Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween from Pumpkin Addison, Ghost Emily, and Cat Hailey! :) No candy for the 3 of them this year... but they hope all of you get some! :)
Guess what? Addison is scheduled to come home this weekend or early next week! We cannot WAIT!! She has passed her carseat test, hearing test, is taking bottles and nursing well, etc. She's almost 5 lbs already too and into the newborn diapers!! Amazing how quickly they grow up! :) Today she'll be doing a "trend event" where they test her on the monitor to see if she needs to come home on a monitor. We hope she doesn't need one but we'll see!
Emily is doing good. She's at a neck and neck race with her sister Hailey as she now weighs only 10 grams less than Hailey. I don't think she wants to be the little peanut her whole life. :) The other day I went over to start getting Hailey ready to nurse....and out of the blue, Emily starts screaming at the top of her lungs. SHE obviously wanted to go first. I guess patience and sharing will be one of the first things we teach them. :) Emily is also taking bottles now too!
Hailey is still doing okay. Her stools are still testing positive that blood is there but she shows no signs of any sickness! She's gaining weight, looks healthy, isn't irritable, nothing! So the drs. really don't know what is wrong with her. They took her off of her regular food for a couple feedings but nothing changed. So, they'll just keep watching her and it should go away on it's own. They say sometimes they never do find out why this happens. But the big main infections have been ruled out since she shows no other symptoms for that.
The Drs. predict that Emily and Hailey will go home at the same time and they think that could be in a couple weeks. Then the circus will begin! We can't WAIT for that though!!! :)

The Dooy-lets

For those of you who don't know, tons of people out here call Ryan "Doy" and last Sunday, 2 of the high school kids showed up to youth group wearing shirts for the triplets that they had made....they gave one to "Doy." Thanks Tay and Paul! :)

Can YOU tell who's who???

This pic is my new "mom's" ring that Ry gave me after having the girls. It has 3 pink sapphires representing the girls and 2 diamonds for me and Ry. He is a STUD what can I say!? :)

Prayers for Hailey

I went to the hospital today and found out that Hailey had blood in her stool this morning so they took an xray of her stomach to see what was going on. I guess the xray came back normal but she continues to have stools that are testing "positive" even if the nurses can't see blood. So, she could have an infection but we're thankful that she isn't showing any other signs of having an infection so hopefully it's just a fluke thing and she'll be better tomorrow.
The girls all continue to grow though! Addison - 4.9 Emily - 3.10 Hailey - 3.13 !! They're getting up there! The nurse brought out Addison's discharge papers today which was super exciting cuz we can start 'talking' about her coming home now!! Can't WAIT for that! :)

I'm a machine! :)

Okay - I'm officially a milking machine. :) The nurses now want me to breastfeed all three girls three times a day. WOW! That's nonstop feeding when they each need to eat every three hours! I've been staying at the hospital a lot longer now...to get all of the feeding accomplished. The girls are getting better and better at eating every day. They've had less spit ups and are improving all the time! Addison now weighs 4 lbs 6 oz. Emily is 3 lbs 7 oz. and Hailey is 3 lbs 10 oz. So they're getting there! Addison also had a big day yesterday because they took her feeding tube out and gave her her first bottle! Woohoo! This is a VERY good sign and means coming home isn't THAT far off for her anymore. The dr. and the nurse said they'd be surprised if she wasn't home in 2 weeks. SO that's great! It all depends how she does....but that makes me excited! Also, before the girls can come home, they need to be off of the caffeine for at least one week (they've been taking caffeine to help them remember to breathe). And yesterday, the dr. took them all off of their caffeine to see how they will do. I feel like the end is in sight now at least!

Matching Triplets!

Addison, Emily, Hailey

Emily

Hailey













Hailey is the same size as Daddy's foot!!!





The girls are gaining weight! Yay! Thank you SOOO much for praying for them as they are now all gaining weight - even 50 grams which is a LOT to gain in one day! So hopefully they will continue to fatten up! :) Addison now weighs 4 lbs 2 oz! Emily weighs 3 lbs 4 oz and Hailey weighs 3 lbs 7 oz! Addison is now in a big girl crib again and has been for the past 2 days so that is GREAT because she's been keeping her temp up on her own. All of the girls continue to figure out breastfeeding and I'm amazed at how they improve a little every day. Last night, I even breastfed Emily and Hailey at the same time!!!! I might as well learn to be efficient! :)
The girls continue to have moments of spitting up, residuals (when they don't digest their food), and a couple alarms here and there....but for the most part, they are doing well. They even moved rooms - to make room for the new set of triplets that were just born this morning. So now they are techinically out of the NICU and now in an "intermediate" room. We LOVE to see progress!! God is GOOOOOD! :)

Together again after all these years... :)

Addison - Emily - Hailey

Our first family pic!!!!! (Hailey - Emily - Addison)

Last night, Hailey and Emily came off of their IV's so they could go and visit Addison. So fun! We loved being able to have our whole family together even if it was just for a little while! Since the girls kept spitting up all of their food, the Drs now put a continuous feeding tube down their nose so when it's time to eat, the food goes in slowly for an hour. So hopefully that will help them keep their food down! Emily and Addison didn't gain any weight yesterday but Hailey gained an ounce! Woo-hoo!

Our identical lil' punkin's

Hailey is off of her IV so she got to come over and say hi to her identical sister for a while today. Emily just ate so she was tired....but they got along great! :)

Today, Hailey developed a heart murmur out of the blue. Hopefully it will close up again as this is the first time she's had one!
The girls are still not gaining weight...so the drs. keep trying new things. Hopefully one of these days they will start to gain!!! I breastfed Addison and Hailey this morning and Addison had 8 cc's which is AWESOME and Hailey had 2 cc's which is GREAT cuz that's the first time she figured out swallowing! Woo-hoo! :) We'll see how Emily does tonight.
Two of my friends just had baby boys this week - a 5 lb 12 ouncer and a 9 lb 7 ouncer!!!! They looked like TODDLERS compared to our girls! Ryan and I cannot believe the difference a couple pounds can make.... So far, our girls have ALLLL BOYS in their class. At least they'll have some options for Homecoming dates. :)

Pics!!

Sleepy Hailey
Emily


Mom, Addison, and Emily! (Addison's cords would only reach to Emily so poor Hailey is left out of this one!) This pic made it seem more real though that we have TWO babies....and then to think there's even one more! AHH! :)


Emily

Emily's 1st outfit

Addison's crib! (but only for a day...)

Addison's first outfit









Addison getting her feeding...(they insert a tiny tube down their throat to their stomachs and then breastmilk goes down by gravity)

Good news Bad news

I talked with the girls' neonatologist this morning and he said that the good news is that Addison's heart murmur is GONE!!!! Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!! Seriously! I was shocked but so pumped! He said he hasn't heard it for a couple days now...that it still could come back...but for now..it's gone! Hurray! The bad news is that the girls are back to acting like normal preemies in that they aren't gaining the weight that they should be gaining. They keep spitting up their feedings and aren't getting very far with weight gain. So, he is going to up the calorie intake but keep the feedings at 20 cc's so hopefully they can keep their food down!!

Addison's first bath!

Hi! Just wanted to give you a quick update and I'll try to put more pics up after I visit the girls today. Ryan and I got to give Addison her first bath yesterday! She loved it! Wide awake and no tears! I wonder if she'll love ALLLL of her baths! :) I got Ryan a video camera for his birthday so we filmed Addison's first bath. I love being able to watch them at home now!!! She was out of her isolette for one day but wasn't keeping her temp up so now she's back in the isolette. She also has a bili light blanket wrapped around her to keep her jaundice down as it started to come back once she was out of the isolette. But, she is a rockstar when it comes to breastfeeding so that is great! She is definitely surprising the nurses that she is getting the sucking, breathing, swallowing combination down so early so we'll just keep practicing! Emily and Hailey don't understand swallowing yet but I'm sure that will come. All of the girls are now getting 20 cc's of breastmilk through their feeding tube and then they are now adding formula to the breastmilk to give them an extra 2 calories per ounce. Hopefully they can keep it down
Please continue to keep the girls in your prayers - that they will all begin to master the sucking, swallowing, breathing combo, gain weight, maintain their temps, etc. Also, if you think of it, please pray for all of the other babies in the NICU. Ryan and I hear horrible stories where the nurses have to coax the moms to come and visit their babies....and we've seen 9 month pregnant women smoking...and VERY young moms...and babies who are exactly 1 pound. We have SOOO much to be thankful for. I just wish all of the babies in the NICU could be loved at least HALF as much as our girls are.

Growing up fast...

The girls are growing up so fast now! I went in this morning and the nurse surprised me and said she wanted me to start breastfeeding the girls! So wow....I started with Addison and to the nurses surprise, she actually latched on and drank about 3 cc's!!!! The nurse was VERY impressed with her as she expected her to just play around and get used to the idea. So we have an over achiever! :) Emily wasn't that interested as she thought there were better things to do and Hailey could suck and breathe a little but she didn't get the "swallowing" part yet. So...they're coming a long way already! Addison is completely off of her IV now and is strictly on breastmilk either by breast or by her feeding tube! So that is awesome. Now we can take her out of her isolette and let her sit by her sisters for a while so that will be fun! I wonder if they miss each other.... :) And, tonight Addison will be out of her isolette and into a "crib" in the NICU. She is a big girl now!

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Ryan doesn't know it yet -but the girls are surprising him with his first birthday cards from his children! :) So glad that they came in time to celebrate his birthday.

And, praise the Lord that the girls brain scans all came back normal! Yay! The Drs. continue to up their feedings. They're all on 15 - 17 cc's of breastmilk so that is good! They spit up every now and then but it's amazing that they are even eating as much as they are for as small as they are. Addison gained 2 ounces and now weighs 3 lbs 14 ounces! She is a chunk compared to her sisters! Emily lost a quarter and now weighs 3 lbs 1.25 ounces and Hailey gained a quarter and now weighs 3 lbs 3.75 ounces. We hope they continue to keep their food down. Addison will go off of her IV either today or tomorrow and will strictly be getting breastmilk through the feeding tube so that is major progress!!!! I am feeling better every day but I did have my first "hormonal" meltdown last night. It is just SO hard leaving the girls there for some one else to care for them when WE want to be their primary caregivers! But we know they are in good hands and God will give us patience as we wait for them to come home. But, better go, we're headed to a triplet rummage sale to hopefully find some deals!

Best Day EVER

Last night was SOO AWESOME! Ryan and I went to visit the girls last night and to our surprise, the nurse said we could HOLD THEM! The Dr. said these parents can't wait any longer to hold their kids...so they let us hold them one day early since they are doing so well! It was SUCH a treat and wow - I don't even know how to explain how GOOD it feels to hold them close. I probably kissed them each like every 5 seconds. We can't get enough of them! I just wanted to run right out of that hospital with them. They are soo light....and so small....but sooooooo precious and perfect. Ryan's bday is on Thursday and that is the BEST birthday present he could ever get! I don't even think I need to go shopping for him! :)
The girls are progressing very well. All of them are now off of the bili lights as well as the breathing help and they also don't need to monitor the oxygen level in their blood anymore so that's one less cord that needs to be attached to them! Yay! :) They all had their brain scans done this morning so our prayer is that they don't find any blood in their brains. Addison's heart murmur is still a concern so hopefully that will close up on it's own sometime soon. But since she's handling it pretty well, they won't do any treatment since there can be complications with the treatment. So, please keep praying that the murmur closes on its own!
Can't believe the girls are a week old already. This has all happened so fast. God is good though...and we're so thankful that He's in control!

Mommy, Daddy, and Hailey Grace

Mommy, Daddy, and Emily Ann

Mommy, Daddy, and Addison Lee

Hurray!

These girls are amazing me every day! We went back to the hospital last night and found that all three of the girls are off of ALL of their breathing help! No cannulas, nothing! I just can't believe how well they are doing since they aren't even a week old yet! Hailey is also off of the bili lights now....so they are progressing SO well. They are each up to about 9 cc's of breastmilk and doing well with that. Our next big prayer concern is that they continue to do well and that their brain scan on Wednesday turns out normal with no internal bleeding or anything like that. Then, hopefully on Wednesday night, Ryan and I will be able to HOLD OUR CHILDREN! I can't even tell you how excited we are for that moment. It is killing us not to be able to kiss their heads or hold them close. Soon enough though. :)
Please continue to pray for the girls. God is definitely watching out for them and we know it's because of all of your prayers. Love and bearhugs to all of you!

Me and my pregnant friends

From right to left, this is the order we were SUPPOSED to deliver according to our due dates. I beat all of them! :)

30 weeks and poppin'

This is my last photo at 30 weeks - 1 week before they were born.

I gained 40 pounds total and was 45 inches around my belly.

Baby Hailey

Baby Emily

Baby Addison

I'm home.....

Well, I made it home okay....but it sure is weird for Ryan and I to be here without the rest of our family! But, I am thankful to be home and in my own bed. :) The girls continue to do well! There were no major changes in anything today other than the fact that they are starting to wean Addison off of her cannula which is amazing since she is the one with the heart murmur! But she's doing so great. We're having fun trying to figure out who the girls look like and act like already. :) We think we've come to the conclusion that all of the girls have Daddy's chin and Mommy's nose. Addison LOVES to stretch and stretch. Emily is great at blowing bubbles and Hailey gets super comfy laying on her tummy. The girls have the softest, most beautiful skin ever...and they all have quite the grip with their long fingers when they grab a hold of Daddy or Mommy's finger. We can't wait for you all to meet them as we're having so much fun getting to know them already. Ryan and I couldn't be happier with how they are doing. Grandpa Joel and Grandma Gwen head back home tomorrow to Denver but it has been AWESOME having them here. They plan to come back when the girls come home! Well, time for bed for this momma. :) Night!

All Stars

Our girls are all stars! :) The nurse told us today that they are doing VERY well for 31 week multiples so we are so thankful! We just hope and pray they keep it up! All three girls are now on the cannula with room air so that is awesome. Emily is sooooo much happier to have that huge CPAP thing off of her face and now she doesn't have as many apnea spells either. Emily and Hailey are both still under the lights for jaundice and Addison might be going under tomorrow. I got to change all of their diapers tonight and take their temps and I just love touching them! They are all taking feedings now through a feeding tube which is GREAT. Hailey has been spitting up some but we'll see how she does over night. Ryan and I are learning more every day about how to care for our teeny babies and we just love every bit of it. We keep staring at them in amazement and are counting the days til we can cradle them in our arms. Tomorrow will be a tough day for me...since I get discharged from the hospital and will have to leave the girls here. We'll be back a lot for feedings and everything...but it will just be so weird to go home without them. The girls so wish they could go home with Daddy to watch the Packers beat the Bears...but they'll just have to wait :) Anyways - I'm healing up just fine though. Still in some pain every now and then but not unbearable. My staples come out in the morning! But - better get some sleep. Good night!

New improvements!

I'm amazed at how much things change in a day! The girls are already changing every day! As you can probably see from the new pictures, Addison and Hailey were taken OFF of the CPAP and had a cannula put in all day instead! Hurray! The cannula isn't even giving them oxygen - just room air so that is great! Emily still needs to be on the CPAP because she has apnea spells where she forgets to breathe every once in a while. Addison has been a little stinker as yesterday she kept pulling her cannula out of her nose and would stick it in her mouth instead! But, she's able to breathe on her own and is showing she is doing well. AND, she even has a heart murmur that they had to do an echo on yesterday. The Drs say heart murmurs are common in preemies and most will close on their own. Addison is already proving that she's doing okay with her heart murmur because she's on the cannula and doing well! Emily was also put under the lights for jaundice yesterday and the other girls might be put on that today. I was actually very pumped because I got to change Emily's diaper yesterday! That is probably the only time I'll ever be thrilled to do that! :) (Right now, Ryan and I can only stick our hands in the isolettes to touch them so to change her diaper was a huge deal!) Then, last night, Ryan got to hold Hailey for a tiny bit while the nurse changed her blankets underneath her....so THAT was a huge highlight as well! We are so appreciative of the smallest things! :) And, Emily and Hailey both began feedings yesterday through a feeding tube and seemed to be doing pretty well with it. I am pumping but still waiting for the milk man to deliver the milk as Ryan would say. :) Addison is still on an IV for her nutritian because they don't want to challenge her too much right now with a feeding tube since she has the heart murmur. We were just so thrilled that Addison and Hailey were able to get their "football masks" (CPAP) off yesterday so we could see their beautiful features and faces. :) I am doing well and should be home by Sunday but will be back all the time to visit our babies. We'll continue to keep you updated! Thanks for caring so much for them already!

Day 2

Baby Addison and Daddy
Emily's tanning bed

Precious Hailey