Friday, July 18, 2008

Babies, Babies Everywhere Babies!





July 18, 2008


Hello to All!


Here is a quick update on the triplets:


Aidan weighed in at 9 pounds 8 ounces at the doctor this past week. He was circumcised last Friday and he is doing great! The pediatric surgeon also noticed Aidan has hydrocele (a collection of watery fluid around the testicles).We will keep an eye on it and it will hopefully go away before Aidan turns one. Aidan's umbilical hernia is HUGE, but we will wait until he is four or five and if it has not resolved itself by then he will need surgery. Aidan's two favorite pastimes are eating (as you can see from the pictures) and cuddling. He is very alert during the day and he can follow objects with his eyes. Aidan also loves to stare at the light as it shines in through the blinds. Aidan only poops once every four days,which stresses me out, but when he goes it is no joke!


Brooklyn has not been weighed in quite some time, but I imagine she is only a few ounces lighter than her older brother. She sleeps a lot during the day, but is starting to have longer periods of awake time. Brooke tends to choke when she is eating and she does not like her back rubbed. She still talks all of the time and she has toned down her pooping to once or twice a day. Brookie loves her swing! She is so calm and laid back. We are very fortunate to have such a sweet little angel!


Calahan is almost eight pounds. His reflux seems painful at times and we keep him upright for most of the day. At night he sleeps on my chest (which I know is not good) because I am afraid he may choke or stop breathing. Cal has a great set of lungs but he is using them a bit less as he has started to relax more at home. He has the sweetest little face and he is very alert for most of the day. Cal often chuckles in his sleep and it is so cute! Cal is very strong and he loves to squeeze your fingers and lift his head up. This coming Wednesday we will have an overnight hospital stay for Cal. He has double hernias which require a small operation at which time they will also circumcise him. The reason we will have to spend the night is because babies less than 50 weeks gestation often have apnea after surgery, so they will have him hooked up to all of the monitors he left behind a month ago.


Paul and I don't get much sleep, but we are so thankful for our families and the many people that have been helping us out. The babies eat every three hours and with three bottles and the pumping equipment there is a lot of washing and sterilizing to do. With the spitting up comes many loads of laundry and the diapers..my goodness, the diapers. For the first three weeks raising triplets was a cinch with my mom and dad living with us. How sad I was to see them go. They come each weekend and make life so much easier. We also have daily helpers: Mondays my amazing team comes over-Kate, Becky and Gayle. Tuesdays is always my terrific friend, Sue. From 7 am until Paul gets home from golf, Sue is awesome. Wednesdays are busy with my fabulous mother-n-law and girlfriend Angie. So many things get done on this day thanks to these two incredible ladies. The last two Thursdays my good buddy Jayme has spent her time loving our babies. Friday through Sunday my sister rocks the house. She is fabulous! She somehow manages to do all of the dishes and laundry and pays equal attention and love to all three babies. Throughout the week my mother-n-law helps with the 10 o'clock feeding and stays till 1:00 am so I can get some rest. My father-n-law is always over for the 4 am feeding. He is a pro at feeding two babies at once. He is a big advocate for me getting some sleep and is always around to lend a hand, feed a baby and go grocery shopping. Our cousin Susie comes for many of the evening feedings; oh how we love to see her. My sister-n-law Karen with two busy boys of her own still makes time each week to spend quality time with the babies. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays the Dood family church brings us dinner. Isn't that great! There are many others that have been so helpful and we appreciate EVERYONE! We thank God every day for so many wonderful people in our lives! It takes a village...
THANK YOU!

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Kristin, you and Paul sure do make beautiful babies!

Just wanted to let you know not to worry about spoiling Cal by having him sleep on your chest. I did the same with Brianne because of severe asthma. She's turned out just fine and we never had any sleep problems when we moved her to her crib.

We also raised the front of Brianne's crib when we were OK with her sleeping in it. Sleeping on an incline helped her with her breathing.

Keeping you all in my prayers!

Julie

Unknown said...

Dear Doods 5,

You all sound so wonderful, and we are happy to see the progression of the triplets. We think of you often and speak fondly of our experience and bonding in the NICU.

We wish you continued progress and all the best as you adjust to your new schedules. We know how hard it was with twins, and we can't imagine how much effort you all are putting out. Keep it up!

We look forward to the time we can see you again, but no rush.

All the best,
Hoffmanns 5
Dan, Kathy, Eli, Ava, and Adelyn

Jason R. Myers said...

So Cute!

The Buckley Family said...

Congratulations to the Dood family,the babies are beautiful! I linked to your blog from the Myers blog as I am a fellow triplet mom. Our babies (g/g/b) turned one year old on July 17th and we had them at 26 weeks at UofM. I read thru some of your blog and it was neat to see you referencing the same doctors and nurses that we dealt with for so long! Anyway, if you ever want to talk I think we also have quite a bit in common. Our blog is http://buckleytriplets.blogspot.com/

Kristen said...

Hi, I linked to your site from the Myers site. We have twin two year old boys (born at 30 weeks gestation).

Alexander had hydrocele surgery around his first birthday. It was a quick out-patient surgery and the healing went fast.

Both boys were on oxygen when they came home from the NICU, both had apnea and reflux. Anthony had ROP surgery.

Your children are beautiful and it sounds like you have a great support group. Best wishes to you and your new family.

If you ever need to chat about what you are going through. Feel free to contact us. Or, if you are looking for an outing. (I'm a stay-at-home mom.)

Our site is http://a2jcd2.blogspot.com
Kristen

Unknown said...

Doods! Your babies are so big and beautiful! I'm so happy for you!! I think of you all often and am sending all my warmest wishes for sleep and serenity!

Kirsten Salmeen

grannygrate said...

Hi Kristin. My name is granniegrate. My daughter is pregnant with triplets (identical twin boys and a girl) and is the one who has received some of your premie clothes. Thank you so much for your generosity. It is greatly appreciated. I love reading your posts. It helps to know what is up ahead for us. I'm so glad to see everyone is doing so well and that you have all this help. What a blessing! You are in our families thoughts and prayers! I know things will only get better and better for you and your family each and everyday. God bless you all. Much love, granniegrate

lizkwizz said...

Thanks for the update. We check the site several times a week. The babies are soooo cute. I can't wait to show the girls the pics. Glad everything is going well. We miss you at Winchester.

The Kwiecinski Family

Unknown said...

Hey, Erin told me you had a blog today... so i thought i should check it out. They are so cute!!!
I miss you a lot!

-Megan A