9.10.09 ~ Outings

Dan had the day off today so we got adventurous...after feeding and changing all the girls this morning, we ventured out for a walk around the lake (~4 miles in total). I should have worn real shoes, not my usual flip flops. Then after another round of feedings we took a few pictures of the girls and then ventured to the pharmacy and Target where we stocked up on more diapers. Upon returning home all the girls wanted to eat, so another round of feedings and that brings us to the present time. They're trying to sleep, but I keep hearing Avery every now and again letting us know she's not sleepy :)

Another 'outing' to report is that Camille's feeding tube is officially out now! We pulled it out last night because she ate from the bottle for two days. She had one rough feeding since pulling it, but is still generally doing well and I don't think it will need to go back in. Horray!

Avery didn't like picture time, what a face!

Avery, Brelynn, Camille

9.6.09 ~ What's new?

So much has changed since my last post... the best news is that we have all three girls home now! The official NICU counts were: Avery 28 days, Brelynn 49 days, Camille 62 days. It was a long 9 weeks of traveling back and forth to the hospital every day but we survived and now we can stay in our PJ's all day if we want to :) Since Camille was still having trouble eating enough, we had to bring her home with a feeding tube. She's making great progress and is starting to take full bottles a few times a day (as of this post it has been 6 in a row...a few more and the tube can come out!). The girls are all gaining weight and doing well. Avery and Camille are within a few ounces of each other in weight, Camille about 7 pounds and Avery about 7 pounds 5 ounces. Brelynn is our big girl, weighing 9 pounds already! They all have reflux...not fun. We have thickened their milk to help it stay down in their stomach a little better and it has helped, Brelynn doesn't throw up her whole feeding anymore. We can see their little personalities emerging. Avery is very alert, too alert sometimes. She doesn't like to sleep as well as her sisters because she doesn't want to miss out on anything. Brelynn is such a cuddle bug and she's so mellow. Camille is very social and smiles a lot. They all like to take baths and go for walks in the front pack. Here are a few pictures:

Avery, Brelynn, Camille

Me with Brelynn and Avery at a Hawaiian themed get-together.
Sorry, Camille...you'll get to go to the next one!

Dan with Camille

8.20.09 ~ Due date

Today is my official 40 week due date with the girls. They are now 7 1/2 weeks old and all are doing well. I couldn't imagine still being pregnant! Avery has been home for 3 weeks and sleeps 4-5 hours at a time. She's starting to have awake times during the day where she can look around and play in her swing and on her play mat. She also likes taking walks in the front pack and weighs just over 6 pounds now. Brelynn came home on Monday, 8/17. It has been fun having two girls home and I've been able to manage them by myself for the most part. The only hard time is if they both wake up and want to eat at the same time (or when I'm busy pumping). I figured out a way to feed them at the same time using a boppy pillow and putting them back to back facing outward. I need to get a picture of it, but when I'm feeding two at once there's no way I can get a picture unless someone else is here to take it (and then why would I need to feed two at once???). Brelynn sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time, just not always the same time that Avery does. Last night I was up from 12:30-4 and then again at 6 so it was the roughest night yet. I managed to get about 4 hours of sleep total with 2 hours as the longest stretch...think I'll need a nap this afternoon. Camille is making great progress. She's still in the NICU, but off oxygen and very stable. She just needs to eat more and then she can come home. She got to go on a field trip to Children's Hospital on Tuesday this week for a swallowing study. We found out that as she gets tired, the milk starts to go toward her lungs (for you SLPs, she didn't aspirate when I paced her but she had very deep penetration with thin liquids). We were able to thicken the milk a little bit (nectar thick using Simply Thick) and she did beautifully. Hopefully she'll start taking full feedings now that she is swallowing safely and then she can come home.

Brelynn on L, Avery on R

Brelynn coming home

7.27.09 ~ Avery comes home

Avery is a big girl and got to come home on Monday, July 27th. After a typical morning at the hospital she was finally discharged at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Here's a picture of her in her carseat :)

Of course, she had to come home during the hottest week in Seattle history...it was 91 degrees in Monroe according to weather.com. It felt much hotter. At least we have AC in our bedroom and we could all keep cool and sleep...well, kind of. Having Avery in our room we heard all her little noises and squeaks all night. We didn't jump up for all of them, but we have learned a lot since the first night and now we're all able to get 3-4 hours of sleep at a time. Somehow Dan is able to sleep through her cries, but he's great about getting up if I wake him and ask for help.

The other girls are still in the hospital. They are making progress but are both still on oxygen and have their feeding tubes. Brelynn is starting to eat more and more by bottle and took 4 full feedings in a row the other day. She tried to breastfeed today and did well for her first time. Her oxygen needs are down and she had a trial without oxygen today for about 2 hours before she needed it back on. Baby steps :) Oh, and she's now over 6 pounds!!! Camille is also growing like crazy and she's now over 5 pounds (and almost as much as Avery now...she gets lots of extra calories to help her gain quickly). She's eating a little more by the bottle, but still not taking full feedings. All the girls are starting to look alike as they gain weight. Dan & I will be able to tell them apart, but others may have some trouble in a few months when they're all home and healthy weights.

I'm still doing battle with this PUPPS rash that is now spreading to my legs. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy...the itching is so horrible. I try to distract myself by visiting the girls and playing with Avery at home. They all love to snuggle! Dan likes to take Avery out in the yard in the evenings and she helps him water the garden. He's teaching her the botanical names of all the plants...very cute. That's what's new with us for the week... hope everyone is doing well.

7.24.09 ~ updates for the week

Okay, so I'm getting busy and not posting as often... I'm sure it will only get worse :) Several people have asked what the girls need to do to come home. First, they need to maintain their temperatures in an open crib. Second they need to go 5 days without any drops in heartrate or oxygen levels. Third they need to eat all their food by the bottle or breast (no tube feedings). We haven't had a lot of big changes this week but each girl is growing, getting stronger, and working toward their goals. Let's go backwards today so Avery doesn't think she's the favorite...

Camille hit 4 pounds on Thursday this week. She's starting to get a little chub on her and her face is really filling out. She has met her goal of maintaining her temperature! She's starting to eat a little bit by the bottle but gets tired easily and still gets most of her food by her feeding tube. She is getting better about keeping her oxygen and heartrate up but does still have a few 'events' each day. Other than that, she's still got blonde hair and looks the most like Dan. I'd guess that she'll be home in another week or two.

Brelynn hit 5 pounds on Wednesday. Definitely got some chub on her as compared to the others. She has met her temperature goal, too. Same story with the feeding as Camille...eating some but gets tired easily (who knew it was so much work to take a bottle!). She still has a little bit of oxygen via a nasal canula and isn't ready to give it up just yet. I suspect she may have a bit of reflux because she tends to drop her oxygen level after she finishes eating/getting her feedings. She has the darkest hair but is a little bald on top :) With her chubby face I think she looks most like me. Best guess is that she won't be home for another two weeks, but who knows.

Avery is about 4 1/2 pounds now. She's leading the pack in all areas and is still on track to come home in the next few days (Sunday-Wednesday most likely). She's met her goals for temperature and oxygen/heartrate and is just trying to get all her food by mouth. She's getting close and eats by bottle most every feeding but some of them she doesn't take the full amount so a little bit still goes in the tube. I'd guess she's taking about 2/3 of her total for the day by bottle now. She's also trying to breast feed and took most of a feeding today and yesterday by breast. I think Avery is a combo of Dan's features and mine. I can't wait for the girls to all grow a bit so we can see their features and personalities really come out.

Dan & I are doing well. We are still at the hospital visiting the girls everyday. One major highlight for the week is that the girls each got their first bath (Brelynn & Avery last weekend and Camille will get hers tomorrow). They all smile a lot and are much more alert now. I ended up getting a PUPPS rash which is very rare in pregnancy and goes away when you deliver...well, of course I got it after I delivered. The dermatologist said she's never seen anyone get it after delivery...lucky me. There's nothing that I can take for it that won't pass into the breast milk but I can use an anti-itch cream (I can't describe how badly it itches at times). Should be gone in the next 6 weeks or so :( Another huge blessing is that since the girls will be in the hospital for 30 or more days we will qualify for a program that will pay all their hospital copays for a full year!!! That means that we won't have to pay for doctor's visits or their NICU stay! We'll also be able to get WIC which will give us formula and baby foods for the first year. We are so fortunate.

We really appreciate all the support and prayers we're getting. Thanks to everyone who have dropped off meals, diapers, and other baby stuff. They say it takes a village to raise a child and I definitely feel the support from everyone. These girls are already so loved!

7.16.09 ~ new pictures

Here are some recent pictures of the girls...

Camille



Brelynn





Avery



7.16.09 ~ Cribs

So, not much had changed over the last few days... the girls are doing well and continue to gain weight and get a little more stable each day. We came in this morning to a huge change, Avery and Brelynn are out of the isolettes and in open cribs! They are both over 4 pounds now and are maintaining their body temperatures so they don't need the isolette :) Woo hoo! Camille is still a little to small to keep her temperature up on her own, but she's getting there. Brelynn is still on just a teeny puff of oxygen but other than that, they just need to eat a better and they can come home. Still guessing Avery may come home next weekend or early the following week. Brelynn probably won't be too far behind her but she's still not eating much by bottle. All the girls are trying to take a bottle now, it is just a little confusing for Brelynn and Camille to remember to suck, swallow, and THEN breathe! Way to go girls!!!