Angels

Pictured above: 1. Three peanuts together!! 2. Aidan taking a snooze 3. Brooklyn's first tub bath 4. Cute as can be, Cal

May 28, 2008 7 weeks and 1 day

So sorry...it has been awhile since I last posted. I have not privatized the blog yet because it is going to take some time to enter all of the e-mail addresses I received and I haven't had that time yet. We are spending every available moment at the hospital feeding, changing and admiring the babies. When we are not at the hospital we are at home putting baby "stuff" together, washing clothes, blankets, etc. and just getting the house ready for the homecoming of the babies.

That's right! You heard me...the HOMECOMING of our little sweet hearts. We don't have an exact date right now, but there is definitely talk of them coming home in the next couple of weeks. Paul and I are very excited and completely nervous.

The babies have made a lot of progress in the last week. They went from bottle feeding once a shift (P.O. - by mouth) to taking almost 100% of their feedings by bottle. This is quite time consuming!! Who does the best with the bottle? Our man, Cal! He is a champ in the eating department. We are so proud of all of them because taking those bottles is hard work and really tires them out.

We have also been giving the nighttime baths every other night. Brooklyn and Aidan had their first tub baths last week and they seemed to really like it once they got used to it. This process also takes a lot of doing, but Paul and I have a great system down.

Last night I did baths without Paul. I NEED my hubby! It was very difficult without Paul's help. However all three of the babies were angels (hence the title)! Their baths right now begin by taking their temperature to make sure they are maintaining their body heat, taking off all of their clothes, removing the three sticky leads on their chest and abdomen and their pulse ox, putting them on the scale to weigh them and changing their diaper. Then they get a sponge bath or a tub bath depending on time, nurse, etc. Afterwards, a new diaper, new leads, pulse ox, temperature again, clothes and swaddled. Doing this three times is exhausting! Last night we were also feeding the babies in between baths and changing the linens on their bed.

I was particularly exhausted last night from a very busy day and baths could have been stressful, but Aidan, Brooklyn and Calahan knew that their mommy was tired and they didn't make a peep. The room was unusually quiet and the babies were wide awake and just looking around. There was no crying despite all of the above mentioned activity. Everyone was calm and peaceful. I sat for a few minutes just trying to capture exactly how I felt and I took a mental picture of all of the babies. It was a special evening for me; these babies are truly a long awaited miracle.

I can't wait to get back up the the hospital this morning to spend some more time with them.

Here are a few quick updates from the past week:

-The biggest news? Cal has joined his brother and sister in the "big kid" crib! It is AWESOME to FINALLY see all three of the sweethearts together at last. The nurses were betting on me crying that day, but heck no! I came in and did a dance; jumping around and rejoicing in how far we have come.

-All three babies had some red flags at their eye exam. They all have retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The boys have stage 2 in zone three and Brooklyn has stage zero with incomplete vessels in zone three. What does this mean? Nothing for now. The doctors have told me not to worry about this yet (Right! Me, not worry?). The babes will have another eye exam at the beginning of June, we are hoping and praying that these problems will correct themselves.

-All of the babies have outtie belly buttons. Aidan's is really out there. He has decided he wants to be like Grandpa. Therefore, he has a herniated belly button. Another wait and see. If his belly button doesn't correct itself, he will have a surgery (just like Grandpa) when he is four years of age.

-Cal needed a blood transfusion on Sunday. His hematicrit was low and the doctors thought this would really help him along. I cried only because the poor boy needed to get another IV. We have had such good days and I just felt so bad for him.

-Cal is only using the nasal cannula for feedings and sometimes not even then. He is working hard to catch up with his siblings and is an amazing eater! Some nurses even predict that he will be the first one to come home. Wouldn't that be the best underdog story!

The nurses and doctors are always commenting on how well the "dude" babies are doing. They are surprised at their excellent progress. Not me! These babies are hard workers with a lot of heart; they take after their Daddy.

So...things are going MORE than well. God and the angels are definitely looking out for our angels. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts! Enjoy the show...