Happy Independence Day!!

A holiday weekend gives me the opportunity to catch up on things around here.  On Saturday, we returned from a whirlwind tour of McKinney - Norman - McKinney (with Daddy flying and driving back and forth from San Antonio).

On the positive side, the boys got to spend time with all their grandparents, their uncles, their second cousins, and many other "aunts" and "uncles" in Dallas.  On the down side, this was because Great Grandma Kaldahl passed away last Sunday.  Fortunately, Autumn and Jeff were able to spend time with Grandma the week before she passed, and she was able to see the boys several times over the previous six months.

Four Generations of Kaldahls!!

The trip to Norman was an exciting one for the boys.  Besides seeing Granddaddy Greg and Gigi, the boys had their first trip to the zoo.  They didn't really notice the animals too much but they did enjoy splashing around in the water.  It even managed to draw big smiles from the normally stoic Ezra.

The boys also go to run around outside Granddad and Gigi's backyard (a true honor).  They avoided the koi pond and instead, enjoyed bottomless plates of watermelon, cuties (procurred especially by Grandaddy Greg), and picking up sticks!

While the drive home to San Antonio was one of the toughest yet, everyone is happy to be home.  Baby Girl's nursery is painted, the front room was cleared out (at least for a day), and all of the boys' toys were waiting for them.  They have wasted little time getting back into their routine which includes waking up at 7am, milk, playtime, breakfast, playtime outside, nap, lunch, playtime inside, nap, dinner, playtime outside, fruit snack, baths, and bedtime around 8pm.  More importantly, daddy is happy to have his whole gang back together again for lots of wrestling, tickling, and the occasional reminder of discipline!!

3 Months Old and a Trip to the Capital...

Well...it has been forever since I last posted.  Things have been very, very busy and seem to get more busy every day.  I suspect this will continue until I finish my Thesis.  It will be nice to come home at some point and be able to "leave" work at work.  I can't complain though.  My hours allow me to spend more time than usual at home...and is pretty flexible too.  Just gotta write that thesis!!

The boys are three months old today...and oh how they have grown.  The last time any of them was weighed was a few weeks ago.  Gideon had an unscheduled doctors visit because he wasn't keeping his formula / breast milk down.  He was quite a bit smaller than Caleb or Ezra so we were concerned he wasn't getting enough nutrients and calories.  But he weight just over 9lbs...and he was the small one.

Caleb feels like a huge monster compared to Ezra and Gideon.  It is funny to hold one of them for awhile...then to hold Caleb.  You can really notice a difference.  His appetite is really paying off.  He takes 4oz easily...5 oz occasionally...and for his final meal before bed time he takes about 5.5 oz.  He is still the most grumpy when he is hungry...but he seems more controlled than a few weeks ago.  His personality is also starting to show through more.  When he is happy...he has a really cute smile..sort of mischief looking!!

Caleb in his Bumbo

Caleb on the changing table

Gideon is still our happy little cutie pie.  You'd never know he was the most uncomfortable of the three.  If he isn't having reflux pain or spitting up his formula he is always smiling.  He is such a little treasure because his smile is infectious..and when you smile at him...he just smiles back bigger!!  The last week or so he is starting to take more milk at feeding times.  But he still spits a lot of it back up.  It isn't as bad as it used to be but we continue to pray he gets better so we know he is getting the nutrients he needs.  He is also so fun to hold because he will curl into you so quickly.

Gideon is always smiling!!

Except when he's sleeping!

Ezra is still Ezra.  He is sort of a cross between Caleb and Gideon.  He has a very cute side of him that has us continually discussing his future as a "baby model."  He has bright smiles and a big ole mouth without teeth!!  Like Caleb...he can have a grumpy side.  He seems to take after his big brother in his willingness to show his extreme dissatisfaction when not fed right when he wants.  He also has started this thing where he only takes a little bit at night...then screams bloody murder when you try to give him the rest of his bottle.  Very strange...but we just take it as his way of saying "No thanks...I'm done."  But he is still such a cute little baby...we love him...and his brothers to death!!

Ezra just looking around!!

Ezra loves to hold onto you when sleeping!!

RSV season has kept the boys indoors since they were born.  We decided it was nice enough to finally take them outside for an adventure.  Because of its unique relationship to Washington DC, we decided to have their first outing to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

As a whole, things went pretty good.  You might not believe that when I tell you we never made it to the festival itself...but in some ways...getting the boys out and just getting a feel for everything involved was as much of a success as anything.

The biggest hindrance was traffic....go figure.  We also had to have Gigi take the Metro into the city and meet us somewhere because with the boys...our SUV only has room for two adults (driver and passenger).  We also got stuck in traffic right when the boys feeding time was so we had to adjust a variety of things.

Ultimately, Autumn and her mom met up at the Washington Memorial and began to feed the boys while I spent another 15-20 minutes trying to find a place to park.  By the time I got to them, feeding time was almost done...but us adults needed to eat.  So...we found a concession stand...got some hot dogs and enjoyed a picnic outdoors.  After that...we decided to take what we learned and get out of town while we were ahead.  The boys had been really good up to that point...we were all in relatively high spirits...and we knew we had to deal with afternoon traffic.

It was a good little run.  We learned a lot and if nothing else...we certainly have the confidence and comfort with the Triple Decker stroller (pictured below) to go out whenever we want to.  I think we'll just avoid national events in the city.

Right now...the boys are sleeping, but I am gonna feed them one last time before going to bed.  The trip to the city did throw off their feeding times a bit and we want to be sure they get the calories they need.

Thanks for all the well wishes...I'll try to write again more quickly this time!!

God Bless!!

Testimony in Church

Hello Again!
I had the opportunity to share our testimony and about how God blessed us with our amazing family.  I was going to just type in my comments off of the notes I used, but it turns out our church posts the sermons online.  So if you click HERE you can listen to it.

It is a good sermon, but if you want to just here my piece...it starts about 1/3 of the way through.

Enjoy and thanks for all the prayers!!

J

Belated Valentine's Day Post....

Greetings.

As a general sign to how busy we are / how "baby" centric we are...I am actually writing about what happened on Sunday.  For the first time since...gosh...at least September...Autumn and I went on a "date" by ourselves.  It was Valentine's Day and Grandma and Grandpa Kaldahl were more than insistent that we go out by ourselves.  We were so grateful and had a wonderful time together!!

It is funny how quickly kids change your mindset about these kinds of things.  When we lived in Arizona, one of the things I did every year...usually during the first week of the year...was make reservations for our favorite restaurant there...Rosa's Little Italy.  So when it came time to think about where we'd go out on this momentous occasion...it took lots of planning and preparing right!?!  Sure ;-)

I asked Autumn where she wanted to go...her answer was "Wherever the wait is the shortest!!"  For being the romantic, sentimental one in our family...that was definitely a victory for Practicality!!  :-)  We had at least planned on using some gift certificates we had...but when the wait at each of the places we wanted to go to was more than an hour long...we went to the last place we'd gone out to eat before she was put on bedrest...Outback Steakhouse!!  That isn't a complaint either...we both enjoy going there...I just find it ironic that that is where we ended up.

It was a great choice though.  They have "seat yourself" seating at the bar.  So after we checked in to start our 35-45 min wait we went to the bar for our first alcoholic beverages in...who knows when!?!  Lucky for us...right when we approached the bar a couple was just getting up to leave.  We sat down right behind them...total wait time = 2 minutes!!

Then...we ran into our next door neighbor, John who knew it was our first time out.  He kindly introduced the manager to us who gave us our appetizer complementary!!  It was so nice of both of them!

It was great just getting out together.  We sat in the same booth together...were able to cuddle and just be a couple for the first time in forever.  But...by the time we were done with dessert we already missed our little boys and worked through the "sleep" / "care" arrangements for the night.  I guess you never get "too" far away do ya!?!

Home Sweet Home...

Phew!!  What a busy couple of days it has been...but what a wonderful couple of days too!!

Yesterday morning we "woke up" from our first night with all three of the boys and we were all still in the hospital.  I put "woke up" in quotation marks because we barely slept there.  During our 2 and a half days of rooming in, we each estimate we got about 4 total hours of sleep.  I know from my perspective...that no more than two of those hours were actually continuous.  Needless to say...the idea of bringing these guys home was slightly intimidating!

But as we went through the morning yesterday, we each got more and more excited.  I had to run home to pick up the triple decker stroller.  We weren't planning to use it, but my back started having spasms (a new thing for me) and I wasn't sure I'd be able to carry two car seats worth of boys.  But it also gave me a chance to do one more walk around the house to make sure everything was in place.

Heading back into the hospital to go get Autumn and the boys was the first time in many, many visits to that hospital that I was ever nervous.  Probably because for once...I knew the outcome.  So I spent the rest of the morning loading things into the car, and Autumn changed and fed them one last time on the hospital's dime!  One note about loading up...the NICU is really big into sterilization so anything that was remotely related to the boys was either being thrown away or we got to take home!!  We got diapers, small amounts of formula that are perfect for diaper bags, wet wipes, nasal suckers (not sure of the technical term), swaddle blankets...it was a total free for all.  And with triplets...we'll take all the freebies we can get!!  :-)

Finally, we changed the boys into their "going home" outfits.  Forgive me for not taking a picture before we put them into the car seats...but things were a little hectic :-)  Then...the nurse came in...helped us load them into their car seats and we had time for our first family photo!!

As you can see...everyone has a blanket corresponding to their respective colors.

You can read a previous post to get them :-)

Once done...we were ready to roll!!  We discussed later that we felt glad we were leaving on a Sunday.  Otherwise, we would have gotten a lot of the "triplet stares" that so many mothers of multiples (MOMs) have warned us about.  But Sundays are quiet at Bethesda and the only people who noted us were the same doormen who used to escort Autumn into the hospital when she was pregnant.  They were excited to see that the "Lady having the triplets" was bringing her brood home!!

The drive home was uneventful.  You can only drive so carefully on the Capital Beltway because the drivers are so crazy.  But the only thing making me nervous was if they'd be able to hold their necks up well enough to breathe.  The NICU did the vital signs / car seat test the night before...but like so many new Dads I was just paranoid we'd missed something.  At the first stop light I asked Autumn to lean over the seat to make sure they were okay.  After that...we were fine and pulled into the driveway around 2pm.

One of the things we'd been most concerned about having a baby (let alone 3) was how Teddy would do.  He's our 5lb Toy Poodle who also happens to suffer from seperation anxiety.  So bringing home three little babies who would suddenly occupy 90% of our attention was gonna be interesting.  I must say...he is the biggest surprise of all.  After running up the stair to greet Autumn (he hadn't seen her since the middle of November) he has been amazing about the babies.  He doesn't try to jump up when we are holding them...he sits patiently on the floor...doesn't beg.  He is like a whole new dog.  If anything...I think he gets it and only shows concern when somebody is crying or fussing...he doesn't like that too much.  Anyways...we both agree that Teddy has done wonderful with the newest additions to our family.

On a quicker note...Tim the Cat can care less.  He avoids our bedroom now because that is where all the fuss is coming from!!

Once home and settled, we left the boys in their car seats so not to disturb them when they were content.  We fixed their bottles and got ready to do our first feed/care time at home.  Once done...we put them into the crib they'll be sharing for a few months (until they are too big or move so much they disturb each other).

 

We are really into swaddling because that is what seems to keep them the most content.

The letters have now moved enough to be skewed.

I'll have time to fix it by the time we move them into the nursery!!

Each of them has a clipboard and tracking sheet so we know who got fed what, when, their diaper status, or any other item of note.  Trust me...it is needed.  By the midnight feeding we could barely remember what we'd just fed them and how much!!

Once they were settled, I got to show Autumn around the house.  She'd been downstairs on bedrest for so long...she never saw the nursery or the middle floor with the baby stuff there.  I was so glad she liked everything and it seemed like it really eased her transition back into the house and to being a full time mommy.

The rest of the night was a blur.  I had a paper to finish writing and night time is a very fussy time in the house (as I write I can hear someone screaming away).  But we worked really well together getting bottles ready, changing diapers, feeding, swaddling, etc.  And after the 0400 feeding Autumn let me get some sleep downstairs.  It's amazing how only a few hours of sleep can feel so good.  After she took the 0800 feeding today...she was able to nap until the afternoon and we both feel pretty good about things.

I look forward to sharing the details of how to prepare all the bottles and other things during care time.  We've ranged from 1hr care times all the way up to 2 hrs for stuff.  It is very dependent on how well the boys are eating, their fussiness, and how awake WE are.  But it is all so worth it because these guys are awesome!!

Have a great week!!

God Bless!!

J

Momma....Mamma I'm coming hhommme!!

As you might guess from the subject, our little boys are coming home...together!! We are so grateful to God for allowing us the chance to simply be parents to these little guys...even if they will keep us awake at night!

So tomorrow, Sunday, we are bringing them home - Lord willing. The only reason that would change is if there are complications tonight. But as a whole, the boys are doing very well...and if I do say so...so are the parents. In particular...Autumn is getting this Mommy thing down. I had to head to the house this AM to start taking our plethora of things home so she had to do her first care time for all three of them. She was done in under an hour!! That means she is getting efficient, and the boys are eating fast. Good trends for all!!

Right now, Caleb and Gideon are undergoing their Car Seat test. They are hooked back up to the monitors and then placed into their car seats for an hour for monitoring. They want to make sure they can still breathe and maintain their vital signs while in the car seat. Just another wonderful, common sense thing the NICU does that just helps us feel better taking the boys home!!

So tonight will be our first night with all of them in our room. If you saw any of my Tweets / Updates on Facebook you noticed I got no sleep. I am a very, very light sleeper (Tim the Cat meowing wakes me up at night). So a little baby...or babies...making their little "gurgle" noises throughout the night is tough. Hopefully being more tired tonight...having better pillows...and my "White Noise" iTouch App will help things a bit. No big deal. If I can't sleep...I'll just work on my paper that is due Monday at 0800!!

Ezra's last night in the NICU

Gideon's last night in the NICU

Ezra and Gideon sleeping together

(Caleb was in Mommy and Daddy's Room)

Caleb and Mommy's first night together "Rooming In"

Caleb with Mommy

So...hopefully tomorrow or Monday I may have a chance to talk about the homecoming!!  We are so very excited and look forward to having all of our family under our own roof!!

Thanks for all your prayers!!

God Bless!

J & A

Getting a bit crazy 'round here...

Greetings to all!

First, sorry it has been a few days since updating. I figure the intervals between posts will continue to grow a bit over the next few weeks. As the subject says...things are about to get crazy...and in some ways already have!!

I'm back in school...which doesn't help...and Autumn's mom went back to Oklahoma. Autumn is still at the Fischer House, although that is about to change.

Starting tonight, Autumn will spend her evenings back in the hospital. Not because anything is wrong with her...but because it is time to start preparing for home!! The way they do that at Bethesda is through a process called "Rooming In." For us...they are modifying it a little bit.

Normally, Rooming In entails the parents spending the night in a room across from the NICU with their "NICU Graduate" (cute title huh!?!). They are responsible for taking care of him/her throughout the night and have the nurses there to check-up on things, answer any concerns, and just do the hospital thing making sure the parents didn't wreck their baby!! THe next morning...that's it and they go home.

With us having triplets...and Autumn still regaining her strength, things are a bit modified. To start, Autumn will stay in the room at the hospital...but tonight she will be by herself (We have people coming to the house early AM tomorrow and also have class). Throughout the night...instead of the boys being with her...she will go into the NICU to do their feedings and care time.

Tomorrow night (Friday), Caleb and I will join her for our first night sleeping with one of the boys. The following night, they will add Gideon, and Sunday night, the whole family will be together! It makes for a long few days at the hospital...especially for Autumn...but it also helps us out. First, I can continue to do those last minute things that were pushed off or we just forgot about. Second, it allows Autumn to ease into the full time care thing. Third...it gives Ezra time to adapt to his new feeding schedule and we don't have to leave him behind. All in all...we are really pleased with the way things are working out.

I've continued to find great Craigslist deals and gotten some new things too. Besides things for the boys...we got some organization stuff to help us keep track of things. We'll be keeping daily logs of their feeding / changing schedules, and each boy's stuff will be color coded according to our scheme: Caleb = Blue; Gideon = Green; Ezra = Yellow/Off White/Brown and other "earthy tones." So they'll each have a clip board with their name / color; a log sheet in their color; and we've even gotten their "lovies" to coordinate with their colors. So...for those who are thinking about things to buy (Grandmas / Grandpas)...please note the colors :-)

It will be interesting to see how our system works. We'll do the log because we want to be sure that even when people who are helping out come in...we can still track how they are doing. With preemies it is good to show the Pediatrician how they are doing so we can adjust their feeding amounts / times / etc. The colors simplifies things, and from talking to other triplet parents...colors are a good start.

Anyways...that's about it for today. Not sure when I'll get back on here. Still have two papers due next week...and some babies coming home!! But we'll update with some new pics when we can!!

Thanks for all your prayers!!

God Bless!

J

Good-bye 4 pounders!!

I guess when babies start off so small, they have little choice but to grow, and grow, and grow. That's what the boys continue to do.

All three of them are over 5lbs and they are all getting better and better at feeding. Caleb and Gideon are now both off the feeding tubes. They've both taken a try at breast feeding and seem to do pretty well with that. Tonight...Gideon took 60ccs in about 10 minutes!! That is lightning fast and he could've had more if we would've given him more. Not to be outdone, Ezra is also getting better at feeding and took his full meal by bottle this evening too!!

Which brings us to discussions about the boys coming home. I think I've mentioned it before, but I will go over again what the boys need to do individually to be released from the NICU/hospital (there is no inbetween nursery they stay at).

1. They must demonstrate the ability to maintain a healthy body temperature in a crib. They can be swaddled or under a blanket or with a little cap...but they can't be in an isolette or anything else that maintains their temperature for them. They all did this in the first week.

2. They must demonstrate weight gain. Check.

3. They must not have any issues of Apnea (stop breathing) or Brady's (drop their heart rate suddenly) for at least 5 days straight. They are still dealing with that a little bit...and sometimes it happens while they are eating. So quite honestly...I'm not sure if we are 100% sure where they are at with that. It isn't a dramatic issue or anything we expect them to get "stuck" on for a long time.

4. They must be able to take all their required nutrition / formula / breast milk by bottle or by breast during all their feeds throughout the day and in each case under 30 minutes. Caleb is pretty much there. He just needs to do it a little longer...Gideon is pretty much the same way. Ezra still needs a little practice.

But as a whole, they are all doing well. The nurse even asked Autumn about our preference for taking them home piecemeal (one / two at a time) or all together. Right now, our preferred course of action is to bring them home together. It keeps them all in the same place (easing logistical issues) and it means we wouldn't have to deal with the emotional side of "leaving anyone behind." That doesn't mean we'll be able to do that...but that is where we stand right now.

In other news we are working on our finishing touches to get the house ready for the babies. I have found some amazing deals on Craigslist for pack-n-plays, snap-n-go stroller, dr brown bottles (we need about 30 to make life easier), and other little things. We've also stocked up on a weeks worth of formula (7 x 12.8oz cans), a week+ worth of diapers (200+), baby wipes (1000+), and hand sanitizer for all over the house!

On the to do list still is getting rid of our dining table to make room for the "boys" area. I can't wait to start adding fun things for them to play with in there. We are also making final adjustments to the car seats in the car...although the Fire Department visit went great.

Autumn is doing better and better every day. She still walks slowly...but it is amazing the improvement she's made in the past week. Gigi went home to Oklahoma this evening, but she really helped out taking care of Autumn, and I know she enjoyed seeing the boys and is probably already trying to figure out when she can come out.

That's about it for now. I'm excited to get this "home" show on the road. There are all these little 'systems' I just want to see if they work and how to make them better. It is gonna be a crazy few weeks for sure. But what stories we'll be able to share!!

Until later...hope y'all are having a great week!!

God Bless!

J

Two Weeks and Growing....

Good Afternoon:
Sorry it has been a few days since posting.  The realities of life and the last minute stuff that needs to get done before the boys come home have occupied most of my time.  Thankfully, Autumn's mom is here (aka Gigi) and she is able to be with Autumn at the Fisher House and now she is able to see the boys!!

Yesterday (Friday) was another wonderful day for our little guys.  They were officially two weeks old and they got to meet Gigi for the first time.  We have a wonderful little video of Gigi meeting the boys and it just warms your heart.  She is so happy and in awe at the same time.  I'm sure she is just super-proud of her own little girl, Autumn.  As I like to tell Autumn...like Rocky told Adrienne..."You done good."

Gigi holding Caleb

The boys continue to grow stronger and stronger every day.  Caleb pulled out his feeding tube for the umpteenth time...but this time...the nurses didn't put it back.  He is taking all of his nutrition / feeding from a bottle.  What a milestone for a little life!!  Hopefully that will continue so they don't have to put a tube back into his stomach.  Not a fun thing for these little guys to go through.  Ask Gideon.  It seems every day he pulls it out at least once and has to go through the whole drill of puting it through his nose and his little scream makes it clear he is not happy.  It doesn't hurt them at all...it is just very uncomfortable...but one of those necessary evils.  Hopefully him and Ezra will be able to take all their meals from a bottle soon too so they can get their tubes removed!!

2 Week Weights:

Caleb:  4lb 9oz  (+2oz from birth)

Gideon: 4lb 12oz (+2oz from birth)

Ezra: 4lb 11oz (+5oz from birth!!)

The picture below is of Autumn with all the boys!!  What an exciting moment for her.  Every day she gains a bit more strength with a little less pain.  That's good too because if things continue to progress the boys might be spending their 3rd Friday in this world at home with Mommy, Daddy, and their pets, Tim the Cat, and Teddy (the dog/puppy).  But it is nice having her feel a bit more "normal' although everything we hear from the docs and other mothers of triplets is that "normal" doesn't come for at least 4-6 months....best case scenerio.

 

This was my first week back at school.  Still catching up on one more assignment and then plan on working ahead this weekend with MLK Day off.  Unfortunately, I am realizing / accepting the part about being a Dad that must stink the worse...work means I get less time with the boys.  Such is life...and it will just make my time with them more precious when I get it.  I was able to do their whole care time last night without any real assistance from the nurse accept for the things I'm not allowed to do (i.e. prepare their formula, replace Gideon's feeding tube, listen to heart, lungs, and tummies).  But the hour and a half it took was easily the best part of the day.

Anyways, that's about it for now.  I will work to find a way to post some videos over the next few days.  It involves using Youtube but I don't want our videos for public consumption.  Bear with me...and hopefully I'll have something one of these days.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Love,

J

Gigi (aka Grandma Huffman) is here!!

Well...another wonderful day has come and gone.  Didn't post last night because I was experiencing technical difficulties with the camera. I am quickly realizing how popular the blog has become...and I know it isn't my writing that draws people here.  These guys are C.U.T.E.!!  So...without further ado (sp?) here are some of the latest followed by an update on everyone.

Here are the three of them snuggled up together under the blanket.

Here is Gideon.  I can't help but think of Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi when I see this picture!!

Here is Ezra sticking his tongue out at Daddy!!

One of my favorites so far.  Caleb and Mommy looking at each other!

The boys are still doing well.  Ezra and Caleb's reflux has gone away mostly.  They still have a little bit...but not as much as Gideon.  Poor little Gideon just can't cut a break.  His reflux is a bit more serious.  Autumn was actually holding him and Ezra this evening, but after just a couple of minutes he spit up on Ezra!!  Poor guys! 

Autumn is doing well.  Each day gets a little better.  Of course she doesn't get as much sleep as she did long, long ago..but at least the sleep she does get now is better than when she was pregnant.  Her primary functions in life seem to be pumping, sleeping, and visiting the boys.  We continue to pray that she'll be ready for the little ones when they come home.

Helping Autumn is her Mom, Glenda.  Glenda (who will be known as Gigi to the boys) arrived on Monday and has already helped a lot.  She made some meals here at the Fisher House and is able to get Autumn to and from the hospital.  On Friday it will be her opportunity to see her Grandsons.  She needs to wait ten full days from when she received her H1N1 vaccination before they'll let her into the NICU.

On the homefront, I went back to class today.  I still have some homework to catch up on...but at least I'm part-way into thing.  I find myself much less interested than I was before the Christmas break...go figure.  At least I can call the NICU on my breaks to see how my boys are doing.  But I was able to tie up some loose ends at the house today too...which means we have plenty of diapers, wipes, and other bare essentials for whenever it is our boys come home.  Also have an appointment with the Fire Department on Saturday to ensure our Car Seats are installed properly!!

We really appreciate all the prayers and support we have continued to recieve.  Boxes of things off our registry have arrived and its really moving.  FYI...if you did send something I am tracking it.  But I am also gonna wrap the stuff up for Autumn so she'll have more things to open up at her baby shower (date TBD...it was previously scheduled for NOV but before we set the solid date / did invites she was put on bedrest).  But anyways...I just want her to feel special whenever we do the baby shower and so thank-you in advance...and I promise official thank-you notes will be on the way.  I hope that is okay and I appreciate your understanding.

One last note about support...not sure if you've noticed the numbers at the bottom of the page.  Those are the number of "hits" on the blog and the number of different visitors (i.e. computers) that have visited.  We decided to put that on there because we were hearing about so many people checking this out.  We had no idea so many people would be so interested in our boys lives...even if it is just checking out pictures.  We hope you do enjoy what you hear / read.  If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.  I actually really enjoy writing all this out and if there is something you are curious about I will either respond to the comment in the comment section or perhaps address it in an individual post (like the names).

Thank-you so much for your love and care....we can't wait to show our boys some day how many people were interested in their little lives!!

God Bless!!

J & A

Reunited at last!! Plus...life in the NICU

Greetings from Bethesda, MD!!

This morning was an exciting day for our little guys!!  For the first time since they were born, they were reunited and in close proximity to each other.  Because they are all doing so well (off IV, no supplemental oxygen, ect) they are all sleeping in the same crib.  It is quite a sight to see and you can tell they notice each other.  Right before we left for the night, Caleb was curled up right next to Gideon.  If nothing else...this makes us feel good that they have each other again.

From Left to Right:  Ezra, Gideon, and Caleb

Quite honestly...that's it.  We visited them three times today: morning, afternoon, and tonight.  It is likely we will maintain that schedule as long as they are there.  When we go to the hospital we go through several steps.  First, we sign in and get buzzed into the NICU.  No one except parents are allowed in...unless the parents also escort another individual.  BUT...that person must have had the H1N1 vaccine more than ten days ago.  Once we are buzzed in, we wash up for three minutes.  This is the full "surgeon" type scrub you see on TV.  They even have little timers that are activated by the water running to make sure you track how long you've been scrubbing.  I'll tell ya...when you are excited about seeing your little one...it takes discipline and the knowledge you are washing for their safety to get the full three minutes in!!

Once washed up we head to the pod.  The nurses are really, really good about updating us before we even ask.  In their first week we got updates like oxygen levels, temperatures, medicine, feedings and things like that.  For now, the biggest update is on how much they are eating and in what quantities (bottle vs feeding tube).  Occasionally we'll get other news like this evening:  "Gideon threw up most of his previous feed."  Poor guy.

Once updated, we usually jump right into helping with care.  Care times are every three hours and each boy is spread 1/2 hour apart.  Because preemies are more sensitive to stimuli, the nurses try to group all the stuff that needs to be done into their care time.  For us...this consists of taking their temperature, changing their diapers, changing shirts when needed, and helping the nurses do their checks.  The nurses listen to their hearts, lungs, and intestines, measure their stomach girth, take blood pressure, and in the evening, weigh them.  Occasionally they also have their feeding tube changed..which is tough to watch because they really, really hate it!!

The last part of care time is feeding.  Depending on if the boys are giving cues, how much they fed with a bottle previously, and how much "energy" they are displaying, the nurse decides whether to try with a bottle.  If so, we try to feed them for a few minutes until they've had enough.  Then they are given the rest through their feeding tube.  Either way....this is the best part of care time because this is when we get to hold them and when they are usually most alert. 

Mommy feeding Gideon

Daddy holding Gideon (left) and Ezra (middle)

By the time their feeding is done, they are usually back asleep.  We either keeping holding them for awhile or put them back in the crib to start work in the next one. 

So that's about it.  Here are some more pictures from the day....

Ezra making a face at the camera

(okay...I know he doesn't know he was doing that...but it's still cute!)

Gideon during a feeding

Caleb trying to eat the gauze!

We hope you have a great day!!

God Bless!

J & A

Gideon's Big Day...and other exciting adventures!!

It is hard to believe these little guys were born a week ago.  For all you parents out there who told us time would fly....well....you told us so.  I always thought time in the Army moved quickly...this has been lightning fast.  It has been an amazing week for Autumn and I, and we feel so blessed to have these little boys in our lives.  We are even more thankful because they are doing so well...and today was no exception to previous progress.

Gideon was the big mover today.  He is no longer on any respiratory assistance and he is doing great on his own.  He also had his IV removed this evening which means no more needles for him!!  Even more amazing was his progress with feeding.  He took his entire afternoon feeding with the bottle which is more than either of the other two have done.  Hopefully this is a sign of great leaps for Gideon as he is catching up to his brothers.

Speaking of those two...since Caleb and Ezra are out of the isolettes (aka incubators) they are able to be co-bedded.  This means that they are reunited in the same crib!!  They are up to 40cc of formula/breast milk per feeding (Gideon is at 37cc).  It was cute watching them when they put Ezra into the crib with Caleb.  Obviously they aren't totally aware of what is going on...but it seemed like they were at least aware of each other's presence.  The good news is that Gideon will hopefully join them tomorrow and all three of our little muskateers will be reunited!!

All three of them got some good Mommy / Daddy time today.  Autumn is getting this changing diapers thing down and we are both getting better at holding little bodies and trying to get them to feed from a bottle.  It is so wonderful watching them do the most basic things...I see how parents can be so "overwhelmed" by basic baby tasks.  Evening opening their eyes earns our boys praises.  In fact...anything that shows they are awake = plenty of cooing and ahhing.

Here are some pictures from today's festivities....and then some 1 week statistics below that...

Ezra (left) and Caleb (right) getting reaquainted

Gideon without the nasal cannulars

Daddy with Caleb and Mommy with Ezra

Caleb:  4lb 3oz, 40cc per feed

Gideon: 4lb 11oz, 37cc per feed

Ezra: 4lb 4oz, 40cc per feed

**ALL**  No IVs, breathing without assistance, out of the isolates and into cribs, and according to all the nurses, very cute!!

Thanks for dropping by!

God Bless...

J & A

Ezra's Big Day!!

Hey Everyone.  For just being a day and a half old...our baby boys seem to be doing pretty well...but Gideon isn't improving as quickly as we'd like.

For the good news...Ezra and Caleb were both taken off of the C-PAP machine that was assisting their breathing so they are now on oxygen with just the small tube in their noses. This means we could see their adorable little faces and their heads a little bit.  Thankfully, they already have more hair than their daddy!!

Caleb continues to be a strong, stable "big brother."  He barely cries until you distrub him to take his vitals, change his diaper, or turn him over.  I (Jeff) was able to do a lot of that stuff by himself and I am getting better at the diaper thing!! :-)  I was also able to just hang out with him and Caleb held onto my finger for a good ten minutes before it was time to give Ezra his bath.

Caleb (I think he looks like me)

Which leads me to Ezra.  He had the biggest day of all.  Like Caleb, he came off the C-PAP and just has the oxygen tubes in his nose.  I also helped give him a bath which he hated initially...but clearly put him to sleep right away.  Ezra has already indicated his desire for a bit more attention, but the bath knocked him out cold.  But the biggest part of Ezra's day was when Mommy came to visit.  For the first time, Mommy was able to hold one of her little boys, and it was her youngest baby boy who got the honor (More on that below).  Ezra was doing so well breathing and with all his other vital signs the nurse felt 100% comfortable wrapping him up for Autumn and taking him out of the incubator.  He did great and didn't fuss a bit!

Ezra trying to suck his thumb!

Gideon continues to struggle with breathing.  He is just working so hard to keep his oxygen levels up, the doctors increased his respitory assistance about half way through the day.  By this evening, they took some chest X-Rays and are gonna watch him tonight.  After talking to the doctor, we are comfortable with them doing the same procedure with Gideon that worked so well with Ezra.  Unfortunately, Ezra's amazing turn around is not typical results and there are risks involved with sedating Gideon and putting any type of liquid into his lungs...even if it is to help him.  So please keep Gideon in your prayers.  It's tough watching him work so hard just to breath.  I think once he gets past this hurdle he'll be on the road to recovery like his brothers!!

Mommy with Gideon

Mommy with Gideon

Autumn is doing well.  Today was much tougher for her physically...even though emotionally she got a huge boost by being able to go see the boys twice!!  Most importantly, she got to hold little Ezra.  She's a natural mother...and even though she was a bit nervous (and medicated :-)  )...she did great.  Ezra seemed so content in his Mommys arms, and I'm sure he'll be bragging someday about how his mommy held him before all his older brothers!!  Physically...Autumn is still in a lot of pain, and her blood pressure was the highest it has been so far.  It is more under control now...but definitely something to pray about.

Mommy and Ezra

Mommy and her baby boy!!

Daddy and his little man!!

We had some visitors today too!  Autumn's dad...aka Granddaddy Greg...flew in from Oklahoma.  He isn't able to see the boys because only parents are allowed into the NICU...but he'll take any chance he can get to see HIS baby girl!!  We also had our friends Tammy and Donna bring us a wonderful meal to take a break from hospital food!!  It is so nice seeing smiling faces and sharing this wonderful time with friends!

It is a little early to say when Autumn might be headed home.  We are both perfectly content with her here because she is getting great care..and she's so close to the boys.  So we'll see where we go from here.

That's about it for tonight.  I'm sure I forgot something...  But it is really cool seeing them every time.  Pretty hard to describe....and I think I'll just leave it at that for the night!!

Ezra bundled up nice and snug

God Bless!

J

Dad's First Night Update

First of all, before anything else I feel like I should publicly praise God for all of his care and protection for my family. We have been praying for today for almost three years and to be here with three healthy babies after the multitudes of trials, tears, and turbulence is a testament to his never ending faithfulness no matter what we think we see or know along the way. It has been my favorite bible verse for years…and it is at the top of our family blog: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding…” Glory to Him, his Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who works within all of us calling us to his loving embrace.

Likewise, we owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to all of the staff here at National Naval Medical Center. Having our babies born at “The President’s Hospital” is really cool…but most importantly because the nurses, doctors, house keepers, and everyone else involved in our stay here has been so amazing. Over the past six weeks we have made some real friends with those taking care of Autumn, and I am sure we will make even more friends during the time our babies are in the NICU.

Last…and certainly not least…thank-you to all of you who have been following us on Facebook, Twitter, our new blog, emails, phone calls, prayer trees, prayer bulletins, and I’m sure other ways I haven’t even heard of who have been praying for Autumn, the boys, and everything involved in this pregnancy. It has been a roller coaster, but it has been the best ride ever. More excitingly…we get the BIG roller coast next!! So thank-you so much for your prayers, your notes, your dinners, and the multitude of other ways you have all shown us how much our little (albeit bigger) family is loved!!

Okay…now to what you care about…the babies!!

Caleb is doing great. Breathing with forced air into his lungs…but it is at normal room oxygen levels and is just helping his lungs stay slightly inflated while he breathes. He looks great…is sleeping peacefully (when we aren’t poking at him)…and is doing just about as well as I think is possible.

Gideon is doing good. His breathing is still laborious and from a heavily biased and greenhorn father it is sometimes hard to watch his little chest compress and decompress so severly. He also makes these really cute but helpless little grunts that definitely triggers the protective side of a parent. But in spite of that…he IS getting all the oxygen he needs and they didn’t give him the medicine they gave Ezra. He also has the oxygen forced in through his nose…but his is at a saturation level of 23% O2 vs 21% which is normal. Besides that…he is doing well. They anticipate his lungs will simply get stronger through all of this and as long as he continues to maintain the proper O2 levels in his bloodstream they will just continue to monitor him. So just pray his little lungs grow quick!!

Ezra is doing great. He took to the medicine great and his breathing is like his slightly older brother, Caleb’s. He is also on forced air…but like Caleb, it is at normal room O2 saturation levels. Now that his breathing is more controlled he is snug as a bug.

Autumn is sleeping!! She still gets interrupted every two hours by the nurse…but we convinced them to give her Ambient tonight to help her rest. She deserves it!! I…like so many of you…am just so proud of her. For those who’ve talked to her you know how upbeat she has sounded during this whole thing…yet I know how hard / uncomfortable she has been. I am so happy for her that she is at least comfortable in a new way…even if that means she will be miserable with pain in a new way tomorrow. At least it is something different!! She hasn’t seen the babies since the C-section. She’ll be allowed to go tomorrow afternoon once some of the meds wear off. Until then, she is content watching little videos I have taken and looking at new pics I bring in!
Not that people care too much about Dad (scary word)…but I’m doing great. I was able to help change diapers this evening and the nurses are all about teaching me to help take care of them. My first diaper by myself was probably the worst diaper ever…but YOU try changing your first diaper through an incubator and with all those wires!! LOL!! But like most Dads…I’m just happy to be here and thrilled that everyone is healthy!!

Well…that’s it for day one. Below are some pics to give you an idea of their sizes. Thanks again and we’ll update soon!!

God Bless!

J

Caleb holding Daddy's finger

Gideon w/ Daddy

 Ezra w/ Daddy

Done with Company Command!!

 On 8 Aug, 2008 Jeff completed his time in command of B Co, 305th MI.  While it was a very busy and time consuming job, he enjoyed it very much.  But now that he is done, we took an extended break from work, traveled to Oklahoma for Grandma Gertie's 95th Birthday, and visited all of our parents (in Norman and McKinney).

We are both back to work...Autumn has been working for Hospice for about 5 months and enjoys is very much.  The hours are a lot better than being a guidance counselor and she puts her personal relations skills to good use.  She has been very proactive and initiated group therapy sessions for grieving family members and conducts training for the many vollunteers that help out.  All in all, Autumn enjoys going to work.

Jeff now works in the Brigade Operations section.  He's gone from waking up at 0430 and coming home at 7pm at night...to sleeping in until 6am...having time to work out...or 7am if it is a rest day.  He usually gets home between 5 and 5:30pm so it is a nice change.  Hopefully, this will result in more frequent updates!!