Monday, November 24, 2008

More Pictures

We've added more pictures to the website so please feel free to take a look (in the new Triplets at Home III album). We've had a busy last month. Peyton, Adah and Sam went as the Three Blind Mice for Halloween! They didn't like their sunglasses so much though, so they were mostly just the Three Mice! The costumes were a hit though and they did great. We went to our church's fall festival the week before Halloween and had a great time there. On Halloween we went to the Halloween festival sponsored by the JU students and it was a lot of fun as well. All in all, a great first Halloween.

We also took the babies to have their pictures done recently as well. We've added those pictures too. They did wonderful and we got some great pictures!

Things are going well in November too. We are excited for Thanksgiving and all the turkey! We'll put the tree up after Thanksgiving, though we still don't know how we're going to keep the babies' hands away from it. We can't believe that Christmas is only a month or so away. Even though it will technically be the babies' second Christmas, it will seem like their first since they will be home with us instead of in the hospital. We're planning a birthday party as well, so that should be fun. We can't believe they will turn one on December 21st!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Quick Update

We just wanted to give everyone a quick update on everything going on here. We are enjoying the cooler weather and everyone is getting excited for the holiday season coming up.

Everyone is growing so fast! Sam is 20 lbs, Adah is 18.5 lbs and Peyton is a little over 17 lbs. Peyton finally joined the ranks of the mobile, but she prefers the army crawl like her brother. Adah is pulling up on everything in sight and she's starting to climb things too, which is scary! Walking will not be too far off for her. Sam is starting to pull up as well. Sam and Peyton both have their bottom 2 teeth. Adah got her first tooth a while ago, but that's still all she has. We're waiting for the second one to come any day, but for now she's our snaggle tooth!

Everyone has started eating more food as well. They now eat bagels, cheese, cooked vegetables, yogurt, fruits, and their favorite, Cheerios. They love to eat "real" food and like to feed themselves. They are going to be the three blind mice for Halloween, so keep an eye out for pictures! We have some pictures posted from their visit to the pumpkin patch, so be sure to check those out.

Everything else here is going great. Dad is still moving along on his dissertation. He has gotten the first three chapters approved and is now ready to defend! Hopefully that will happen in the next couple of weeks. We are so proud of him!

Hope everyone is doing great and have a wonderful Halloween!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Movin' On Up

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, but things have been pretty busy around the Clifford house and the JU campus the last month. August was great and the babies have really grown lately. All three have been sitting very well for the past month or two. This was great for them as they experienced a new"point of view" from the upright position! They really enjoy getting to play and interact with one another and there is nothing cuter than when they sit and smile and laugh at each other. We're wondering if they will create their own triplet language down the road!

Another huge milestone that we were definitely not ready for was crawling. Yes, Adah is officially on hands and knees and making her way around the house. Baby proofing was kicked into high gear once this happened! Sam has also started to crawl over the last couple of days as well. His biggest motivation is a bottle sitting across the room. We have never seen him move that fast ... that boy loves to eat! Peyton is still very content to sit and observe, which is fine with us!

We've gone swimming a few times and all 3 babies now really enjoy it. If we have to live in the 90 degree heat half of the year, we might as well spend it in the pool! We've had a lot of trips out to lunches and to visit Nonni and Grandad as well. We're looking forward to October when we're making our first big trip with the babies up to Charlotte for Mimi's (Matt's mom's) wedding. It will be fun to see her as well as Bogey (Matt's dad), Marmie (Matt's dad's wife Martha), Aunt Meghann and future Uncle John. We're excited to see everyone in Charlotte!

We did go to the doctor at the beginning of August (7.5 months) and everyone was doing great. Dr. Walker has a lot of fun seeing her babies and they loved seeing her as well. Sam was 18 pounds, Adah was 17.5 pounds, and Peyton was 15.5 pounds. We will go back at the end of September (for their 9 month visit!!), so it will be interesting to see how much they have grown since then. We are now trying and eating a bunch of solids and so far they love the fruits and their oatmeal. Not such a big hit ... peas and avocado. I guess like most kids these three don't love their vegetables as much as fruit! They've also started using sippy cups in between meals just to get used to them. They somewhat have the idea of how they work and will drink for a little bit, but more often than not the cups end up being used as water-spewing projectiles or makeshift hammers for banging on toys!

Matt's busiest time of the year (August) has finally waned and he is enjoying having the students back on campus. I have to brag because he is going full steam on his dissertation and he has already written 65 pages!! If you know Matt, you know he tends to be a little "long winded", so this is probably only about 25% of the paper, but it's great progress. He's aiming for an ending date in December 2009 at the latest, but he's done so well that we're hoping he can possibly push it to August 2009! Peyton, Sam, and Adah are very proud of their Daddy for working so hard!

Until next time, thanks for keeping up with us! We'll post some new pictures as well!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

New Video

We just finished a new video of the triplets' summer fun. Check it out here or at the Clifford Triplets web site.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

7 Months

The Clifford triplets officially turn 7 months tomorrow and we can't believe it! It seems like the last few months have flown by and we can't believe it's already been that long since we first welcomed them in December. Summer has been going well so far and everyone has enjoyed having Dad home early on his half-day Fridays.

We last went to the doctor for their 6 month appointment at the end of June. Peyton was 14-3 and 26 inches. Adah was 15-6 and 26.25 inches. Sam was 16-1 and 27.5 inches! They had all caught up with at least the average 6 month old in terms of height and Sam was actually in the 90th percentile in height for 6 month old boys! This is amazing considering he was 2 months premature, so Dad is hoping he is going to get that "Clifford height" that he missed out on. Peyton and Adah were in the 50th-75th percentiles for height, so we have some long babies!

Unfortunately, July has not been a great month for us in terms of health. All 3 babies have just finished getting over their first "real" sickness (they have had colds, but that is it) in the form of a stomach flu. Adah had the bug first and hardly missed a beat. Peyton got it next and did not fair very well. She was very sick for about 4 days and lost about a pound (so she is now our smallest by about 2 pounds). She handled it as best as she could though and pulled through after a few days. Sam was the last to get it and had a middle of the road case. He lost some weight as well. All in all, the Clifford household was sick for about 2 weeks. Luckily, Mom and Dad didn't catch it and everyone is now back to normal. It will be interesting to see what they all weigh at our next doctor's visit at the beginning of August. We're guessing Sam and Adah are almost dead even and Peyton is a couple pounds behind (this is all determined by our very "official" guesstimation process that involves weighing the babies on our $10 bathroom scale).

We have had an eventful last week in terms of milestones as well. All 3 babies can now roll back to front and Adah often rolls halfway across the room before we blink twice. Sam is getting very good at holding his own bottle (which is wonderful news when it comes to feeding triplets) and Adah is not far behind, though she enjoys hugging her bottle more than holding it. We also all started eating rice cereal to try and re-gain some of the weight we lost while sick. Sam LOVES the extra food and the girls are enjoying it as well. The babies took their first trip to a restaurant with Mom and Dad this week too. Logistically, this can be hard with triplets, which is why we haven't done it by ourselves until they were 7 months old! We all went to Jason's Deli and they did great. Afterwards, we went to the park and all 3 of them enjoyed going on the swings and Peyton loved the slide. Sadly, we were cut short by those summer rainstorms, but we still had a great time.

Thanks to everyone who keeps checking the blog! We are going to put up some more pictures as well, so please check them out. Dad is working on a new video that we'll try and post as soon as we can ...

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Father's Day

The Clifford's are officially uncool...we bought a minivan over the weekend. It was an inevitable purchase that we tried to fight, but we were starting to outgrow our cars. It is a nice minivan, but that doesn't do much to assuage the loss of our youth.

Matt took the week off of work and we spent some time at Nonni and Grandad's house. It was nice to have the extra help around and to play with all the fun things at their house. We took the kids into the pool for their first swim. It was quite an adventure. Sam really enjoyed it, which now has Matt dreaming of an Olympic swimmer. The girls didn't take to it the first day, but they liked it a lot better the second time around.

Sam is now a blabber mouth, talking to his hand, various inanimate objects, and when he wakes up in the morning. Peyton went a long time without talking, but she's found her voice again and is a big talker, too. Adah is trying to get over a cold that she probably picked up at Uncle Bryan's wedding.

Matt had talked to a lot of dads who were looking forward to a game of golf or some time on the couch. He decided against that and wanted to spend some extra time with the babies, although he lobbied against changing diapers successfully.

We put a new album on the website. Check it out here. Now that they're older, we'll try to update the photos monthly, so stay tuned.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Here Comes the Bride!

We've had a great couple of weeks since our last post. Everyone is continuing to grow and get so big! It's hard to imagine Peyton, Sam, and Adah all used to weigh only 3.5 pounds just about 6 months ago. They have accomplished some big milestones for their gestational age of 3.5 months. Adah has rolled from her back to her tummy, which she is happy about since she loves her tummy! Peyton is halfway there and Sam shows absolutely no interest in laying anywhere but his back! I'm sure he'll turn over one day, but he's pretty happy just looking at the ceiling for now.

All three babies LOVE to stand up now. Sam would stand all day if our arms could hold him up that long. But anyone knows who has held him that holding him up for just 5 minutes of standing is a workout in and of itself! Peyton is the kicker of the bunch and we estimate that she has already run a marathon by this point in her life. Adah is our smiler and "loud mouth", she always has something to say! All three babies love to sit up and are showing the first signs of being able to do it on their own. It will still be a little while, but they are on their way!

This past weekend was Uncle Bryan's (and Aunt Ashley's) wedding. The babies did pretty well for the entire thing. Because our babysitter fell through for Saturday night, the babies ended up making an appearance at the wedding. Luckily we found a great babysitter for the ceremony, but the babies were lucky enough to get to go to the reception. Everyone was glad to see them and they enjoyed looking at all the people and flashing lights! We headed home from the reception early to get everyone to bed, but we all had a great time and loved celebrating with Ashley and Bryan. We hope they are having fun on their honeymoon!

We head to the doctor at the end of this month for the 6 month check-up ... we can't believe they are that old already! We'll keep everyone updated on their progress and we promise to post some more pictures soon!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

5 Month Update

It's been a while since we posted and we have had a fun couple of weeks. Mother's Day was a lot of fun. Dad made Mom some yummy french toast (with Peyton, Sam and Adah's help of course!) and all 3 babies gave Mom a baby prints frame for taking their hand and footprints. Later in the day we all went over to Nonni and Grandad's house for Mother's Day dinner. It was a very fun day and special for mom since it was her first Mother's Day.

We've been on more and more outings as the weeks go by. Our favorite places are Costco, Lowe's, and the St. John's Town Center. Any place with big wide aisles is great so we can turn that huge triple stroller! Peyton, Sam and Adah love going out since there are so many new and exciting things to see. It can get boring in the same house after a few months! We do get lots of great comments/questions when we are out with the triple stroller. Here are some of the best and/or most common ones:

"Are those triplets?"
"How do you fit the car seats in the car?"
"Are they identical?" - (I don't know about you, but I have never seen identical boy/girl babies)
"Way to go dad!"
"Where did you get that stroller?" - (Why? Do you want one?)
"Are they usually this good or are they putting on a show?"
"How do you tell them apart?"
"Wow, you don't expect to see that coming around the corner!"
"Did you have all 3 of them at once?"

All 3 babies are smiling, laughing and "talking" a lot now. Peyton has a soft voice (we call it her "inside voice"), while Sam and Adah like to talk a little louder to make sure we can hear them! They are very good at holding their heads by themselves and they love to sit up and stand on mom and dad's laps. Everyone is still sleeping about 11 hours at night, which is great for mom and dad!

We went to the doctor this past week for their 5 month check-up. The doctor says they are making great progress and they are catching up with their "real" age of 5 months (instead of their gestational age of 3 months). Peyton is 12 pounds, 11 ounces and is 24 inches long. Adah is 13 pounds, 8 ounces and is 24.75 inches long. Sam is 14 pounds, 10 ounces and is 25.5 inches long. As you can see they are growing really fast!

We've got a big month ahead of us with Uncle Bryan's (JoAnne's brother's) wedding in a couple weeks. We're also planning on some more outings as well. Thanks to everyone who keeps checking the blog ... we'll keep you updated as much as we can!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Slumber Party

We've had an exciting week! Matt's grandparents came to visit on Thursday and got to see the babies. They had a lot of fun and thanks to Aunt Rebecca for driving their great-grandparents down from Georgia.

Matt successfully finished his oral comprehensive exams for the doctoral program, so now he's a "doctoral candidate." The only thing standing between him and the degree now is that little dissertation thing. I'm sure that Peyton, Adah, and Sam will help him write it!

Nonni and Grandad came over on Sunday to spend the day with Peyton, Adah, and Sam. That meant that mom and dad got to spend the day out of the house. We went to church for the first time in months, and found some cute clothes to bring back for the babies. Adah is spending the night at Nonni and Grandad's house tonight (her first sleepover!), so mom and dad are trying out life with just two babies. Our conclusion: twins would be a piece of cake!

We finished Peyton's first video. You can see it online at the Clifford Triplets web site.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sick Day

We went to our four month check up last week, and everyone is doing very well. Sam is up to 12 pounds, 15 ounces. Adah weighs 12 pounds, 1 ounce, and Peyton is 11 pounds, 1 ounce. Sam is 24.5 inches long, Adah is 23.25 inches long, and Peyton is 23 inches long (she's gaining ground quickly!). The doctor was very pleased with them! Sadly, they also got 4 shots, and they were anything but pleased. Sam was especially vocal.

Matt also brought home a cold from work and it wasn't too long before everyone caught it. JoAnne is mostly better, but the kids are all still a little sniffly. Overall, though, they've been really good and we haven't been able to tell any difference in their moods.

Peyton has joined her brother and sister and is sleeping through the night now, so mom and dad have been enjoying some good nights of sleep. Matt has the oral portion of his comprehensive exams for the doctoral program this week, so the sleep has been a welcome development.

We put a new video up on the website. This one is of Sam. Click here to go to the website. Peyton's should be up soon!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Two Down, One to Go

The babies had their first outing yesterday! Mom and dad decided that it was time to venture a little farther afoot than the JU campus. We took everyone in the super stroller on a Costco shopping trip. Costco was a strategic choice...wide aisles, high ceilings (to drown out any crying) and lots of things to occupy them! All in all, it was a very successful trip. We were instant celebrities once inside. We got everything from cheers ("way to go, dad!") to exclamations of pity to astonished, blank expressions. It's amazing how much cuter babies seem to be when there are three of them! I think we'll be taking more trips in the future since this one was so successful.

Last night, Adah and Sam both slept through the night (7pm to 7am). Adah woke up a few times during the night, but she was able to put herself back to sleep pretty easily. We're so proud of both of them! Now we just need to work on Peyton!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Visit from Mimi

I realize it's been awhile since our last post when I've already taken my comprehensive exams for the doctoral program. Sorry about that! I hope I can make it up by not only posting here, but also adding more pictures and a video to the Clifford Triplets web page. The video is of Adah. She is not the favored child; I'm working in reverse birth order on a video for each of them.

This past week, while Nonni and Grandad (JoAnne's parents) were in Ireland, Mimi (Matt's mom) came to visit for the week. Aunt Meghann also visited for the first half of the week. It was great to have them see the babies and help us out. It was nice to have dinners fixed for us all week!

We've also made a great leap forward with the babies' sleep habits. Sam has slept through the night twice this week!! By sleeping through the night, I mean we put him to bed at 7pm, and he woke up at 7am. It's at times like these when we wish we could clone our son. Not that we don't love our girls, but they don't cherish their sleep like he does! They are still doing pretty well, going from 7pm to 7am with only one feeding in the middle of the night. We're pretty excited about these new developments!

They are also starting to really exercise their personalities. They have started to hit some newborn milestones. Although they're almost 4 months old, their "adjusted age" (based on their due date, Feb. 23) is 7 weeks. The doctors measure their developmental milestones (crawling, smiling, etc.) by their adjusted age until they've "caught up," usually by age 2. They've all started to smile at us (and Wilson) and are making the cutest baby noises. They're also very good at holding their heads up. They respond to mom and dad's voices and follow us across the room (usually when we have to grab brother or sister!). They're headed to the doctor this week for their 4 month checkup. We'll let you know their updated baby stats.

Don't forget to look at the new pictures and video at our web site.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

New Pictures

The Clifford family has been busy with Matt studying for comprehensive exams over the past couple weeks ... we know he'll do great! We promise we will write more soon. In the meantime, we've posted some new pictures to the Triplets at Home album ... enjoy!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Getting Big

Peyton, Sam, and Adah have been doing beautifully the last few weeks. All are getting so big and we can't believe how fast they are growing. Right now, they are 1.5 weeks past their due date. They are all already starting to lift their heads and scoot along during tummy time, which is great. We can also tell that they are starting to focus more on our faces and objects close to their faces.

Of course, as they are getting older, they are staying awake a lot more in between eating. When they were very small, all they did was eat and then immediately fall back asleep. Now they stay awake some more so we can play and interact with them, which is great. A lot more of their personalities start to come out when this happens. Sam is still our patient, serious little guy who is content most of the time. Adah loves to be held and likes to stay awake the most (especially in the middle of the night, but we're working on that!). Peyton is our sensitive little girl who probably has the best expressions of the bunch. It is really fun to see them develop and grow into little people with their own unique personalities.

The last doctor visit at the end of February went great. We don't have to go back until their 3 month check-up in mid-March! Sam was 9-14, Adah was 8-13, and Peyton was 8-2. Nonni went with us to the doctor for the first time and she grilled the doctor as all good grandparents should! She tried to convince him to let the babies go out to public places before the end of April (the end of flu season), but he wouldn't budge. Oh well. We're looking forward to when we can take them out to meet everyone!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Happy Birthday!

Peyton, Sam, and Adah have had a great couple of weeks since we last posted. They have been growing so fast and we can't believe how fast they are outgrowing all those cute clothes! We would suggest everyone invest in Gymboree, Carter's, and Babies R Us stock over the next couple years as the Clifford kids will be spending lots of money there!

We've taken the stroller out for several walks over the last couple weeks. We've visited the Advising Center so the babies could meet Leslie, Nancy, Glory and Stacey as well. We can't wait for them to keep getting bigger ... they'll be running all over campus before we know it!

The babies were 8 weeks old last Friday (February 15), so we visited the doctor for the dreaded shots (4 of them each!). There were definitely some tears, but Peyton, Sam and Adah handled it like champs. Everyone we talk with is always curious about the babies' current "stats", so here they are from the last doctor's visit on February 15:

Peyton
7 lbs 19.5 inches

Sam
8 lbs, 8 oz 20.5 inches

Adah
7 lbs, 0 oz 20 inches

As you can see, all three are growing great and putting on the pounds. Not bad considering their actual due date is this Saturday, February 23!

PS - We also want to say congratulations to our friends Stephen and Nathalie Potts who just welcomed Katelyn into the world on February 18. Matt, JoAnne, Peyton, Sam and Adah can't wait to meet her!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Taking a Stroll

Today was a beautiful day with temperatures near 80 degrees and the sun shining. We took advantage of the great weather to take everyone out on a walk! We had a few people give us the triple take as we walked by. It was great to get them (and us) out of the house and into the fresh air! We took a walk over to the Student Commons on campus and visited everyone in the Student Life Office. Dr. Balog, Bryan, Kristie, and Susan all argued over who looked more alike. They were all really happy that we came by to visit, even on a busy Monday. We made it over to the Advising Center to visit Glory and Nancy before heading home to eat! It was a great day and great to get outside with them.

We put some more pictures up online.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Puttin' on the Pounds

We had our first pediatrician's visit with all three babies yesterday, which was an adventure to say the least! Loading the three of them into car seats and into the car requires some advance planning. The pediatrician's office is great. They have us come through the back entrance so we don't have to wade through any potential germs. All three of them are doing very well, and growing so fast!

Sam is up to 6 lbs., 12 oz. and is 19.75" long.
Adah weighs 6 lbs., 4 oz. and is 18.75" long.
Peyton weighs 5 lbs., 9 oz. and is 18.875" long.

They also had a little photo session yesterday at home. Bev Pye is a friend of the Hassel's, and she came over to take lots of pictures. She does really great work! You can see some of them here, although she hasn't had a chance to put them all online quite yet. Everyone (including Mom) is sleeping right now, so I took some time to post this update!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Peyton's Homecoming

We had gotten used to taking care of two babies when we got the call from the hospital to bring the car seat in. Truthfully, we were grateful to bring our visits to the NICU to a close. It is a wonderful place with great nurses and doctors taking care of beautiful babies, but we were ready to have everyone home for good. Peyton came home on Tuesday, January 22. She weighed 4 lbs., 11 oz. when she left the hospital! Peyton had the privilege of coming home during the daytime, and she was greeted by a big crowd at the Clifford house. Wilson was relieved to hear that this would be the last addition to the family.

Peyton had her first doctor's appointment (by herself!) on January 25. The doctor gave her a great report! She weighed 5 lbs. and was 18.25" long. Peyton is definitely the princess of the three. She is very particular about nearly everything from diaper changes to sleeping positions. We've struggled a bit trying to find out how she wants things done, but when we get it right, she lets us know!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Sam's Homecoming

We had expected that Sam would come home first, because he was the biggest baby and steadily gained weight. I think when he found out that his sister beat him home that he was jealous, so he decided to join her. We got a call from the hospital on Friday, January 18 that Sam would be going home that day. Mom and Dad went to the hospital to pick him up and Adah stayed at home with Bogey, Marmi, and Nonni. Three adults to take care of one tiny little baby! Room in the back seat of the car started to get precious, with the addition of another car seat! We brought Sam home to see everyone and I think he was pretty excited to see his sister again. Wilson, on the other hand, was a little disappointed to see another one come through the door!

Sam weighed 5 lbs., 7 oz. when he left the hospital. At his first doctor's appointment 4 days later, he weighed 5 lbs., 13 oz. and was 19 inches long. Sam is very patient and rarely cries or gets fussy. With Mom and Dad trying to feed three babies at a time, Sam patiently waits until both his sisters are finished. He's pretty laid back and takes his time eating. He likes to be swaddled and sleeps very well in his crib. He also likes being on his tummy and doing some strength training by lifting his head up off the floor. Sam had his first "sink bath" today and he really like being in the water. His dad is hoping he'll be a swimmer!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Adah's Homecoming

Adah was the first to come home, on Thursday, January 17. When she left the hospital she weighed 4 lbs., 12 oz. Dad made sure to install the car seat and mom rode in the back seat with her on the way home. When we got home, Wilson was very glad to see us. We brought the car seat into the house, but he didn't know that Adah was in there. We sat down with him and when she made a noise, he was pretty startled. Wilson is a skittish dog by nature, so he was a little taken aback at the new arrival. At first, he was pretty jealous of all the attention she was getting. After a week (and two more babies), he understands that he's no longer top dog.

Adah's first night was a little rough. In the hospital, she was always very calm and quiet. We had her sleeping in a basinette in our room, but that only lasted until 4am. JoAnne couldn't sleep because of all her little noises. She moved her to her crib in the nursery and we turned the baby monitor on (low volume!). Adah got a visit from Grandad and Nonni on Friday morning and she spent the rest of the day hanging out with us! Hanging out, of course, meaning eating and sleeping. She didn't get spoiled too long because her brother was coming home that night. Bogey and Marmi came over to help take care of her while we went to pick up Sam.

Adah is very particular. We tried to swaddle her because the nurses always swaddle the babies at the NICU, but she likes to have her arms out now. We think that she wakes herself up moving her arms around, but that's how she wants it, and who are we to get in her way? She has been a very good baby so far. She's still the best eater, and at her first visit to the pediatrician on Monday, she weighed 5 lbs., 2 oz. and was 18.25" long. We thought we weren't feeding her enough, but since she gained 6 oz. in 4 days, I guess we were proven wrong! She had her first bath at home and, as usual, didn't like it. She's really enjoying being at home!

Catching Up

We're sorry that this has not been updated recently. We have a good excuse, I promise!!

All three of the babies are home now, having been discharged from the NICU over the course of last weekend. We are slowly getting used to their patterns, so hopefully we can update the blog more frequently (sleep permitting). A lot has happened since the last post, and we'd like to share some of those stories. Following this post, we'll recap the homecoming for each of the triplets, and hopefully from here on out, this will be more up to date.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bring in the Car Seat

We asked one of the nurses yesterday about how much notice we would get before one of the babies was discharged from the hospital. She said that usually they tried to give you about a week's notice. Apparently, once they ask you to bring in the car seat, it'll be 3-4 days. JoAnne and her sister were visiting the babies today, and they all seemed to be doing well. No real news to report. When she got to her car, there was a message on her cell phone from the nurse saying that they need us to bring in the car seat for Adah. So, Adah might be coming home in a couple of days, and Sam will likely be right behind her (they asked us later this evening to bring his car seat in tomorrow). We're are both in a state of shock, fear, and excitement right now! Hopefully everything goes well tomorrow and they can come home for the long weekend. Peyton is also doing well. Her nurse was going to try to bring her out of the isolette tonight and see how she does holding her temperature. We think she'll still be there for a little while. Stay tuned for pictures of Adah and Sam's homecoming!!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Taking the Lead

Adah has taken the lead among the babies and might be the first to come home. They've taken the feeding tube out of her stomach and she is eating all of her meals from the bottle now. She had only been taking three feedings from a bottle only a couple of days ago, so she's made great progress!! Dad fed her today and she did very well. She's up to 4 lbs., 10 oz.

Mom fed Sam, and he also ate everything that was in his bottle, and he's also out of his isolette. He's doing very well also, and is eating 2 out of every three feedings from a bottle. Sam weighs 5 lbs., 6 oz.

Peyton's heart rate dropped a little bit yesterday, so they've put her back on the pulse oximeter (measures the amount of oxygen in the blood). No one is really concerned about that, but it's a minor setback. Her red blood cell count was a little low, so she received a blood transfusion yesterday. We found out that she, and her brother and sister, are all A positive. She is up to 4 lbs., 2 oz. She's up to four bottles a day and ate everything that Dad had for her. This was the first time that all three babies ate everything in their bottle. We were so proud of all of them!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Bath Time

We posted some new pictures to the NICU album on the website. One of the nurses was nice enough to take one of Peyton with her Mom and Dad!

Saturday is bath day at the NICU, so we scrubbed everyone up. We can only wash them down with a washcloth, so I think they all get pretty cold during the bath process. They all expressed their displeasure at being taken from their warm beds at first, but then they all seemed to enjoy it!

Peyton is still taking three bottles a day, and she's doing very well with that. She's almost to four pounds now, which is great news. Adah has joined Sam at four bottles a day, although she's a much better eater than Sam. He's pretty lazy, and usually falls asleep about halfway through his meal. The nurses are confident he'll get better as he gets older. Their gestational age is 34 weeks as of Saturday, and they seem to be doing very well considering they're still 6 weeks shy of their due date.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Three Weeks Old

Mom fed Peyton from a bottle today and she did great! She finished the whole thing in 15 minutes. Peyton is closing in fast on four pounds. She's now 3 lbs., 13.3 oz. She's up to three bottles a day and doing very well. Today she had one of JU's finest nurses, Laura, taking care of her!

Sam's temperature has been a little low recently, so they put him back in the isolette to keep him warm. They ran some blood tests to make sure he wasn't sick, and those came back normal. His nurse told us that they'd probably keep him in there for a couple of days, just to be safe. He's up to 5 lbs., 4.8 oz. now.

Adah is still the solid rock of the family. She was a little fussy yesterday waiting to eat, and we heard her cry for the first time. Premature babies don't usually cry a lot until 34 weeks, so we're told. She's up to 4 lbs., 8 oz. and eating three bottles a day.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Grandma Names

JoAnne's mother came to visit the triplets today. She got to hold her first grandchildren (Sam and Adah), which was pretty exciting. Sam is over five pounds, Adah is at 4 lbs., 5oz., and Peyton is 3 lbs., 11 oz. Sam is eating from the bottle four times a day, and the girls are at 2 bottles a day.

There has been some debate in the family as to JoAnne's mom's "grandma name." Candy has been tossing the following ideas for her "grandma name:"
1. Nonni (Nah-nee)
2. Cici
3. Gigi
4. MoreMom (this is not really in the running, but it was one of the funnier options)

These are the grandma names that are not in the running:
1. Grandmother (Candy's mother)
2. Grandma (David's mother)
3. Mimi (Matt's mom)
4. Marmy (Matt's dad's wife)

We've included a poll (over on the right) on grandma names. Please let Candy know your top choice. This is almost as important as those primary things happening around the country.


Wednesday, January 9, 2008

New Pictures

We put some new pictures on the website in the NICU album. There's a great one in there of Sam yawning! Peyton is up to two bottles per day now, and Dad got to feed her today. Everyone else is doing well, and got a visit by their Great Grandma! JoAnne's grandma has been anxious to see them, and she finally got a chance to visit today. She was pretty excited. Sam is almost 5 pounds now, and Peyton and Adah both gained two ounces. Sam also finally lost his umbilical cord, so we can see his belly button. They are all very stable now and just working on resting, practicing eating from a bottle, and getting bigger!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A New Experience

Peyton is starting to bottle feed also! Mom got to feed her today, which was great since she's been cooped up in the isolette for awhile. She's just getting the hang of it, but she did pretty well for her first time. Adah and Sam also nursed for the first time today. Obviously, it was a new experience for everyone, but they did pretty well. Everyone continues to grow and make big strides.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Dad's Turn

Dad fed Adah from a bottle today. She did great, and finished the whole thing off! Her dad is taking all the credit, claiming she wanted to impress him. She's maintaining her weight and is 17.25 inches long. Sam has gained two more ounces (4 lbs., 12 oz.) and is 17.75 inches long. Peyton is long and lanky (3 lbs., 8 oz. and 16.75 inches long). Everyone had a good day today!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Bath Time

We had a great time with the babies this weekend. They are all gaining weight pretty well now. Peyton is at 3 lbs., 6 oz. Adah is at 4 lbs., 3 oz., and Sam is really putting on the pounds. He weighs 4 lbs., 10 oz. Sam is feeding from a bottle twice a day, and Mom fed him from the bottle on Sunday. He fell asleep after about half his bottle, so he needs some more practice! We fed Adah from the bottle on Saturday. She wasn't really interested in eating, but she did alright. Sam got a bath from Mom and Dad on Saturday. He was kinda fussy at first, but he got used to it after a while. Peyton is doing really well. She is keeping all of her feedings down and being really good for her nurses. She's big enough to wear clothes now, so we put some pictures of her up on the website. Enjoy!

Friday, January 4, 2008

An Exciting Day

Today was an exciting day! Adah and Sam both moved out of the isolette and into a basinette. They are doing well enough to be able to maintain their body temperature without being in the warmer. They're still bundled up, but we were excited to see them out in the open! Sam also fed from a bottle today for the first time. He ate 25 ml. over 30 minutes, which was pretty good for his first try! They will keep feeding him from a bottle once a day to get him used to it. Peyton had a good day too. She is still in the isolette, but she's almost back up to her birth weight, which is great news.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Another Move

Peyton moved to the "B" side of the NICU. She has ORSA (Oxacillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) on her skin, so they want to keep her away from the other babies in the NICU. The nurses were not overly concerned about her. ORSA is very common in hospitals, especially in the NICU. She is not "sick" from it, so they are going to just wait for the ORSA to run its course. She's doing well, otherwise!

Adah weighs over four pounds now, which is great news! She continues to be very stable. Sam is also gaining weight, and is at 4 lbs, 4 oz. It was a pretty good visit today. Matt took the opportunity to tell Sam that he would be attending Davidson while he held him! We put some more pictures up in the NICU Album.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Hiccups

Everyone seems to be doing really well today. Peyton got a little bout of the hiccups when her mom was holding her this afternoon. She's doing much better. She's back in the isolette and weighs 3 lbs., 6 oz. She also had a slight case of PDA that Adah has, but her artery has since closed up on its own. Adah spent some time in her dad's arms, and she weighs almost 4 lbs.! Sam is also putting on the pounds. He's up to 4 lbs., 3 oz.

We uploaded some new photos to the website. Check them out!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Change of Address

Sam moved to "the other side" of the NICU today. He weighs 4 lbs., 1 oz., and is doing very well. The nurses told us that they sometimes move more stable babies to another part of the NICU. He's still on his antibiotics for another week or so. Sam was also donning his first outfit since he arrived. We're really excited that he's doing so well!

Peyton is doing much better. Her feedings are back up to 27 ml. and she weighs 3 lbs., 3 oz. She's been taken off of her antibiotics and is going to move back into the isolette tonight. She seems to have moved past the potential stomach infection, which is great news!

Adah had a heart echo this morning and the doctors think that she has patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). All newborns have a small artery that connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery. Usually, it closes in the first few days after birth. PDA is a condition when the artery does not close. It's not unusual in premature babies, and it may still close up on its own. They can also give her some medicine that could help it close up. If not, we'll keep an eye on her and eventually she'll have surgery to fix it. She's still being very good for her nurses and her weight is up to 3 lbs., 13 oz.!