10.19.09 ~ 4 months old!

the girls are 4 months old today! They are now sleeping in the same crib and love to snuggle with each other. We find them shoulder to shoulder in the morning and all happy as can be. Here are some cute pictures of them playing in the pack and play...it's getting harder to tell them apart, especially when they're wearing hats!

Avery, Camille, Brelynn

Avery, Camille, Brelynn

10.18.09 ~ happy girls

All the girls have officially rolled from their bellies to their backs at least once. Brelynn joined the rolling group on Wednesday this week but hasn't wanted to show off her talents again since then. They are so happy and smiley, especially in the mornings. They are sleeping amazingly well, often eating about 8:00 pm and then sleeping from 10:00 pm until 6:00 am! They wake up every 4 hours like clockwork during the day to eat and then either take a nap or play in the swing or bouncer while we try to get things done around the house. We're starting to get more sleep now and are feeling like the craziness may calm down a bit soon. At least we hope it will! I still need help during they daytime feedings because try as I might, they won't stagger their feedings. They all want to wake up and eat at the same time and get angry if I make them wait because I'm feeding someone else! On a good note, they can now eat a bottle in 20-30 minutes instead of taking an hour.

Brelynn, Avery, and Camille

We went to Jubilee Farms to visit our friend Farmer Ryan last weekend. Here's a picture of the girls in the pumpkins. They were getting sleepy but they were good sports with photo time. They're wearing their Halloween outfits, figured we'd better wear them as much as possible before they outgrow them.

10.4.09 Firsts

We have lots of firsts to report...all the girls started smiling and laughing last week which makes the 3:00 am feedings so much more enjoyable. It's very cute. We're trying to get pictures of the smiles, but so far just lots of funny faces. Avery decided to show off at the pediatrician appointment on Tuesday by rolling over for the first time! Then, not to be outdone Camille rolled over on Thursday. Brelynn needs to work on lifting her head a little more before she can roll over but it should be soon. They're all starting to coo and make fun noises, too. One of the greatest firsts of all...Brelynn and Avery slept through the night last night! They ate at 6:30 and were in bed by 8:30. They didn't wake up until 5:30 this morning for a total of 9 hours of sleep for both of them (and at the same time!). Of course Camille needed to eat, but she managed to sleep 6 hours until 2:30. I was able to sleep for about 5 hours, which doesn't sound like a lot, but for me is amazing! We had professional photos taken a few weeks ago by our dear friend Michelle(www.michellenewellphotography.com). Here's of my favorites of the family~

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.