Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi All,

We have lots to be thankful for this year over on Stowell Avenue.  The kiddos are growing like weeds and making some big changes this month. 

Sullivan is now over 16 pounds, Kaitlyn is about 14.5 lbs and Kylee is about 11.5 lbs.  You can see in the picture above (Kylee, Sully, Katie) that they are getting quite chubby and cute.  So far they are all showing their different personalities.  Kylee has been very strong and outgoing, Sullivan was a little bashful until we figured out that he is more of a rough housing boy and likes to be tickled and such, Kaitlyn has been very patient and quick with a smile. 

They are all starting to try to babble a bit, especially the girls.  They try desperately to immitate sounds but just can't get their little mouths to do it well just yet, so it's mostly coos and gurgles and then smiles. 

Sully surprised us two nights ago by going the entire night without waking up!  He went from 7:30 PM to 5:30 AM, we were so proud!  The girls only woke up once for a bottle at 1:30 but other than that they went the whole night.

So last night we thought for sure they were going to throw us for a loop but suprise...the girls went from 8PM to 4AM and Sully went all night again!

We hope this is a nice turn of events for a while becuase the 1-3 hours of sleep a night was not working long term for us. 

The girls also saw the GI specialist at Childrens a few weeks ago but he just kept them on their current reflux medication and said "oh they probably just have collic so you should just read the Happy Baby book"... that's nice!  Regardless they seem to be making strides on their own. 

Sully and Kaitlyn both have torticollis so we will have PT for them but also do it three times per day at home ourselves.  Kylee is just fine and doesn't have much need for PT.

Well, thanks for listening and being with us during our hardest times, for that we are very thankful. 


xo
Dan and Becky

Trifecta

Sullivan, Katie and Kylee hanging out together.

Sisters hanging out

Kaitlyn and Kylee hanging out on the couch today.  They were laughing and giggling and trying to talk nd then  froze right when the camera went off.

Halloween

Kylee (Lady Bug), Kaitlyn (Pumpkin) and Sullivan (Badger)

Halloween lasted about 20 minutes until the kiddos fell asleep in their costumes.  They were so cute though. 

Triple Feed

Becky doing a triple feed, notice the foot placement!

Back to Work

Becky went back to work this morning for the first time since going on bed rest in March.  It was a sad night last night and this morning for her.  She will miss the babies so much. 

The Doctor said yesterday that they are doing excellent.  Kylee now weighs 9lbs 11 oz, Kaitlyn 12lbs 1oz, Sullivan 12lbs 4 oz.  The girls are still having a tough time with their reflux and will need to go see a specialist at Childrens Hospital to see if there is anything more we can do for them.  We are just happy they are gaining weight despite the reflux problem. 

Monitor

Sully is off his Monitor as of last Thursday.  Yeah! 

Becky goes back to work on Wednesday and we are kind of freaking out about that.  How does one commute 45 minutes each way after sleeping 3 hours per night?  Probably need to move asap.

Doctor appt tomorrow.  Can't wait to see how much the kids weigh.  We need to address some things with Kylee and Kaitlyn.  We still can't figure out whey they are fussing so much in the middle of the night.  Seems like we now have the reflux and gas under as much control as we are going to get it.  Hmmm, milk allergy?

More smiles and some tiny giggles lately out of the kids.  That has been great.  They have been working us over pretty good the last week or so though.  Last night was so crazy Becky and I just had to laugh or we would be crying along with the kiddos.  I tried to get the video camera out to capture the craziness and as soon as I had it out of the bag, they all fell asleep on cue.

Funny Number Estimates: 

Total diaper changes =1,700 + times since July 28
Total bottle feedings = 1,800 + times since July 28

Dreams of consistent sleep are dancing in our heads!

xo
Dan

Finally feeling better!

Becky and Sully on the couch about a week ago. 

All three kiddos seem to be growing and doing well.  None of them got sick these past two weeks which was a god send.  We had nightmares of them all going back to the NICU.  We have also had to really stay on top of their reflux and all three are on medication two times per day for that.  This makes sleeping very unpredictable, especially for the girls.  All three seem to deal with excessive gas on top of this which apparently is painful for little babies so we have to stay on top of that too.  Sully is still on his apnea monitor which continues to be a challenge.  Just when you think you have them all down for a nice sleep, he'll rip off one of his leads and the alarm goes crazy.  That happened last night at about 2 in the morning.  Ugh.  Supposedly the Doc might take him off of this monitor next week.  This would be great if he can achieve that because he has been on it since he came home July 29th. 

Becky and I both came down with something last week.  They think I had the H1N1 virus and Becky probably had a bad cold.  I'm sure our immune systems are not as strong as we would like due to sleep deprivation.  But...we are both back to normal finally.  It makes it a lot easier to care for kids in the middle of the night when you are not feeling sick yourself.  Plus I was not able to help at all for 3 days so Becky was doing everything on her own.  We had some special people help out during this time though so we are very thankful for that. 

One neat thing that is happening lately is that we are seeing these little ones really learn how to snuggle.  After they eat, they just want to pile on us and are starting to wrap their little arms around us.  They all love to stare at whomever is holding them and they are often looking around the room for somebody to connect with. 

We are starting to get some little smiles here and there which has been fun.  They are not smiling on demand all the time, but they will surprise you sometimes and give you a big grin.  This is the stuff that keeps us going! 

Becky goes back to work in two weeks which will be another huge challenge.  It would not be so bad if her drive was not so long.  She will be living on coffee for a few months i'm sure.  This also means that I will have to handle the early morning feedings solo every day.  We will both be pushing our limits for a time, but have hope that in the next two months we'll be doing better on sleep. 

That's all for now!

Dan

It's almost funny!

Hey, do you want to hear something funny? 

The Doctor thinks I may have swine flu and Becky has carpal tunnel in both wrists from carrying babies!  Talk about piling it on. 

I was feeling somewhat sick on Tuesday night and thought it was a cold.  Then Wednesday I worked all day and I started to feel worse by the end of the day.  Thursday I went to the Doctor and they said I had the flu, except, it's not flu season yet, so the only likely option is the darn swine flu.  Obviously we were immediately frightened for the safety of the babies because of the fact that they don't have immune systems yet.  So we called the pediatrician and they let us know that if they were going to catch it that they would have by now so we should look for certain symptoms.  Thank God they have not shown any symptoms so far like lethargy, lack of eating, abnormal fussiness etc.  They are still just being themselves.  Becky also has not caught it.  So, since yesterday I have been sequestered on the 3rd floor of the house and working from my home office when I feel up to it.  I can't hold the babies which is sad and I have to wear a mask when I am in the rest of the house.  Hopefully the antiviral drugs will work fast!

Becky also went to the Doctor yesterday because her wrist has been hurting so bad.  She's been diagnosed with carpal tunnel (in both but one is worse than the other) and had to have a cortisone shot in one wrist and has to wear a brace.  She is pushing through it though because the worste thing we can do is have me helping out around the kids.  Friends and family have been rallying to help which is nice and we are very grateful for.  We are not sure what the prognosis is for her wrist but she'll have to deal with it once I get better.

The good news is the babies went to the Doctor the other day and we confirmed that they have been growing very well despite all their reflux etc... Kaitlyn is 10lbs 8 oz, Sullivan is 10 lbs 1 oz, Kylee is 8lbs 9oz!

Sully is quite long and doesn't fit into anything under 3 months anymore.  Kylee is wearing all of Kaitlyn's old stuff already and Kaitlyn is closing on on wearing 3-6 month stuff. 

Sullivan can almost roll over now and tries diligently to do so when given a chance.  He took the title of star eater and sleeper from Kaitlyn recently.  Kaitlyn is our little gerber baby and Kylee is our little outgoing one so far.  If you hold Kylee you will notice that she is always searching the room for somebody to stare at, it is pretty funny. 

They are mostly happy, except between 5pm and 10pm and 3am to 10am, kind of kidding, but not really. 

We've been talking to some triplet parents lately and they have assured us that their babies gave them a hard time initially like ours have but that it gets better.  Mostly it is the lack of sleep that has been hard.  Popular triplet mom opinion is that in the next month or so they will be sleeping much better.  Fingers are crossed!

That's it for now, back to bed for me and on to feedings for Becky!

xo

Dan

Update

Hi All,

Well, we thought we had the reflux under control but the girls threw us for a bit of a loop.  Both did not really have any positive effect from the first medication so we had to start them on another.  Apparently it's almost a sure thing for premature babies to have reflux.  It's too bad because we were just getting everybody eating enough that they would start sleeping more and as soon as we thought we were on the way the reflux thing came back with a vengence. 

It's hard to see the little ones feel bad and you can tell that they aren't comfortable because they push the bottle away and don't sleep well.  So, last week we didn't get much sleep.  We had some great help though on Thursday night last week and last night so we were able to catch up on much needed rest.  I think over the course of about 72 hours last week we had only about 10 hours between us. 

Meanwhile, Sullivan has become our little eater.  He took well to his reflux medication and has been eating like a champ.  This is great news because he was really in a lot of discomfort for a while.  This means he can sleep more which is great, except the girls aren't sleeping like him due to their reflux, so it throws the whole schedule off kilter. 

The best news is that despite all this they are all really gaining weight and are the picture of health otherwise.  Right now they basically look like 5 week olds since their due date was August 26th. 

When they aren't fussing with reflux they love to hang out in their bouncy seats or in a swing and sometimes they "play" together on their play mat, which consists of waving their arms and kicking their legs around until they get overwhelmed and need to be picked up again.

Yukon is quite taken with the babies and has adjusted well.  He tries to sneak in a few licks now and again, especially after they take a bath.  He just can't resist the smell of baby shampoo.  Poor guy, it must take all of his self control to just not pin them to the ground and lick them all over.  The kiddos don't seem to notice him just yet as they only have eyes for their mommy and daddy right now.

More later.  Take care!

Dan

You Know It Peeps!

Kylee and Sullivan sharing dinner together and holdings hands 9/19/09.  They are already great friends. 

Double Duty!  First time feeding two together 9/19/09.  Thanks for the tips Tanya! 

Katie and Sullivan eating together 9/19/09.

Wow! The triplets are now three months old and they are changing everyday.  They are consistently gaining weight and are the picture of good health.  All three have acid reflux but we've got that under control for now.  Yes! 

We've had some wonderful help lately from some really good friends, old and new.  Tanya, Lissa, Dzia, Dzia, Grammy, Gramma and Papa have all helped us get some extra sleep recently and that is worth a ton!  Thanks you guys.  Suzy, Linda, Casey, Phyllis, Chelsea and so many others thank you for your help too!  It all helps!

Thanks Kelly for the awesome pitcher, now we can get rid of the salad dressing mixer and make some gigantic amounts of formula!
Love
Becky and Dan

Labor Day Weekend

Hi to all.  Above is a picture of the three wee ones on their fun blanket. They seem to be very intrigued by laying there together and are starting to really see a lot of different things and having some reaction to them. When we put them on the this play mat they move their arms like crazy and kick and stare at each other and seem to thoroughly enjoy the experience. 

Kaitlyn was weighed last Thursday at 8lbs 5.5 oz so I'm guessing she's around 8lbs 10oz today.  Kylee was weighed at 6lbs 7 oz and she's been eating like crazy so i'm guessing she is 6lbs 14 or so.  Sullivan was weighed at 8lbs 1oz so he's probably closing in on 8lbs 7oz today. 

They are definitely turning into little full term babies now and are much more interested in their surroundings and demand a change if they don't like where they are or what is happening. 

Becky and I are working hard to give them everything they need and thankfully have had some wonderful help from all the grandparents and some great friends and neighbors.  We've even had some Aunts and Uncles pitch in and lend a hand.  So there is no shortage of people that love these little guys. 

We are enjoying our little ones so much but kind of are looking forward to a month or two out when they are sleeping and eating a bit more.  Right now it is pretty much every 2.5 - 3 hours you have to get them going.  Which means that we really only get about 1.5-2 hrs of sleep at a stretch.  That is if one of them doesn't have an issue or want to play when they are supposed to be sleeping.

Overall we think they are doing well, and our home care nurse has said she does not need to come anymore because they are doing so well.

Kaitlyn graduated from her Apnea monitor this week so we just have Sullivan left on his, which does make things considerably easier. 

That's it for now, have a wonderful long weekend!

Please Help!

Hi Everyone!

This is a serious offer.  Does anyone want to help with one night feeding?  You could sleep in our guest bedroom and have your own bathroom.  There's typically a midnight feeding and a 3 am feeding.  If you think you can swing it just email me at rebeccas2368@sbcglobal.net

The kids are great but the sleep deprivation is killing us.  We are hiring a nanny to help with night time too.

40 Weeks!

Yesterday marked 40 weeks and would have been the babies actual due date had they gone full term.  Seeing how big they are now, I realize how much of an impossibility that would have been for Becky. 

The nurse came to the house today for their weekly check up and weighed the kiddos. 

Kaitlyn - 8lbs 1 oz
Sullivan - 7lbs 8 oz
Kylee - 6lbs

They've all gained a pound in the last week or so!  The nurse also said they are doing well developmentally so far and thought they were doing just fine.  So, it's nice to know they like it over here with their parents.

Sleep has definitely been a problem though.  We are hoping with the increased food intake recommended by the nurse today that they will sleep a tad longer between feedings.  Lately it has been every 2 to 3 hours (closer to 2) that they need to be diapered and fed.  That's 21 diapers and 21 feedings per day, but who is counting?

We just got a call today from Dr. De Lia and he was hoping we'd go on the Saturday Morning News on WISN with him to interview with Portia Young about the TTTS foundation and a fund raiser that is upcoming for that.  Could be the kids first shot at stardom!  Maybe if they catch somebody's eye, we'll get them onto a tv show.  One of them could be the next Fred Savage.  More likely, one or all of them will decide they are hungry at precisely the same time the cameras are turned on and start blowing a gasket.  We'll see if we're up to it and if they want us by tomorrow. 

That's it for now.

Take care,
Dan

Kylee, Kaitlyn and Sullivan 8-23-09

Grandparents are here helping today!

8/21/09 Update

Hi,

The past few weeks has been quite crazy. We are enjoying our little ones being at home and have been working at keeping them on a schedule for changing and feeding. Becky is doing an incredible job and has figured out how to handle all three babies at one time for a changing and feeding. They typically eat every 3 hours so it has been pretty busy. The hardest part has been the midnight, 3AM and 6AM feedings as by that time we are exhausted.

The grandparents have been a big help thus far and given us a few breaks.

The fun part is when we get them all fed and happy and they are just content and snuggled up with us.

Kaitlyn is now over 7 pounds, Sullivan is about 6.5 pounds and Kylee is catching up fast and is about 5.5 pounds.

We're hoping for more steady sleep once they get to be about 10 pounds.

So far they've been to the doctor two times and the opthamologist one time. Both doctors say they are doing very well.

More to come soon!

Dan

Welcome!

Welcome to our friends and family. Thank you so much for following our story and for all your support throughout our fertility, pregnancy, birth and homecoming. We have appreciated all of your prayers and help along the way, more than you will ever know.

We are starting this blog to keep those loved ones of ours whom we do not get to see very often updated on the triplets. We hope to write as much as time will allow. The first few weeks / months will be wild but when things settle down we'll be writing more and posting new pictures.

Sincerely,

Becky and Dan