they do this a lot when they come home.

It's harder than it looks to teach a preemie how to eat. But he's doing great.

And, even though I don't have a recent video of the others to show, I couldn't resist posting this of Bennett. They'll get their turn another day. (Am I ever going to stop feeling like everything has to be completely equal?)

Ruby
Eating is very tiring. They usually give up after about 15 minutes.

Is it me, or are they looking almost like normal sized babies?

Getting toasty under a warming light after a bath.

Again, I hope they makes a habit of this kind of behavior.

So there are my sweeties for you. I'm more in love everyday.