Home

Orlando is home. He got his last feeding at the hospital at 5 p.m. Rose and I fed the Mercedes and Reese. Then, the nurse took off all of Orlando's leads and cut off his ankle bracelet. Rose and the nurse fit him snugly into his car seat, and off we went. It was surreal. It is still hard to believe that he is here now, in our home. It is so wonderful.

Reese is being moved into the twin room with Mercedes. The nurse said that he would probably have to stay another week in the NICU now so that he can be monitored. He is doing great, but the doctor wants to make sure that he doesn't have any more "Bradys" before he is sent home.

Mercedes is gaining weight quickly now that she has been switched to ad lib feeds. She also started breast feeding today for the first time. If she can keep up the weight gain, we will have a full house before we know it.

I can't wait to have all of my babies home with us...

Home alone

I called the NICU and spoke with the nurse. She said that she thought that Reese will probably have to stay a while longer in the NICU. Orlando will be coming home alone... It is disappointing, but I think that it is better to be over cautious in this case.

Tomorrow!

I can't wait for tomorrow. At the very least, Orlando should come home tomorrow. Hopefully, Reese will be able to come home, too. The plan was for them to both come home tomorrow, but Reese had a "Brady" tonight while I was feeding him. A "Brady" occurs when there is a drop in the baby's heart rate. It happens to preemies. Reese's last Brady alarm was three days ago. I don't know if it will affect the plan for him to come home or not. The nurse said she would tell the doctor. She didn't know if it would affect his decision.

I want the boys home together, but I want them to be healthy more than anything else... We will find out tomorrow. Maybe I will call tonight after the doctor makes the night rounds.

Mercedes is doing great! She still has no feeding tube. She has been able to feed without help, and she was switched to ad lib feeds today, meaning that she can eat as much as she wants to eat. She is putting on weight very quickly right now. Rose and I keep hoping that she will keep up the trend. Then, she can come home and join her brothers. Then, our family will finally be complete!!!

Come together...

Picture Day!

As the boys are coming home soon, the hospital took the "official" pictures today. Unfortunately, I was not there to see it, but Rose took some pictures of her own and took some video clips, too. They look so cute together.

The nurses took out Mercedes' feeding tube for the pictures. The hope is that she won't need it put back in. So far, she has been having no problems without it. I fed her tonight after work, and she sucked her bottle dry without any problems. In fact, I think she could have eaten more. She is still on measured feeds.

Reese managed to pee in his hair today. I think he did it on purpose so that the nurse would give him a shampoo... he just needed some attention.

The boys are supposed to come home on Friday!!! Crazy! Rose and I are so excited. We are also going to try to enjoy the next two nights of uninterrupted sleep. (This is more for me than Rose, as she already gets up every three hours to pump.)

I can't believe that the triplets were born just two weeks ago today. That already seems like a lifetime ago. I am sure that time will fly by even faster after they come home.

Turtlenecks are out...

...and snip goes the tip. Poor Orlando and Reese didn't see it coming. A doctor, a man sworn to do no harm, came to visit them today, and made them cry. (Sorry, no pictures.)

The boys are recovering nicely from their ordeal, although they were a little more tired today. Rose had a tougher time nursing them.

Mercedes has never been more pleased to be a girl... She ate voraciously today and gained two ounces for the second day in a row. When I got the NICU after work she had just finished eating and was very awake and wiggly.

The nurse said that the boys may go home in the next few days. They are getting their hospital pictures done tomorrow. They have been snipped. Rose and I have finished our required infant CPR training. The hospital tested the car seats, which passed. The doctor just wants to observe the boys a couple more days before he is satisfied that they are ready to come home for the first time... we are excited, and I feel more ready every day. I just wish that their little sister could come home with them.

Mercedes is still only about 3 1/2 pounds, and will have to gain more weight before she is allowed to come home. She still has the feeding tube in her nose, too. She just needs time to get bigger and stronger. At the rate that she has been gaining weight lately, that should hopefully not take too long.

Cribs!!!

Orlando and Reese were moved to cribs today. The nurse said that babies usually go home within 48 hours after being moved to a crib!!! We should have the boys home by the end of the week! They are doing so well. They are both breast feeding. They are eating as much as they want when they feed. They are both gaining weight. It is very exciting.

Mercedes will have to stay a while longer in the hospital. She gained 61 grams today. That is more than 2 ounces. Hopefully, she will keep up that pace and come home to join her brothers as soon as possible.

Reese had a bath today. He was much more cooperative than Orlando... no pooping or peeing in his bath water. I missed out on the fun, because I had to go to work.

The Triplets' Great Grandma Cimini visited them today. Orlando is her husband's namesake. Unfortunately, as I was not there, no one took a picture of Grandma Cimini with Orlando... next time I guess.

We brought the car seats to the hospital today to be tested... the boys are coming home soon!!!

Together at last!

A family reunites!

The Weekend

I apologize for missing a day of blogging, but I was too busy HOLDING ALL THREE BABIES AT THE SAME TIME!!! It was AWESOME! The triplets have not been in the same room together since the morning that they were born. As soon as the nurse carried Reese into the room with Orlando and Mercedes, she started getting teary-eyed. Then, when she got to have all three in her arms, she started crying. Then, for the rest of the day, if you asked her about it, she would cry again... tears of joy.

Orlando and Mercedes also got baths. Rose started bathing Orlando yesterday morning, but she started feeling lightheaded, so I got to finish the job. (Rose's blood pressure is finally coming down, and her blood pressure medication brought it down a little too far.) Orlando pooped three times and peed twice during the process. As soon as his diaper was off, he pooped in his blanket. The nurse got a new blanket, and he promptly pooped again. He also sent some pee over his shoulder as well. Then, when we finally got him in the water, he waited until he was half done before pooping a third time and adding some pee to the mix. We had to get all new water and start again.

Rose bathed Mercedes this morning with much less trouble. She slept through the whole thing, and did not decide bath time was poop time. Later in the day, I did have to use three diapers for one changing. I took off a dirty diaper and wiped her. Apparently, I missed some because the new diaper had some poop on it, so I got a second diaper. Then, after I attached one side of the new diaper, she managed to send some poop out the leg hole of the other side. Rose got me a new blanket and a third diaper. I think she could tell how frustrated I was, because she volunteered to finish the job... she is such a good mom.

Reese and Orlando are being switched to cribs, tomorrow. If they do well, and there is no reason to think that they won't, they will be coming home by the end of the week!!!!!!!!!! Mercedes will still have to stay at the NICU until she gets bigger. She is doing great with feedings and with all of her stats but weight. She just needs to get some fat on her. She is still a pound lighter than the boys, and needs to catch up.

Ricky Bobbie (the cat) is not that excited about the new arrivals. For the first time since we got him (3 years ago) he has pooped and peed in the house (not in his litter box). The poop wasn't so bad. It was right in front of the door... easy to find, easy to clean. The pee, on the other hand, is difficult to locate, difficult to clean, and so bad smelling that it makes my eyes water. The cat is pressing his luck...

Look Mom... No tubes!!!

Orlando and Reese had their feeding tubes removed today. They also breast fed for the first time. The nurse said that they are the geniuses of the NICU. She said that she has not seen babies feed so well at 34 weeks. (The triplets would be at 34 weeks today, if they had decided not to make their grand entrance.) The boys also breast fed for the first time today. (This would be the correct place to insert something inappropriate, but my mom reads this blog. Therefore, you will have to use your imagination.)

The boys are advancing so quickly. They will be home in no time.

Mercedes is also improving. She still has to have the feeding tube in, but she did half of her feeds today on a bottle. Hopefully, she will be weaned off the the tube over the next several days. The doctor does not want to overstress her as she needs to put on weight. It is just great to see positive steps every day.

My low point today happened while I was eavesdropping on the the nurses during the shift change. At the end of their shifts, the exiting nurse will give a full report to the incoming nurse. I overheard the nurse today say, "Dad needs a little help feeding without DSATs." (A DSAT is the alarm that sounds when the oxygen saturation in the blood gets below a certain level.) The alarm went off two or three times while I was feeding Reese today. He is so intent on his vigorous sucking that he forgets to take a breath. I have to take the bottle out every 6 to 8 sucks or his alarm will go off... It made me feel pretty stupid, but hopefully I have the hang of it now.

Tomorrow, Rose and I get to give the babies their bathes... that should be an adventure!

(You may have noticed that there are more pictures of me with the babies than Rose with the babies... I guess there are some privileges that come with running the blog!)

I.V. Free!

All three babies are I.V. free today. Reese finally had his PICC line removed. Instead of getting poked with a needle to get their extra vitamins, the nurses are adding it to the milk, which give the milk an odd color, but that is much preferable to an I.V. in the head or arm or leg... especially the head.

Orlando and Mercedes didn't gain any weight today. The nurse thought they might have gotten a little tired out from trying to feed with the bottle. Orlando is feeding better every day. The doctor decided that it was still too much work for Mercedes, so she is still getting her milk through the tube in her nose. Reese, on the other hand, is gaining weight and is drinking more vigorously than ever. I had to keep taking the bottle out of his mouth today to make sure he would take a breath. He was drinking almost too well. He was also smacking his lips before and after getting his bottle. I think that he wanted more.

Tonight, the nurse said that they may switch Orlando and Reese from measured feedings to feeding them all they want. That should help them start gaining weight, especially Reese who seemed to want more than he was given.

Rose brought all new outfits for the babies today. They looked very cute, although Reese and Orlando told her that the hats weren't cool. They said that only baseball players wear hats that match their clothes... Oralndo also told her that he didn't appreciate the firm back patting after his meal... Then, he burped and changed his mind.

I am just so thankful that they are all doing so well. Hopefully they will all gain weight tomorrow. I want them all to get nice and fat!