Happy St. Patrick's Day!

25 Weeks 5 Days - March 17, 2008

Hello All! We made it a full week in the hospital! Once again, I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone for being completely amazing! Thank you for the prayers, visits, letters, e-mails, comments, etc. We are truly so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives and to have these three miracle babies still hanging out in my belly.

So much has happened in the last week, I am not sure where to begin. Last Monday we thought these babies were coming. A week later, they are staying put and growing! Your prayers are working! THANK YOU! I have been on several medications since we arrived. We had two steroid shots to help develop the babies' lungs. Every day I take two medications to calm my uterus (procardia and indocine). The doctors later took me off the indocine since it can be harmful to the babies. I also get a shot once a week to calm the uterus called progesterone. The nurses and doctors here are amazing and we feel quite lucky to be here. The doctors come to see us twice a day. They do an ultrasound on the babies each time. They check for several things: fine motor, gross motor, heartbeat and practice breathing. They get two points for each. We are hoping to have a perfect score for all soon. All of the kids usually get 6 out of 8 points.

On Thursday, my mom, dad and Maddie spent the day - they were great entertainment! Nurse Noelle showed Maddie the ropes and let her take all my vital signs-she's a very proficient nurse in-training! Maddie was a hit with all of the doctors and nurses...she proudly told them that while I only have three babies in my belly, and matter-of-factly announced their names -Aidan, Brooke, & Calahan, she has seven babies in her belly! (Let's hope that never comes true for her!). So, it's official...since everyone from our beloved niece to the doctors and nurses are now calling them by name, Babies A, B, and C are now officially known as Aidan Christopher, Brooklyn Kennedy, and Calahan Ryan!

Friday was a big day...I had an EKG (due to low blood pressure) and blood drawn to check my thyroid. Good news! My EKG came back normal-blood pressure is low simply due to triplets (go figure, they wreak havoc on your body!). My thyroid also came back normal. That night I started to have longer and stronger contractions. The doctors gave me a fast IV drip and put me back on the indocine.

What a delight to experience so many ultrasounds and get to know the individual personalities of our little bundles of joy!

Aidan is EXTREMELY low - he seems to like hanging out in my nether regions! We think he is the most anxious to meet us...I'm guessing he's going to be the kid who always has to be first in line. He'll be our little leader some day.

Brooke, our little princess is definitely not the most petite of our babies...at 2lbs, she's the biggest! It probably helps when you're living in your own apartment instead of trying to share a room with one of your brothers. Regardless of being in her own space, she somehow still feels the need to taunt the boys with lots of kicks (we like to think of them as love taps!)

Cal is the calm, quiet and collected one. With all the drama of his siblings, he just sits back and lets it all happen. Mr. Mellow will probably be the peacekeeper of the group (although with three kids, it might just be wishful thinking that one of them will be seeking peace!).

Getting to know our kids has been fantastic, and Paul has been such a gem through this whole experience. At this point, he's pretty much an expert and might as well be conducting the ultrasounds on his own! Between rushing back and forth to work and the hospital, checking in on our little Daisy, and sleeping in the chair next to my bed, Paul still finds time to get me ready for all of my appointments, cater to my ever whim, and even shave my legs (aren't I lucky to have him!!).

Bright and early Monday morning my sister was here for the long-anticipated PAC (Perinatal Assessment Center) appointment. It was an adventure for me, just getting the chance to be wheeled around the hospital to get there...I actually got to see something other than these four walls! We were greeted by our favorite receptionist Lori and our favorite ultrasound tech Reena (this was a great start to the appointment!). I'll get right to it....at 25 weeks and 5 days, here are the stats: Aidan - 1lb, 13oz; measuring at 25 weeks & 2 days, in the 43rd percentile and his heartrate was 144, amniotic fluid is a little low, most likely due to the indocine, which is not a concern at this point. Brooke - joined the 2lb club! measuring at 25 weeks & 3 days, in the 59th percentile, heartrate was 136. Cal - 1lb, 14oz; measuring at 24 weeks & 5 days, in the 45th percentile, heartrate was 138. These babies continue working on growing!!

Back at the room, Paul and I were both exhausted! The excitement of the morning was a little overwhelming and we both attempted a cat nap. It can be difficult to sleep with the influx of doctors and nurses!

Although we haven't been able to mention everyone by name, we've been blessed with so many visitors and continue to be thankful for all of your support and prayers. We are looking forward to this Wednesday, it will mark our next big milestone ... 26 weeks!!

Love,

Paul, Kristin, A, B, C & D